I made it to uni!.......................and a few notes on the induction week.

Yes I'm back and I managed to get through my final project at the West Suffolk College at Bury St Edmunds and now I am spending my days at the UCS in Ipswich. So this blog is now taking on it's new role for me as a University student for the next three years recording day to day projects for my fine art degree.
   I'm now on week 3 not including the induction week where we got to know the collage(I'm still getting lost)The first week included a day spent on Orford Ness which is a shingle spit on the Suffolk coast.A place shrouded in secrets as it was used by the military for the development of among other uses Radar and nuclear experiments. Now it is a wildlife reserve belonging to the national trust.Although I carted around quite a heavy sketch book I didn't do any drawing there on the day although I did take some photographs with my basic camera and picked up some objects to draw when I got back home such as an old drinks can battered by the sea and a shard of willow pattern pottery,nothing that would damage the environment. The travel sickness on the bus and the short boat trip didn't do me a lot of good .Unfortunately the mouldy tasting coffee  in my flask didn't do my queasyness any good  either but I got through the day and I'm so glad I went.I just remember the sea legs tablets next time!

P.S I got a distinction!! in my final project at Bury I just hope I can do ok in my next .

I'm Back

Oops I forgot to mention  because I have explained my change of direction in my written diary and my sketchbooks( I forgot to mention it on here) that I have gone back to working with the miniature scale models and photographing them. It took ages adapting them and cut a paintbrush down to about 2 hairs,made models from Plasticine and made tiny banners. The work is based on Coal Miners and the 1984 miners' strike which I have many family connections.The embroidery as have mentioned in other work is still in there as a background in photographs and also displayed as backup work.I'll leave you with some more pictures I have over 100 by the way.

PS. Also I made a Blurb book on line suprisingly HUGE book but perhaps the little people deserve a big book.Also they sent me 2 books perhaps that is why it was so expesive...............never mind I can send the other one to my dad who was my inspiration for the project and also why I became a mature student as he did............ Thanks Dad xxx

Finished at last.

The art is up on display and I have spent the last three days painting the walls making a shelf,fixing a droopy shelf and generally enjoying the fantastic atmosphere and looking at everyone Else's brilliant work.The photographs of the little coal miners which are 00 scale models are up on the wall including a little box containing the little people displayed on the (now non droopy shelf)I'm happy to have finished the course and looking forward to summer and then Uni but at the same time very sad because I will miss all the tutors and fellow students. I have learned so so much and my mind goes back to the first few days when my hand shook so much I couldn't draw very easily but that didn't last long I was soon up and running and probably one of the first to get 'stuck in'. Also can I thank the staff I don't know if I am allowed on this blog but I'm doing it anyway.Thank you Kyrstie , Sophie, Sue Derek,James,Simon,Johnathan,.........every one including who I have forgotten to write down.so tired!....and this blog will carry on through university as it is such a useful tool . Have a great summer it probably isn't goodbye yet I might write more in the next few days and I will leave you with some pictures of the little people.

Crisis point

After a very frank discussion with my tutor( she is right actually) I am a very worried person but stepped up  and taken on board everything she had to say. Regarding the artists I have been talking about Ghader Amer and Tracey Emin for example I haven't really explained how they relate to my own work. I don't explore very personal feelings. I don't talk about pornography, sexuality,so what messages to I portray in my art.MY ART belongs to me I do say a message and as my tutor says it is a very quiet message. She also says I have to throw away the rose coloured spectacles. I know I do and I will starting from today. I did cry but it was good I really need to stop the pretty stuff and make art  my art and I need to explore the difference between art and craft otherwise I will be destined to be in evening classes with old ladies painting flowers...................I don't want that.......... I'd rather give up and do a hairdressing course..........no disrespect to hairdressers.
    

PS. The picture is the open cast (disused mine) near my parent's house. I will continue to put my heart and soul in to this project and continue to work very hard I did feel a bit disheartened and have a couple of days pondering, but like the swans in the picture I appear to look serene but the legs underneath are paddling away.

Monday again

Another Monday and I have been busy doing some research about the embroideries of Ghada Amer and Tracey Emin two very different women  with very but with some similarities when it comes to some of the subject matter and medium they are not as poles apart as I first thought.I am still working on my embroidery but finding it very hard to work on the tiny detailed work with a very bad cough and not very hygienic if I get the embroidery mixed up with my hanky.Tomorrow is my birthday and hopefully I will be left quietly to get on with my art project and that will be the best present ever just time to work.

Tuesday May 7th

Today I must have worked over eight hours on the project and I'm still at it. Still frustrated with the printer. It is driving me mad so in the morning before college I'm going to pop into boots and get some prints done so I can get them in my sketch book because they are recording the making process of my work.I will put them on here so that's good!I have done the etching on the glass culett, my hand is really hurting now but it's done and I think it will be ok.I am now going to have a rest ad watch some trash on the tv and get ready for the early start tomorrow.

