preparing for free range

3rd-6th July, The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane! (private view 2nd July) The big piece was selected, however need to find a new way of hanging as apparently the private view gets a bit busy and I don't want it getting ripped! Exciting stuff...

www.free-range.org.uk 

Also sold book to Coventry University Library's artists collection which means people can access it! Which makes me very proud indeed.

finally... a degree show

the process itself

Time-lapse video of me working on one of the pieces for the degree show.

brace...

Second brace finished, much more intricate than the first. 

Very happy with the result and hung alongside the other brace gives more indication of what the object really looks like.

more brace-cutting

As the first brace image is a bit baffling to viewers, I decided to do another cut of the brace but from a different angle. Not only this but I decided to draw it as it would appear if it were on my leg. Its viewed from the front so this along with the side/flat view should look quite technical and interesting. 

another knee-inspired cut

2/3 of the series I want for the degree show. Very different from the first one which I quite like. I used the same process of selecting a part of an arthroscopy photo, drawing and rotating and then cutting out selected parts. The decorative element alongside the original source of the image I think makes an interesting comparison.

the new-improved catalogue image

Unfortunately there was a problem with the original images getting printed, so we all had to simplify them! This is my new one, which I think looks more striking than the old one. So not all bad...

finished!

The large fabriano piece is finally finished, and has taken about 2 months in total! very pleased with the outcome, I just need to figure out how to install it to the best effect.

nearly finished...

Only a few more patterns to go, then I can start cutting the parts in the middle. Have also made the brackets to hang the piece so the whole thing should be finished soon!

catalogues

These are my ideas for the FAI and Fine Art catalogues. I wanted something interactive and this cutting activity is something you get on packaging a lot, so I thought I'd mix this with my work. A bit of fun really...

progress on the monster

As slow as the progress is, the space is being filled. I'm happy with how its going however I am worried about the small spaces between each pattern. I might cut around them to make the piece look more fragile but will experiment on a smaller scale first.

going smaller

I want to play with scale in my final show, so alongside the large cuts I'd like some small. This measures approx. 5cm long, so is really quite tiny! If I could put the pattern into this as well it would look stunning, however I might need a surgeon to do it for me!

negative into positive

My work is influenced a lot by the methods used in hypnotherapy, the idea of repeating a negative image until it is learned as positive. Therefore I decided after I cut out a pattern, I would use the off-cuts (i.e the negative space of the image) and collage it, mainly as a way for me to have a break from cutting! I liked the innocent and simple image this made, but also the very literal way of turning something negative into a positive. This could be something to delve deeper into, and produce some really interesting work along this idea.

cutting fabriano

Rather a daunting prospect, I started cutting out shapes in the large drawing I've been working on. This is creating some really interesting and complex shapes, but also means the piece can be viewed from both sides. I hope to hang it away from the wall and let people walk behind it with the shadows of the patterns cast through.

glassbox exhibition

book!

Bound and finished the book today, and am really pleased with how it looks. Also, am amazed that it is all hand made, including the text and the cover! 

restraint

This is the brace image finished, which will go into the glassbox exhibition. I have also finished my 'book' which will also be displayed, alongside the slides. 

auction

We had an auction on the 26th of February to raise money for the degree show(s).

I put in this series of drawings, which proved popular and sold for a respectable £80.

brace

This is an A1 size piece is intended to go into the exhibition at the beginning of march. 

The brace was measured, and I created a grid using these measurements then drew the image over it. The pattern is then filled in and cut out, leaving the original lines of the drawing intact. As I'm not filling a massive area, it isn't as time consuming as I thought it was going to be, however it takes twice the concentration. I would ideally have another one to display alongside, but time is the main factor in what is and isn't possible.

preparing for the exhibition

Have been playing around with the photographs and edited them so they fit in a microscope plate. Each strip measures 6x2cm, which is bigger than I had originally wanted. I might resize them again and play around with how small is too small. However I have sorted out magnifying glasses etc. so they can be viewed at a very small size.

