DEGREES UNEDITED

# 11 [7 April 2008]

Not a very productive day at all today!

Today's timetable - Had to hand in our degree show proposals 10am

A few coffees

11.30am Lecture/Discussion on approaching galleries - quite informative and interesting to hear different peoples views and goals.

Lunch

2.00pm Exhibition proposal tutorial - It went quite well I thought, they seemed pleased with my proposed exhibition, just a few minor points to address but I came out feeling quite happy. Just got to do the work now!

More coffee

3.00pm - prizing my large paintings off the floor without breaking the frames. What a nightmare, the paint had run right under them and fixed them to the floor surer than superglue - Successful operation - All safe and well.

4.00 - Leave uni without having done a scrap of productive work.

# 10 [5 April 2008]

I'd started to drop behind in my self imposed schedule so I ventured into Uni today (Saturday). I half expected to see other fine art students working seeing as we only have about 6 weeks left. No, the studios were empty. It was quite good actually to have the place to myself without any distractions. I had a very productive day.

I finished the first stage of my latest large painting, printed out my proposal, sorted out my career in practice file and completed a sizeable number of small paintings.

Although I am still slightly behind schedule I feel a whole lot better after today.

I started worrying about my proposal for the degree show today, although I have finished it and need to hand it in in Monday morning I am not confident that I have got it right. we didn't really have any consultation on this, we were given guidelines to follow. We have exhibition critiques on Monday too. Our personal tutors go through the exhibition plan and critique our work at this stage. Critiques always make me nervous. I am confident in the work I am doing but I do not really like other people telling me what my work should or should not be. I know I should take criticism better but I'm just not made that way.  

# 9 [4 April 2008]

I've been working from home yesterday and today, a combination of a lot of paperwork to do and childcare problems. I'm probably going have to work over the weekend painting as I am starting to get behind schedule.

I finished my degree show proposal yesterday. It was more difficult than I thought. The artist statement is finalised, I have done technical drawings to show what my show should look like and I have costed the whole affair. This was a huge shock, adding up all the paint, brushes, canvas, paper, medium e.t.c plus the cost of preparing the exhibition, lighting, advertising e.t.c my costs since the start of the semester will have reached a staggering £975.00. I find it amazing that I have amassed that sort of cost and with the drip, drip effect have not noticed it. Some other students have figured out their costs and they seem to be considerably less than me, the cheapest having only spent £175.00

I have the possibility for a solo show in Scotland at a small gallery, the show would be for the whole of July which is fantastic news. It takes the pressure off the degree show slightly in that I know there is something happening straight after leaving and gives me confidence for the future.

I have designed myself a small brochure to send out to galleries and interested parties. It is in it's early stages but it will be great to have something tangible to give to people relating to my work.

# 8 [2 April 2008]

A frustrating day today. I was all motivated to work some more on my large painting only to find that it was still soaking wet. Too wet to risk painting back into it. It looks as though it will probably take a few more days yet.

It's a good job that I have plenty of other work still to do. I spent some time painting the smaller paintings, these are coming on quite well.

I think I will use tomorrow morning to complete my proposal. I have finalised my Artist Statement and the technical details but I do have to complete my budget and a few other details.

I applied for the Northern Design awards the other day. I uploaded 3 images online, it was the easiest application for a competition that I have ever done.

I am having to think about the costs for selling my work at the moment and it is a very difficult thing to do.

# 7 [1 April 2008]

After spending the last few weeks doing work for fundraising it was such a relief to get back to painting this Monday. I have been eagerly awaiting this week as it is the week that I had pencilled in to start a large painting. I have previously made the frames, stretched and sized the canvas so it was with great excitement and trepidation that I set to work.

The painting comprises of 4 panels, each panel is 175cm x 90cm and when put together creates a painting of 175cm x 360cm.

It is early days with this painting and there is a lot still to do but I am very pleased with the progress so far. The frustrating thing is waiting for the paint to dry. I am working in diluted acrylic in large quantities and it takes several days for each application to dry. Luckily I have lots of smaller paintings to be getting on with. So I work on the large painting in the morning then leave it to dry and then continue with the smaller oil paintings.

I am lucky enough to have 2 studio spaces so I can be working on more than 1 thing at a time.

I have also got to finish my proposal for the final degree show this week and I am having trouble deciding what to exhibit. I am aware that I don't want to overcrowd the space with too many paintings but want to get as much as my work seen as possible. It's a conundrum!

Exhibiting is a funny thing. I am really confident in my own practice and the work I am producing but when it comes to hanging the work I don't have the same confidence. Maybe this will come with time.

# 6 [28 March 2008]

No work done today for my degree show. I sorted out the final details with my Friend Vitor for the Postcard show at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. The Preview was this evening 5-7pm and was an absolute success. We raised about  £1,000 for our degree show catalogue and expect it to increase as the show continues over the week-end.

