The blog has been a way of expressing myself, my thoughts and my learning process; both good and bad. It has allowed me to record both visually and verbally how I produced my work, and talk about its successes and my less successful attempts.
I have most definitely enjoyed the process of making my reflective diary in this manner.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Project Evaluation
My theme for my final project was conflict I began researching into three different areas of conflict and how they impacted on society. These were economic, war and government policy, in the process of my research I discovered that these themes were interlinked by the economic ups and downs.
I intended to select the most successful theme and produce a final painting which sums up man’s continues struggle to overcome many difficulties that society produces.
In the course of my research I investigated The Bosnian War. The second part of my research I looked at the economic crisis of the past and present and how they generate conflict between government and the people within society. Then my final part of my research looked at conflict resulting from government policy as it attempts to implement austerity measures related to the economic crisis.
Photographs were taken of soldiers, the homeless, College strikes against pension cuts, also a visit to a working museum in the potteries. This gave me valuable insight into the daily lives of people engaged in conflicts of various form. These were all highly relevant and gave me excellent inspiration and visual reference. All the above has been placed in my sketchbook and reflected upon in my reflective blog diary.
As part of my secondary research I looked at Peter Howson because of the graphic nature and honest approach of recording the nature and conflicts of the Bosnian War from the recent past. Which still reverberates today as can be seen with the arrest of the former Bosnian Serb General and his transferred to The Hague War Crime Tribunal, he will stand trail on the charge of genocide.
I also looked at Goya whose prints showed the graphic nature of war and he could be considered as the first true chronicler of realistic Napoleonic war in Spain and Portugal, images which held no religious connotations. I then looked at a range of war artist covering the 1st and 2nd World War as well as a photo journalist, Don Mac Cullman, who covers the Vietnam conflict and whose photographs have won many awards for his portrayal of the nature of war and its impact on the people.
The artists that I research influence me on many different levels from their subject matter and their portrayal of events, their backgrounds and links with historical events.
I then looked at the artists work and attempted to make an honest interruption whilst taking into account how they had constructed their paintings and drawings using the formal elements, shape colour, line etc. During this process I began to place my own thoughts and images into the works giving them an individual interruption. An example of which can be seen in the painting by Picasso from the Korea War where I added two ghosts like figures which represented the ghost from the past.
My intention was to work with a whole variety of medias to gain experience and also to fulfill my ideas which I had placed in my brief. I feel I have achieved this by working with the following media: pencil, charcoal, graphite, soft pastel, acrylics, oil paints, inks, mixed media, collage and a variety of paper, canvas, card, board on different scales. I continuously have annotated and evaluated all of this work has helped me to decided how and which media I wished to portray in my final piece which was oil painting on board on a large scale.
The media and techniques I chose were oil because it has a forgiving quality with a creamy finish. The colours have a richness which no other medium can truly imitate. The drying time is a lot longer which gives you time to revaluate your original concept. I took to this media like a duck to water although while I enjoyed this experience my technical abilities are still limited.
Firstly I made my own 4’ by 3’ frame in which I place a plywood board for my painting this was challenging but vital to create the impact that my subject matter lent itself and to produce a professional outcome.
The oils themselves I mixed myself and I found this went fairly well the main thing I learnt was to
- A. Mix enough of the colours you intend to use
- B. When mixing add a little pigment at a time until the desired colour is achieved.
- C. I used a variety of brushes, fingers and rags in some incidences I applied the paint to the board and blended to the desired effect.
Also it has been important to me to stay ahead of the game with my time management and this has paid off as it has allowed me plenty of time to experiment with this new media.
A range of things went well when developing my ideas I was particularly pleased with my line drawings as I do believe they have improved on a technical level. The acrylic paintings went well because I found I was now able to work at the right pace and been able to blend the colours and mix colours. Overall the project has gelled I felt my ideas flowed and I was able to overcome any difficulties in a cohesive fashion. I had natural progression to conclude with a large bold and expressive oil painting, which dealt with my subject matter both in metaphysical and cohesive fashion.
I produced a range of samples in different media which followed the theme and was influenced by artists and my own creative thoughts, which were placed into practice in a number of works I produced. There were a range of strengths and weakness’ which have been annotated in both my sketch book and my blog reflective diary. Some examples are: I particular liked the graphite work because I was able to create textures of different depths and levels. I was disappointed with the composition of the painting called ‘Ghost from the Past’, based on the Picasso Korean War, I included far too much background, which I rectified cropping on the colour photocopier.