I also need to print them high quality if people are going to be looking closely, otherwise it won't be effective. 

bringing shape into cutting

I wanted to start using my journal entries more in the larger work, and wanted to integrate it with the cutting process. This experiment below involved enlarging an image in the journal, then creating the pattern over the top (the pattern being made up of the original image itself) and then cutting these shapes out. This piece I felt was taking too long, so I have moved on to an A1 sized one which, if successful, will go in the exhibition in a couple of weeks time.

continuing

During my last op I used my journal again to document various things that happened, so returning to university this week I started working on the large piece again. I wanted to wait until I had more imagery so I could create a more narrative piece; to show the events as a story.

I have a lot more to do but over the next 5 weeks I can start filling the paper and see what using these patterns will create.

interim show

A little exhibition to mark the halfway point of the year. Very well organised and an eclectic mix of work. I decided to put in my framed cutout piece which looked really good under the lighting, and was hung at eye level so the detail was really clear. One person mentioned they thought it was a photograph at first look, which is quite an interesting thought!

post-op pondering

I apologise for the lack of images recently, as my physical state right now isn't letting me do as much practical work as I would like!

I have been thinking a lot about the ideas and themes that run through my work, and the past week has enabled me to delve right into these and expand them more. I want to change the 2d aspect of my work, and look into the alternatives available to me. Therefore going into hospital I started thinking what objects, imagery or shapes are really poignant to my time there? One of the most interesting things I noticed was the corridors, particularly walking down to surgery. The fear being felt made this journey all the more difficult, and this never ending maze of narrow corridors with terrifying ordeals being undertaken behind the doors I passed really struck me. If I could find a way to mix this ultimate feeling of terror with the calming process and feel to my work I think I could produce an experience, not just an image.

a brief note

As the way I work takes up a lot of time to produce, I find it important to think and clarify what it is I want to achieve and why. Through the work I am doing, I want to tell a story but not in the conventional way. My journey through all of these 'interuptions' has been anything but easy, yet has been an outlet and has helped me not only get better physically, but has informed my work more than I could have hoped. I want my work, whatever form it may take, to reflect this and be a narrative without being a story. More of an experience that can be appreciated through beautiful and intricate pieces, and most importantly something positive for me to take away from it.

finished piece

Very pleased with the outcome, however it is an incredibly time-consuming way of working. This is the piece I have chosen to show in the interim exhibition.

I decided to mount on white paper to keep the clean feel that I think fits well with my process and ideas, links back in to the medical influence. The shadow created also interests me and gives a hazed image (could possibly signify memory/uncertainty of experience?) Keeping them in the constraints of a circle however I feel isn't doing the work justice, and I want to push the boundaries of what I am capable of when working like this. Therefore, while away from university I can start playing with this, and then gain feedback from the experiments as well as this finished piece. Hopefully then I'll be on track for when I get back.

attempting the impossible?

I decided to mix the cutting with the pattern method I have been using previously, and this is the result. The finished article will be 45cm diameter, which is quite big. Its based on one of the drawings, and I hope to do 5, if not 8 of these (all different) for the degree show. This one I hope to frame for the interim show.

developing methods

After doing these drawings I wanted to start removing parts of the image, to make them more aesthetic and easier to look at. This experiment I don't think does this to the extent that I want, so I will continue with this method until I find a way that works well.

using the journal

I've found this a really useful method of visualising a pattern before I spend the time doing it realising it doesn't look right. Taking drawings from the journal and then sectioning it allows me to make full use of the image and make more aesthetic patterns.

imagery

Some sketches of the photos took during my op.

artist statement

This statement will appear in the catalogue, and i felt it needed to be very concise.

By repeating primary drawings in response to an event in my life that was distressing, I can produce intricate and beautiful patterns that changes the experience from negative to positive. This controlled and laborious way of working allows me to reflect on these memories and thoughts and is a way to understand them better.