Summertime and the living is (not that) easy (yet)

It's a while since I was on this train… writing my blog. And it will be a few weeks before I am again. I am on my way to Manchester, and there's a party tomorrow, starting at 5pm. Exactly when I need to leave. So a rethink is required, I think I shall spend some quality time on the embroidery software, visit the Richter exhibition at The Whitworth Gallery then just go to the pub early with the keener partygoers. At least I am being conscientious and doing MA work, also taking (some of) my library books back - how exciting. 

In other news; we have now got our own 'part time MA students' Facebook page which will be a useful place to post ongoing work/ideas and get some peer feedback seeing as there won't be much going on at MMU for us over the summer, note however, we ARE still supposed to be doing work, no time off here… although I may get some days in Devon if I'm lucky. My trip to Auschwitz is still on the cards, paid for and all. It is not something like a holiday to look forward to but it's there.

Work-wise I have been rather busy in the print room but, as is usual, I don't seem to have an equivalent amount of work to show for it. I always forget how long it takes and that it is imperative to: print, take away, look at it for a long time, decide what to do to it next, go and do that something to it then repeat, ad infinitum sometimes, whereupon it is usually 'overdone' and ready for the bin. From about 20 samples I have one resolved, 15 that require further work (but I'm supposed to be limiting content!) and 4 that are good for nothing. My intention being 'to capture a moment'...mmm.

I am supposed to NOT be continuing with portraits but I kind of have, just as it is easy to carry this (pre-printed spare) around to work on at opportune moments, like now for instance...

Ivan's eye in colour

Ivan's eye in black & white

MIA

I've been to New Designers, London with my students, one of whom turned out to be an (especially) big winner :-) and I luckily had a little bit of time to do some extra research and really enjoyed the Sonia Delauney exhibition at the Tate Modern, especially her textile design (of course), we also were invited to 'The House of Dreams' by Stephen Wright which was amazing and eye boggling, I love how he interprets his own experiences and losses into his art 'world' (rather than art 'work') and is organically transforming his all encompassing space into an heterotopian delight. 

In The House of Dreams

I haven't done any more 'art' work myself except write a proposal for my next (well, this) unit. Unfortunately doing it (and consequently after my tutorial - changing it) meant no more new 'real' work, but this week…I have learned:

1. You shouldn't take a break or you lose your thread or momentum
2. You shouldn't work full time (in a dream world - maybe Stephen's!)
3. You shouldn't try and fit too much into your concept, thinking what you have is not enough, or you will confuse yourself
4. You should draw a chicken
5. You should keep it simple and just do what you do…don't change because you think you should. Change will come naturally at the right moment (I hope)
6. Go with your instinct and don't doubt yourself, your first thoughts may actually turn out to be your best
7. Time spent thinking is WORKING
8. Time spent on things that don't go anywhere and seem to come back to the beginning is LEARNING
9. Your idea's probably sound better to other people than they do to yourself
10. You should never forget that you actually have artwork in your bag you can show in your tutorial instead of just typed words
11. Ten things are quite enough for one day or your brain might explode.

I am happy I have had a tutorial with my personal tutor at last, not least because I feel I have been given ‘permission’ to get on with it and do samples, experiments and investigations - whoop! And whoever said I had to do digital stitch anyway?

To finish this drawing is my next job, then the fabric will be out :-)

The house that once was