My final outcome is made up of oil, paint and silk screen print on a large scale format. The image is a graphic style with figurative silhouettes climbing over a barrier which can be described as both physical and metaphorical and I feel its style is symbolic. I chose this style as it has a ‘no nonsense’ approach and cuts to the chase. I feel the silhouettes could be anyone so the viewer receives the message directly, which was my intension all along. I wanted to use my art to raise the level of consciousness of the viewer to what faces our society today and in the near future of economic crisis.
I felt this was the right time for me to write my own brief and to place into practice all the skills that I have obtained in the course of my studies and marry this together with my own interests in both historical and political economics. I have successfully managed the project to its conclusion. I feel pleasantly surprised at the outcome of my final piece as this is something I could not have produced previously. While it leaves a lot to be desired, never the less there are lessons that I am only to willing to learn from and put into practice to enhance my work. For instance I would like to pursue screen printing further. I am pleased that I have made progress within all areas of this final project.
I hope to learn that the viewer takes something away from my message that is being display. I hope it will engage the youth as well older viewer. This has been a useful experience, the pressure of reaching an exhibition deadline. Displaying the work in a professional manner and coping with the deadlines in place. Overall this was an enjoyable experience.
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Final week - Screen printing
The screen printing element of my final piece has not been as successful as I had hoped because of the choice of colour. I chose black, but I think white would have stood out better against the back ground. The darker colour however, may make people come in closer and look in more detail which could be a good thing. Over all I am pleased with the outcome.
To produce the print I first chose the slogans I typed them using Microsoft word and sized them to the desired scale. Then I photocopied them onto assotate which was then transferred onto a silk screen. Once the scrren was ready I had to prepare it by taping up the desired area and blanking out areas which were not to be inked. We then flooded the screen with ink before placing the screen onto the desired position on the flags and printed. As there were three flags in the painting the process had to be repeated. It took approximately half an hour to do the printing.
The screen was printed with acrylic inks. The message is not as clear as I hoped it would be. The wording is fine but the black of the text does not stand out well against the red over which it is layered. Never the less, it has been an exciting project and I feel I have captured what I wanted to say and the slogans of jobs, the future and a living wage are being taken up right across Europe, North Africa and is now beginning to affect us here in the UK.
The printing was apt for the work, and If I had painted the slogans onto the background I think it would have been less effective. It was important to add the slogans, which were picked very carefully, to chime with the concerns of a growing number of people. I am very pleased with the slogans and am sure they will resonante with the viewers of my work.
To produce the print I first chose the slogans I typed them using Microsoft word and sized them to the desired scale. Then I photocopied them onto assotate which was then transferred onto a silk screen. Once the scrren was ready I had to prepare it by taping up the desired area and blanking out areas which were not to be inked. We then flooded the screen with ink before placing the screen onto the desired position on the flags and printed. As there were three flags in the painting the process had to be repeated. It took approximately half an hour to do the printing.
The screen was printed with acrylic inks. The message is not as clear as I hoped it would be. The wording is fine but the black of the text does not stand out well against the red over which it is layered. Never the less, it has been an exciting project and I feel I have captured what I wanted to say and the slogans of jobs, the future and a living wage are being taken up right across Europe, North Africa and is now beginning to affect us here in the UK.
The printing was apt for the work, and If I had painted the slogans onto the background I think it would have been less effective. It was important to add the slogans, which were picked very carefully, to chime with the concerns of a growing number of people. I am very pleased with the slogans and am sure they will resonante with the viewers of my work.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
More secondary research
http://www.last.fm/music/Bob+Marley/+videos/+1-Vyqpsnx1F7M
This video is part of my secondary research, it refers to hard times. It speaks in terms of the social realities of life and has a poignancy and people can clearly identify with the content of the song. It is a record which made the top ten, people know it but may not know its content. They do understand the passion and the poignancy and identify with the beat. Like my flicker it has a lighter side to draw people in but delivers a strong message.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/8577829/Anti-austerity-protests-in-Greece-erupt-into-violence.html
This video shows the frustration of ordinary people whose pensions, wages and services are being cut which is raising tensions which are erupting into serious violence and has had revolutionary overtones. It must be noted that here in Briton announcements have been made by officials the over half a million people will be going on strike on the 30th of this month to show their opposition against government policy as the government intends to cut pensions for most public workers ans civil servants.
