ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [1 March 2010]

This is my first ever blog, so I am a little nervous but looking forward to any comments I receive. Also I think it will be a great forum for me to assimilate and discuss my progress running up to my degree show. I am now half way through my last semester and I am not sure where this year has gone! Over the weekend I have really focused my mind and made some decisions about my work. I am creating a table with tableware and separately I going to make some glass bags.

I also received some great news from the Contemporary Glass Society who have published one of my pieces in their online exhibition 'Surface Pattern' which I was really pleased about. This has given me confidence that my work is interesting and worthy of publishing. You have to be in it to win it and I need to make more of the opportunities that are presented to me.

This week I am hoping to hold a workshop for a group of school children, which I am thoroughly looking forward to it. I will let you know how I get on next week!

# 2 [8 March 2010]

Nine weeks and counting until I have to hand in all my work, then a further month of organisng and planning for the degree show. Not sure where the time has gone. Things at the moment seem to be going to plan with my making, however I am no so confident about my portfolio module, I seem to be really struggling with photoshop and creating something which is professional and original - wthout spending an absolute fortune. Money seems to be flowing out of my hands like sand at the moment, I think it maybe because I know it is the last time I will be able to experiment and have use of so many great facilities that I want to try them all before I go. Still very worried about the future and what I am going to do, I really don't want to give up the creative process but I am not sure how I am going to make ends meet. Where there's a will there surely is a way!

# 3 [15 March 2010]

Eight weeks and counting until the end of my time at Wolverhampton. At the moment  I am making some glass handles with internal textures inside them, like hands holding the handles. They seem to be going well but not too clear on how I am going to attach the blade of the knife to them? Any ideas would be greatly received!

I went to Cambridge at the weekend and went into the Contemporary Art Gallery it seemed like the sort of gallery I could see myself exhibiting in. Quite intimate but at the same time professional. They exhibit all mediums, including, metal, glass, wood, ceramics and print. Every week I attend a school in Wolverhampton to help support them with a Creative Partnerships project they are running, I work with 23 children aged 9 and 10. Creative Partnerships is a government funded scheme which has been set up to increase creativity in schools. We are making 12 ceramic tiles which will hopefully be put together so that I can slump glass over it - the piece should go in the kiln this week, so I will report back on how it has come out in next weeks post!

# 4 [29 March 2010]

I missed my blog time last week, things got a little hectic at Uni and my car broke down twice once the Friday before last and Monday last week! It seems to be fixed now although I am a little poorer now!

The slumped glass over the tiles went really well, I took them into school last week and they seemed to be rally pleased with them. it was my last week with the school, I am really going to miss our Thursday mornings together. However I think the most valuable lesson I have learned from my experience is that I definitely would like to work with Creative Partnerships going forward and I would urge anyone who is thinking of doing a student placement to do it! My placement was excellent. On Thursday last week I attended the first Craft Council Rally in Chelsea, I must say I was rather disappointed with the meeting, having spent £40 to attend and more to travel there, I found it to be quite a negative meeting which degenerated into a discussion about what the word craft meant, I didn't find this discussion very useful or helpful to my overall requirements as an emerging maker. In actual fact, I left feeling more depressed about my future as a maker than I did when I had arrived. The meeting tried to cover too many things in too shorter time. The day was not completely lost as I visited the Henry Moore exhibition at Tate Britain - a little pricey at £11.00 for students, but well worth it! Wow his sculputures, paintings and sketches - amazing!

I am now on my Easter break, although I am not sure I have much time to relax! I have 6 weeks and counting left to complete all my work and hand it in for assessment! The practical work seems to be on tack although I have quite a lot of cold working to do. However my portfolio is where I need to put some massive effort and work in, if I am going to achieve a good grade, or even pass at this rate! I have a daily plan so hopefully this should help me achieve everything I need to before returning to Uni!

# 5 [7 April 2010]

www.katebynamglass.co.uk

Well I have 5 weeks left including the holidays until I hand in all my work - wow it is going to go so quickly. I have just heard from artists web that my domain name is now live and people should be able to access my website from the above address!

I have also had a break through with my portfolio issues. I have been researching the blurb.com site which has been a revelation! For someone like me, whose strong point isn't making design boards, this website is superb! You can upload all your images onto the site and then collate a really professional book, which they will print for you and send to you within two weeks! The other fantastic part of blurb is that you can attach it to your facebook page, your website and allow people to view it from there! It also makes a really nice promotional item which you can take to clients and interviews.

My practical work seems to be going well at the moment - thank goodness! I still need to clarify how I am going to present the work.

I have just completed a fantastic placement with Creative Partnerships and would thoroughly recommend anyone to complete a student placement, however I am still having trouble making contacts in Essex. The school I have worked with said they would be happy to give me a reference. Somehow I need to get to meet someone from Creative Partnerships to explain my situation. I have also changed my student associate scheme placement so I am going to mainly concentrate on Design Technology, hopefully working within the Art and Design department as well. I am still concernced about my future plans and where I am going to be working. I really don't want to fall into a job and never go back into the creative field.

# 6 [13 April 2010]

www.katebynamglass.co.uk

Less than 4 weeks to go! Things seemed to be going well, although I have many things to tie up! Most of the things still do to include the actual presentation of the pieces. My blurb book is coming on and I need to get it finished so I have enough time for them to print it and get it back to me.

Having started my cold working of my pieces I have decided to outsource them to the Ruskin Glass Centre who can finish the cold working in a much faster period of time than I can! It also saves me quite a lot of time as well. Worth looking into the Ruskin Centre services if you need some cold working done quickly and efficiently.

Can't believe that in 4 weeks I am not going to have access to all the fantastic facilities that Wolverhampton University offers. Really want to carry on my work, I feel I am just finding my feet - typical just when I have to finish!

Maybe I will come back and study an MA or PhD perhaps?! I think I might have to get a job first and save some money!!!

# 7 [19 April 2010]

www.katebynamglass.co.uk

Well with just over two and half weeks to go the last thing you want to see when you open a kiln is lots of cracked pieces of glass. Unfortunately this was what greeted me this morning when I arrived at University after my hree hour commute from home!!

Thankfully I do have time to rectify the situation and hopefully I will have something to exhibit at my degree show! I am sure I will! My blurb book is complete I hoping to send this off tomorrow morning after a last proof read!

I am really excited by all the events and exhibitions which are being held at this Augusts International Festival of Glass - see their website www.ifg.org.uk It would be great if I can exhibit a piece - watch this space!

I have also completed my work placement now and have written a report to reflect on everything I have learnt and experienced. I am hoping to have a link on my website to this report and to my dissertation which discusses the art/craft debate.