The Shed

I just couldn't concentrate in the messy work room/shed or actually now I really should call it a studio. I packed away the fabric and patterns things ,I'm not going to use very often. I now have a clear mind I have found lost glass etchers(crucial to the project) lost camera lead and a long lost memory stick so I feel a whole lot better. Don't get me wrong I have been working very hard but now there is no stopping me .Today I have been looking at typography with view to etching on the glass cullet. I'm going to keep it simple and somewhere I have a book which belonged to my late father in law George, I just have to look on all the bookshelves.First I must practice on some old jam jars .

Monday

Just a quick note for today.After a mad weekend and an even madder monday I have not given myself much of a break. I've done a little drawing but I felt like chucking it across the room. And now I have my friend Christine visiting and another friend Mick has stopped by I have also had a house full of teenagers, helped my daughter with her homework and cooked several different meals for fussy people. Roll on Wednesday when I can get to college and get stuck into some work. Also awake alot of the night thinking and worrying about uni don't know what to choose Cambridge illustration or Ipswich fine Art going round and round my head. But on a good note I am making some progress on the project .found a good piece of fabric to work on and done loads of research,probably too much. I hope to fill 2 sketchbooks.........bye for now.

Dream

A large public artwork that does put St Helens on the map. There is mixed feelings about the work within the community but as a whole fairly positive.Unfortunately from some angles it looks like a penis..............sorry it does. posted a few videos opinions so you can make up your own mind.........me well it is growing on me....that sounded rude didn't it !! I had to put johnnie welly on here what a character. Today I've had a bad headache so not been able to do much but I'm on the mend now.

College day.

Well here I am again neglecting my written diary and using this blog instead which is much more interesting for me. I even bought a new ink pen(not a Quill) to use for it.But I will do both just this blog more often.
    Today I went to college and I did  get quite a bit done I did some work and evaluation written up and put some research int my book and did some work on an embroidery design. The F.M. P brief is in  so I hope it will be ok and we had a meeting for all the foundation students to discuss where we are all going with the project. It was very interesting hearing what all the others where doing.I'm a little bit clearer of what it going on now and not quite so terrified. I somtimes wish I could get in for the extra day on Friday(I'm part time) but I don't have childcare organised for that day but if they will let me I could go in later after the school run and go back earlier for the afternoon run.
    It's been a good day but still have plenty of creative energy left to carry on a bit more. I'll let you know what.....watch this space.

I know it is a bit of a random picture.This was taken in St Helens at the end of the Liverpool trip.Everyone sat at the bottom of 'dream' I go away on a long trip with the college and I end up going to where I was born and lived till I got married an left for Suffolk. Built on Sutton Manor Collery.And my dad actually worked underneath where they where all sat.Funny where life takes you.

The Last interview.

I'm back from Cambridge and the interview went so well for the illustration course and I love the course....and I got in .....I'm confused now. I also got into the fine art course which was a suprise because  I feel I didn't think I came over well in the interview and they took over a week to let me know. So I have to make a decision.
     Now that all the interviews are out of the way I can now get down to my final major project properly without too many distractions of having to drag round placed with a huge very heavy portfolio.

     This evening I'm going to tweak the brief a little bit  and mention the books I will be using and also the artist I will be researching I am adding more to my list as I go but there are vast differences between the different artists I will be looking at such as enormous puplic art of Jaume Plensa (dream) the embroidery of people such as Amer Ghada, Tracey Emin and the tapestries of Grayson Perry. And I couldn't do a project on the North West without mentioning L.S. Lowry. I have even put that awful song that came out in the 70's ...........hope you enjoy that !!

Project.

Well, this is my second attempt at this post as the last one was deleted by accident ,and it took me ages too.Today I had an ill child at home but I did manage to nip into Needham Market (with the help of my son to babysit)  to a great little Aladin's cave of a shop called Halfpenny Home and bought two embroidery hoops  to use in the final project as embroidery is the way I seem to be going at the moment.I do intend to do some experementing with glass etching and this wil become clearer to you as I explain the project in a bit more detail.
     The project is called 'A Northern Town' and I will be exploring chilhood memories about growing up in the north of England, history and history about the industrial revolution which is quite important in the development of St Helens town and industries such as coal and glass. I will have to go for now, becauseI have an interview at the Anglia Ruskin University at Cambridge tomorrow and I need to get beauty sleep so I won't look too scarey.

 Another Place by Anthony Gormley
Taken on the college trip to Liverpool last year.
Crosby Beach 2012

Antony Gormley's Another Place at Crosby Beach

A wonderful place I visited on a college trip last year.I place I went to as a child before the wonderful art work. I will tell you about my project tomorrow.

Janexxx

Hello

Hello this is my blog go guide me through my final major project at the West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds.I am doing my foundation course and Hopefully I am all set to go to uni in September if all goes well.There is a diary on the go too but I am taking a belt and braces approach to I will cover all possibilities.As a mature student I don't think it is expected of me to have a blog so expect the unexpected!!!!! I might even ditch the diary although I did buy a very nice ink pen(not a quill) to write it with.