Notes after tutorial for Part Four: Advanced Practice

Practicalities and planning

I need to register/enroll for SYP, seems before 15/11/2023

I will go for the Spring Assessment, my unit needs to be completed by 19 January 2024.

We agree on date for last tutorial, for Part Five: Monday 04/12/2023 at 12:00UK (14:00 SA) time. (changed to Wednesday 14/12/23)

Planning for Assessment

I need to have at least 8 – 10 journals I can choose from – there is work to be done regarding some academic writing (Harvard Referencing). I am reminded to check the assessment requirements in the Learning outcomes and subject-specific guidance, and I will revise this ASAP to ensure I select the best possible blogs. We will discuss this at the following tutorial as I will consider my choices.

Consider the learning outcomes for the Assessment for FA6APR ( I copied it from the Assessment Guidelines)

Learning Outcomes

On satisfactory completion of the unit, you will be able to:

1. LO1 demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and technical and practical skills through your work
2. LO2 produce an ambitious body of work that is critically informed
3. LO3 demonstrate how experimentation has informed your practice and visual language
4. LO4 articulate your critical and conceptual knowledge and understanding of a range of fine art and contemporary contexts

My tutor suggested I write two extra blog posts, one contextual piece around my work and the other a reflection/evaluation on how my work /written plan has travelled over the course, where it has been and where it is now. I realise the value and need for reflective practice and writing as part of the outcomes of this unit.

General discussion around current BOF and areas I need to focus on

My work became more personal in the making of nests – ideas around care are integrated in the work. I realised I do more drawing – as if it came to the front and wanted to go bigger with these works, not just in terms of making a nest, but drawing and painting it. I should push this – as if time has played a big role in reaching this point, as my tutor referred to as ‘brinking’. (on the verge?) Looking specifically at the weaver’s nests – the bigger nests give us a feeling of crawling into the nest, almost feeling and experiencing being a bird. We consider how we could get into it – almost dehumanising, and that scale has to come into play. At the moment, the scale is correct, but what would happen if I pushed this? Try to move away from illustrative and go to an imaginary space – push for this. Drawing has the power to take me there – consider what it is to be not human – and also think about scale. It makes me think from the perspective of being a small bird and well as a human, considering a nest into which one could ‘nest’.

I am aware that I am inspired by the forms of the wired work of Claire Falkenstein – the 3d works will be the bigger works in my BOW. I could place them outside, almost like a map of the landscape I enter in these works – be there for a time/duration. I do like that these works connect with the other nests – smallest to biggest explorations. These works will be great to explore as drawings – the structures of the ivy vines… as lines in space. Drawings can become the way to get the depth of these nests onto paper, almost becoming suspended.

I am encouraged to make a big drawing – using the walls I have available in my studio. Below is the ‘clean canvas’ to make a drawing, as discussed during our session today. I am inspired to start working with charcoal and my eraser. A place to lose myself – consider my work to become away from my peripheral vision. (Use a mask for the charcoal dust). It is about taking a step across – having a large-scale drawing to accompany the BOW. I think about these nests and what they became in my practice. Continue with exploring and staying with my known practices and stepping out of my comfort zone. – move to explore scale.

I started the drawing and worked into the picture with the mechanical eraser to find marks and tonal differences. I did some work by using my fingers on the marks. In the view below on looks up into the nests. I am starting to imagine how it could feel to lie in the nest – as in this scale I can place my body into the nest if I lie curled up.

We also discussed using unstretched canvas and how I can put it up against the wall – I shared a work in progress – working with oil paint and just started to work into the underpainting. We discussed working on an unstretched canvas – spraying it with water to adhere to the surface/wall. My tutor suggested I work with thin layers of glazes and work over it. I agree that this will allow my layers of colour/value to influence the next layer of paint, working to unify the colour. I use a medium in between to add body maintain good brushstrokes – fat over lean, as I understand so that the drying does not crack. I work with Linseed Oil as the medium. This work is 60 x 85cm on canvas board.

Drawing in my practice became the space where I think about how a bird plans to build a nest – how to shape and work on the form. (it could be interesting to mention comments on my work from social media – people sharing videos of bird nests or how birds go about making nests – this is great as it reminds me that my work should not have a didactical message but inspire/influence viewers to look at nature – become participants?) Some of my drawings became illustrative – drawing what it is – but pushing this to make an imaginary work of what a nest can be – what it could become, needs to be considered and is hopefully part of my making. (Here is see the inspiration coming from the work of Falkenstein). I want to return charcoal to this work during the process as an extra layer of marks and my interpretation of a nest.

I think about what is the idea that is inherent in the work. A type of longing, maybe? A search for a variety of human connections? I agree, that I should get a contextual field in one place – a separate post is suggested and I will work on it. I can look at this as a space to reflect on my practice and articulate this thinking – as a post, this is important to consider using it for the assessment.

We spent some time around my artist statement – we read through it and discussed some adjustments I should consider. Three paragraphs seem to be sufficient.