As I look at the content of my previous posts, I can see that I had the need to get all the loose ends and relevant theory relating to my practice, out of my head, and into my blog posts. Too many ‘open boxes’ as Michele said that needed to be captured and stored. Stored in my journal for future reference and assessment but also stored in my subconscious mind as I continue with practical work, and I believe whatever I create will come from this place.
Below are the beginning stages of some work that recently commenced. I have progressed and will soon update this with more images:
Sculptural work (still need an update):
It has taken me a while to get set up. I will be working from this ‘art-model’ reference photo’s but I am planning a photoshoot with some family members who are willing. I hope to bring in a touch of a carnival theme. Watch this space for more updates regarding this. The model in these photo’s are only used as reference for proportions.
Encaustic experiment on glass:
My glass has been primed with clear gesso and I am ready with my design (almost) to try encaustic, earth pigment and charcoal onto the glass. I would like to see how I can use the luminosity and transparency of the glass.
Below are some images taken before our silent crit presentation in week 13. I will make another post about the crit but wanted to add the images here because it resulted from this experiment. I was curious to see what encaustic medium would look like on glass with a light source behind it. It was fun! I had to transfer the charcoal image onto the encaustic medium. It was a bit tricky and I’m not sure if I like the fact that I can’t change or really add to it. I need to decide whether it is worth another try or move on or rather back to paper…
Paper-making experiment:
Using recycled paper, pine leaves and starch I am busy making some paper for the first time. Very excited to see the result and the feeling of being able to create everything I need from my natural local environment. It is something I’ve been wanting to try for a while. I would like to see if I can do some collagraph prints on these. Below are some more images of the process. I am quite happy with the result and they smell devine!!
A Garden project:
It would not feel right to not include a post about my garden project. Even though I didn’t intended for it to be part of my MA work, it has filtering through as inspiration for the practical work I am working on. Having researched the value of healthy soil and the incredible world of micro organisms and the worth of medicinal plants I have renewed appreciation for it. I will be make sure there are plenty of these in the garden. I plant to draw the plants that will be going into the garden. The front garden is located right outside of my studio. We have created a water feature/water rill that will make the sound of trickling water. We plan to plant only flowers, medicinal plants, herbs and vegetables. I hope for this to become a very tranquil outdoor space that with be rich in sensory stimulation.
Here is a video of the amazing soil that I was able to get as we prepare the beddings:
