Land, Sea, Sky

As part of my Professional Practice Two module, I will be looking in depth at NFT’s, social media platforms and trying to understand how they function to promote artists work.

When I first heard about NFT’’s I thought they were a great idea, even considering that I may look to promote my practice this way.
I didn’t realise that they use so much energy to keep them running.
This has created a discussion and has become quite controversial.
Famous auction house Christie’s sold the first NFT in October 2020,
it hit headlines with an NFT by Beeple’s, Everydays: the First 5000 Days when it sold for $69 million in March 2021.

Mike Winkelmann, Everydays: the First 5000 Days, 2021, 21,069 x 21,069 pixels

I will be starting by looking at how NFT’s came about, what affect they have on the environment specifically and how this is going to be overcome. Is this sustainable of will it fail?
For example Art Station has cancelled its plans to give a platform for
NFT’s because of the backlash from people that thinks it is environmentally unethical.
Calma, J. (2021). The climate controversy swirling around NFTs.

My practice focuses on the ephemeral, being mindful about the environment with the materials I choose. This is something I am very interested in to explore so I can have a better understanding about my future practise and what direction it should take,
keeping in mind the importance of sustainable art and processes.
I will also be looking at artists that create NFT’s as there working practice and what forms of marketing they use to promote there work, ie social media. Understanding social media and the technical elements of it will help to give deeper knowledge to my professional practise. It is being brought more and more to my attention the cost to the environment, using social media and digital resources so I would like to also address this.

I really like using unfired clay in my work, I’ve been exploring more of the process of drawing with clay.

Using a knife to cut through the clay and leaving the markings on the canvas, knowing that when I peel away the clay it wont be perfect, it wont be lined up, is ok with me. If I was able to see beneath the clay what I was doing I would try to make it perfect, I like the chance element of this and wouldn’t change it after Ive peeled back the clay.

Using coloured pencil, is not a new medium to my work, I enjoy working with coloured pencil on wood and canvas. I can be in control of how think or faint the colouring is.

I am experimenting and considering my piece for an exhibition I have in the new year. Using pebbles from a beach, thinking about how I can show the ephemeral process of them.

I am looking at the possibility of 3D scanning them, a set of pebbles in decreasing sizes so I can display them symbolising that they are slowly turning into a different form.

I am experimenting using a 3D scanner, although I have not got to the finished product of a 3d pebble, I want to share the interesting scans of one of the pebbles.

Charlotte Kettell, Fading Lines 1 & 2, unfired clay, pebbles, sea glass
Installation for ‘The Cube’ Exhibition, week long residency ’22.

Charlotte Kettell, Fading Lines 2, unfired clay, pebbles, sea glass

Charlotte Kettell, Fading Lines 1, unfired clay, canvas

Looking at sea glass and pebbles and wondering whether to experiment with something that changes quicker into another form. If we look at sea glass and pebbles they get worn down over a long period of time but with leaves, the cycle is more visible to the eye. I want this next piece to be a lot freer than previous work, just to let it flow more and not think too much about it.

Using materials that I have already and in easy reach, I have decided to use clay and real leaves for this piece. I want to be able to display the clay leaves on the wall somehow, and to symbolise how it will change form at some point like the real leaves, this is why I have used unfired clay.

I had some dried leaves from my garden and decided to create the pieces out from real leaves. With them being dry it has given them the ephemeral effect I am hoping for.

I made the vessel starting with marking round the shape of the leaf, building up the sides and then removing the inside of it, hollowing it out. This reminded me of how I like to build up layers and then remove them. Using the leaves to press into the clay I really liked how some of the leaves stuck and that in time they will drop off and rot away, changing its form, another layer removed.

I then started to think about how to install them.

I like the way this really just simply shows an ephemeral space, bringing it into a four walled environment to give the message that nothing lasts forever.

Firstly I just poured the leaves out of the bags onto the gallery floor, this looked messy, I wanted to show some form and structure, like a leaf has, I laid each leaf individually overlapping each other to create a square, I did experiment with creating different shapes but decided on the square. I am really pleased with how this has developed.

Looking at this work installed, I realise how important it is to have space around the clay leaves and real leaves. I hope that my work gives a sense of calm to the viewer and I think adding space and not over complicating the work, of it being of a theme of nature helps create the effect I am trying to achieve.