Norwich University College of the Arts

So, after having a scheduled chat with my tutor today I was opened up to the idea that my paintings are not in fact entirely finished and could do with some additions and tweaks.

There were a few little niggles I had before my tutorial about adding in some more detailed areas to my paintings so that the areas of painting that are just open spaces of free running paint become more apparently just thin layers of paint (hope you get what I mean). There was also a bit of a balance issue concerning the bottom right side of the triptych; just too much open space was visible without anything to break it up. After putting the paintings into their actual exhibition space for a while I think I had lost sight of the smaller issues and became a little obsessed with the bigger picture and the images as a whole. Anyway, my tutor seemed to think the same thing so I got a kick start into actually making the changes.

So I spent this afternoon painting and after going over one of the Easter Island statues with oil paint and enhancing the detail, then adding a speeding bullet to the bottom right of the paintings which I think has brought them together a lot more. I still need to work on the falling bird as it is a little sketchy, but I think once that is done and the rain falling from the clouds is made more obvious they really will be completely and utterly finished!

All in all I was surprised at how productive today was as I went into it expecting a quick chat with my tutor and then some spare time for research. I have instead enjoyed doing some painting and the feeling of being more enthusiastic about everything.

Things are still going by with little happening at the moment, they do seem to be doing so rather fast though; this is the last full week before we start putting up the show which is very scary!

I had the chance last week to work on my paintings in situ which I found was essential to their completion. It makes such a difference being able to take a step (or quite a few steps) back from the work and get a look at it as a whole painting rather than as three separate boards that link together.

I am quite pleased with the degree show piece, I gave it to myself as a massive challenge and I think that challenge has rewarded me with one of my most accomplished paintings. The colours are bold and exciting; the addition of imagery from collapsed society makes you take a second more in depth look and the combination of the forces of nature with those makes for a very interesting end product.

I have also been thinking a lot recently about making work that is slightly more saleable to the art market in general, I think the work I am doing at the moment with all the freedom I could want is not exactly something I am going to be selling in a hurry unless (by some insane miracle) I am picked up by some important gallery and I am well aware that the likelihood of that happening is minute.

So I am giving it some thought and wondering how I feel about the possibility of ‘selling out’, the answer seemingly is ‘not really that bad’, after all it is just funding myself so I can make the work I love at the same time… well, that’s the conclusion I came to anyway!

This might be considered a bit late to start writing about my degree show as I am pretty much there with what I am actually going to be exhibiting but that is subject to change when considering the amount of time we all have left before we submit the finished product. The more pressing matter for me now is going to be finding a job which is closely related to my practice or gives me the freedom to carry on working whilst earning enough money to keep afloat, something I am sure most 3^rd years are worrying about at the moment…

But anyway, back to business; the main piece for my degree show is a triptych (because I could and because it would be a fairly large challenge) which kind of fits in with a few religious connotations that seem to happen by accident in my work and also reflects my love of putting groups of three in my paintings. There is a lot of reference to societal collapse in my work and a lot of doom and gloom in general which I like to counteract using the brightest and most exciting colours I can as backgrounds.

There was a slight jolt of panic as one of my tutors reminded a group of us yesterday that there were only 19 more days of studio time left but it all seems to be going pretty well for me I have to say. Main paintings are done and I am more than happy with where I am exhibiting. I dread to think how much my dissertation is going to drag my mark down but I am confident about my paintings so remain mostly hopeful!

Sadly I don’t yet have a very good picture of my degree show piece but I will throw in a few of last terms paintings in the meantime for your perusal.