A lot to catch up with -
Been busy with my research project and self-directed FMP. Got to catch up on those as well. A few highlights from the past couple of month. Did a craft fair in February - Sunday afternoon - cold - windy - wet - not a lot of people turned up. Warmed up with coffee, tea and soup. Lovely. Made enough money to pay for my meal deal from the supermarket. Met a lot of lovely crafty people.
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Although the pre-planning and installation phases were somewhat disorganized the end result was a wonderful exhibition. Student’s work was displayed to the best advantage and illustrated the range of techniques and talents of the exhibitors. It was a steep learning curve which should put our group in a much better position to make our end-of-year show spectacular.
N.B. Reflection may appear to be very short. I have done an in-depth review of the whole process in my Live Context file What have I been doing- apart from unscrambling my brains?
Two photos of Ruby performing and two of my sketches done during her performance. They may look a bit rubbish to you but I was amazed when I looked at them later. They are such a vast improvement - actually look like a person and are in proportion. My drawing is definitely improving.
Banana leaves. Made good use of them before they completely dried out. Started back at college on 11th January. Most of the first week was spent installing our exhibition jointly with the first years. My feedback from Janet (tutor) was positive, she identified my main areas of weakness and made suggestions aimed at improving my practice and, ultimately, my grades. A lot of different things going on which are all inter-related but need to be kept separate. I don’t want to duplicate things and make more work for myself. I have found it a little difficult to assimilate all the information we’ve been given and separate it into the relevant categories. I think I am a very organized person but I have had to take some “time out” to plan my scheme of work. After considerable thought I have decided on the following: Diary I’m going to use an A4 sketchbook as a diary and will make daily entries. Research project journal Need to keep a record including evaluation and reflections. I do not wish to use my blog for this, mainly because I need access to a computer. I have decided to record my project in a journal – portable, can include little sketches and drawings, much quicker to write than type and I can put little sticky pad reminders in it. Research project file I intend to keep all documentation in a ring binder or Lever arch file. I will use my research proposal document as a template, adding information as and when indicated. Self-directed learning unit or Final Major Project (FMP) I will use my Statement of Intent as a guide to designing and producing my final outcomes. I will need to use a variety of media and facilities to record my progress – sketch books, ring binders, studio space, digital and blog. Live context I am going to use a Lever arch file to store all my information, research and relevant documentation. Live context – Work placement/experience which was started in year 1. I will continue to use a lever arch file which has worked very well for me so far. Live context AND Final Major Project My work placement mentor is a textile surface pattern designer who has been out of that area for a number of years running a charity. She wants to re-establish herself but is out-of-touch with current techniques and trends. She is finding it somewhat difficult to re-discover her creativity and lacks a little confidence. We have developed a collaborative a relationship, bounce ideas off one another and have a lot of fun. We have both bought the book “Color + Pattern: 50 Playful Exercises for Exploring Pattern Design” by Khristian Howell and are going to work our way through it. Should be very interesting and has already begun to spark ideas. Exhibition yesterday was a great success. Thanks to Rachael Addis and her "eye" for detail, knowing where exhibits should go to show them off to their best advantage, not giving up when my display kept falling down (we got there in the end) and her encouragement when we were flagging.
A very steep learning curve. We (2nd years) have to organize an exhibition in June to showcase our final outcomes. I'm going to do an in-depth review detailing what went well, what didn't go so well, devise a check list and ensure we have the necessary equipment and tools. Health and safety consideration are important as is the financing of the event. The Spikeys seemed to fascinate people and some came back for seconds and thirds. One of my tutors told me I was the only student ever to have taken a digital image and turned it into a mixed media textile pieces. She suggested I do a master class for other students. How cool is that? I very rarely blow my own trumpet in public but, today, I’m going to make an exception.
Things always seem to take longer than you think and this was no exception. The exhibition space was just a shell of an empty retail unit. The major problem was that we were unable to attach anything to the walls. We could not use screws, nails, shelving etc. We had a limited electrical supply so could not use spotlights. However, the space is huge with floor to ceiling windows and is in a very prominent position in Northenden. Went through miles of fishing line and boxes of bulldog clips, did leaflet drops in the village, put up signs, arranged plinths and did a massive tidy up on the Friday. WOW. It looks fabulous. Everyone's hard work has paid off bigtime. Looking forward to Saturday when the exhibition opens. Had my feedback today. Need to study the paperwork in more detail when I get my copies.
HIGHLIGHT ... My set of 25 stitched miniatures are very good ... they could be exhibited in a gallery! Finished my last pieces. Blue Spikeys on paper - made a couple of holes but managed to paper over them. This board will be stuck back-to-back with the yellow pieces and hung as a single entity.
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