These are the issues that my project is discussiong. The final piece reflects this growing anger, which could quite well spill over and take on another dimension and fits perfectly with what I have been saying through out this project. We are seeing a growing band of people thrown into struggles of the banks making therefore causing mass crisis. The tensions being created have far bigger ramifications than people really realise at this stage. We are in a revolutionary situation and my work speaks about these matters.
This video is part of my secondary research, it refers to hard times. It speaks in terms of the social realities of life and has a poignancy and people can clearly identify with the content of the song. It is a record which made the top ten, people know it but may not know its content. They do understand the passion and the poignancy and identify with the beat. Like my flicker it has a lighter side to draw people in but delivers a strong message.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/8577829/Anti-austerity-protests-in-Greece-erupt-into-violence.html
This video shows the frustration of ordinary people whose pensions, wages and services are being cut which is raising tensions which are erupting into serious violence and has had revolutionary overtones. It must be noted that here in Briton announcements have been made by officials the over half a million people will be going on strike on the 30th of this month to show their opposition against government policy as the government intends to cut pensions for most public workers ans civil servants.
These are the issues that my project is discussiong. The final piece reflects this growing anger, which could quite well spill over and take on another dimension and fits perfectly with what I have been saying through out this project. We are seeing a growing band of people thrown into struggles of the banks making therefore causing mass crisis. The tensions being created have far bigger ramifications than people really realise at this stage. We are in a revolutionary situation and my work speaks about these matters.
Final week
My plan for this week was to finish things off but as I decided to add another layer to my painting which will take the form of a screen print, I have not quite finished yet. I wanted my work to be clearer and crisper and more professional. I hope it will make it stand out more. The screen print will add the text to the image. It has a home-made and in precise feel which is important because it will question the viewer to stop and think about the meaning of the words and my work; the home made feel to the words shows spontaneity and anger or frustration. I thought very carefully about the words to select those that would represent this.
So far the screens have been prepared although it hasn't yet been printed onto the canvas. This has been frustrating as I have been waiting for about 2 weeks to be able to do this. I will not be able to hang them until they are done. I am not overly concerned as I know I am capable of getting the job done.
Whilst I have been waiting I have finished one of my flickers. The flickers are something that people can identify with clearly as a childhood game. I decided to change the game to have a more poignant meaning and make a link to my intended audience. They know the game and how to play it, but the difference is that my version has a meaning and references current events. Most people avoid facing what is going on and I am trying to challenge the rose tinted view. They contain images and comments that are pointedly quite barbed and poignant to make people face up to what is going on today. People have said they are quite fun and want to interact with them which I think is good. I hope this will encourage interaction. One is more fun, whilst the other has a more poignant message. The text is extremely important because it attempts to drive home what actually confronts people.
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So far the screens have been prepared although it hasn't yet been printed onto the canvas. This has been frustrating as I have been waiting for about 2 weeks to be able to do this. I will not be able to hang them until they are done. I am not overly concerned as I know I am capable of getting the job done.
Whilst I have been waiting I have finished one of my flickers. The flickers are something that people can identify with clearly as a childhood game. I decided to change the game to have a more poignant meaning and make a link to my intended audience. They know the game and how to play it, but the difference is that my version has a meaning and references current events. Most people avoid facing what is going on and I am trying to challenge the rose tinted view. They contain images and comments that are pointedly quite barbed and poignant to make people face up to what is going on today. People have said they are quite fun and want to interact with them which I think is good. I hope this will encourage interaction. One is more fun, whilst the other has a more poignant message. The text is extremely important because it attempts to drive home what actually confronts people.
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| Making the flickers |
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Week 10
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/are-we-entering-the-second-great-depression
This article, published 6.6.11 confirms many of my ideas of how the crisis is unfolding. See statements made week 9 discussing Vince Cable.
This article, published 6.6.11 confirms many of my ideas of how the crisis is unfolding. See statements made week 9 discussing Vince Cable.
Week 9-10
Unfortunately I do not think I will be able to display my support work as I had desired due to time restirctions. I had planned to mount the images as a collage, raising certain elements to different heights, bringing some bits forward and allowing others to receed. Instead I will be displaying them on a flat board and the work will represent the evolution of my ideas towards my final pieces.
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