Thanks to everyone involved in putting the show up - Vitor Azevedo, Jason Soloman, Stephen Ross and our helper Adam. Also thanks to everyone who helped on the night and a big thank you to Andrea, Louise and Maggie at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery for giving us the opportunity and being very accomodating.

Monday I will concentrate all my attention to my paintings and should have more to show throughout the week.

# 5 [27 March 2008]

As part of the degree we have a module called "Career in Practice" This module consists of us creating a file about professional practice taken from research and notes from lectures and talks from visiting artists. Another major part of this module is creating a portfolio that we can use when we have finished the degree. We are asked to either pretend to, or actually make an application for some funding or exhibition, residency, job opportunity, proposals, in fact anything that we feel would benefit our own professional practice.

The Portfolio includes a covering letter, CV, proposal, Artist statement, images and fact sheet. This is assessed in May. We hand it in 2 days before our degree show starts.

For my part I haven't decided what my application is for yet. I keep looking around for the ideal opportunity. I am working on the CV, statement and images at the moment.

We are also required as part of the degree to hand in proposals for our final degree show by the end of this Month. These have to be quite detailed with technical drawings with the exact measurements. We have to considered all requirements from helpers to materials and lighting to budgets.

All this written work as well as producing the art for the final show is keeping me really busy. I'm having to be really organised and I'm trying to manage my time more productively.

Outside of the University arena I am also looking to prepare myself for once I have left the institution, sorting out groups and networking, enquiring about studios and applying for exhibitions and competitions, creating a web-site and promotional material, looking for opportunities to allow me to make a living when the student loan has dried up and the university safety net has been pulled away.

I was reading other degree blogs and I was surprised to read that some students are having to do their dissertation alongside everything else that is needed to be done in this last semester. I feel really lucky that at Derby we have to complete our Dissertation by Mid January. (although I didn't at the time) I really don't know how I would cope if I had to do it now.

# 4 [27 March 2008]

Today was an interesting day and was a great experience.

As part of fundraising for our final degree show catalogue the University of Derby has an agreement with Derby Museum and Art Gallery to allow us 3rd year students to have a 3 day show to raise money. We have been organising a postcard show called Anonymous 08 for the last few months approaching established artists as well as students to produce postcards in any medium for sale in the show. All the proceeds go towards our catalogue.

Today we put the show up, we were kindly given the largest space in the Gallery and were left to our own ideas for the hanging without any interference.

Thanks to all the people at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery for allowing us the opportuninty!

We put up in excess of 300 postcards and the show looks really great and has some fantastic work.

The Preview show is tomorrow (Friday 28th) 5pm - 7pm so if anyone is passing this neck of the woods please call in. There's FREE WINE

We also putting up a Postcard show at an Arts centre in Burton Upon Trent in May. The venue is the Brewhouse Arts Centre

# 3 [26 March 2008]

Sorry I haven't posted anything since my initial posts. I have had trouble logging on but it is all sorted now.

Things have been going rather slowly on the degree show front in the last few weeks. I spent a week in Berlin on a cultural visit with my University (Derby) It's something they do every year and in my time I have gone to New York, Barcelona and Berlin.

Berlin was really great, it wasn't what I expected as a city, much more spread out and less busy than I had thought. The art was fantastic and there is more to see than you could possibly fit in a week.

One painter's work I came across in Berlin was Herbert Egl. This was amazing work, since coming back I have failed to find much info about him, so if anyone has heard of him and has any suggestions I would be really grateful

Since coming back it's been the Easter break. I have still been in the Uni as I am painfully aware of the clock ticking away. I have prepared the canvas for some large paintings that I will be starting next week and I have been producing the early layers on a hundred of my smaller paintings. I have attached a couple of pictures to give you an idea.

# 2 [8 March 2008]

ANONYMOUS '08

Student Postcard Show

I am currently curating a student postcard show exhibiting at Derby Museum and Art Gallery in conjunction with the University of Derby and the Art Gallery.

There will be original postcard sized artworks and 3d works on sale in the main Gallery at the Museum and Art gallery from the 29th March - 30th March. All the artworks priced at £15 each.

There are artworks created by leading international and Uk artists alongside works created by students at the University of Derby. All works will be displayed anonymously so you could get yourselves a real bargain.

There is a Private View on the 28th March at the gallery from 5pm - 7pm. Free Wine and good company.

If you would like to produce some artwork for this exhibition then please send the artwork (must be A5 in size, any medium, any subject) to Paul Hirst, 4 Spinners Way, Belper, Derbyshire. DE56 0HR

Deadline for submission 21st March 2008