::Back to Painting::

Back to painting. I decided to pick up the awld paint brush again & I must say it felt good. I came home from the studio feeling quite inspired & enthusiastic about where my final piece, or should I say pieces, are going . I haven't felt like that in a while. I've been in the studio working a lot as I have to move out of my studio in college in the next week and I thought I would try and get settled in and used to working in my new studio. The time in my studio has allowed me to rethink my degree show proposal. I have slightly altered it, well actually completely altered it . I felt that using the wallpaper piece I had done last semester was not progressing my work enough. So have opted to leave it out, but I'm now returning to a direction which has interested me for a long time, memento mori (meaning, remember thy death) It is not as morbid as it sounds! I have a fascination with our journeys from cradle to grave & is primarily what my work has been based around over the last couple of years. Using hair in my work either be it real or an interpretation of that has also been a focus. Hair is loaded with symbolism...death, life, growth, fertility, femininity, strength, the passing of time and the list goes on. I'm feeling a lot more content with where it is going now.
So with all that said, over the next few weeks I'm concentrating on being in the studio and getting my work done...after all these next few weeks are the most crucial. I'll pop in with a few updates but think they may be a bit sporadic!

*Wednesday's Wishes 5*

Domestic items are high on the wish list today. The first of which is a reusable shopping bag, nothing new in that I realise, but I love them for their vibrant colours, the fact that they fold up so neatly and can carry around 3 times the amount of a normal plastic bag. My only concern is that I may end up with very long arms! Check them out...they're called Baggu.

Also I am loving these mugs & trays available here
I love stationary, don't know why?...always have...paper is a passion for me, especially squared graph paper! Perhaps because they're so mundane & often overlooked that I love them so.

*Wednesday's Wishes 4*

I really love these crocheted & embroidered pieces which Emily Barletta
did for her show My Biology. A couple of years ago I did a show in which I knitted an umbilical cord [albeit not quite as pretty as these pieces] so it made me smile to see her work!

'when i was 12 years old i suddenly grew a hunchback and then when i was 15 i had a major reconstructive surgery that left me 2 1/2 inches taller and with a straight fused spine that does not bend or curve at all. it also left me with a whole new set of problems. this was about the same time i started making art and it became a way in which i could express this thing that was happening to me. if i had never experienced this, i would still make art but i don’t know what it would look like. i have had other surgeries since then and i’m not sure how this thing works out in the end, but i have good and bad days, and good days that are bad days and bad days that are good days, it gets complicated. so i am always aware of my body and this makes me obsessed with thinking about organs, blood, veins, muscles, cells, and internal biological functions, as well as all sorts of interesting diseases and deformities and medical science that i love to read about and then make imaginary representations of. crocheting and embroidering just turned out to be a meditative art form i could do while in bed where i make almost all of my art.'
Read more about her here

Dreams of Inspiration

So I'm back to college on Monday morning for the last leg of the journey that has been a 5 year one at that...and finally I will get my degree [Hopefully...that's the plan anyway!] I have a good bit of work to do before that, so over the next few weeks and months it will be heads down. I have even been contemplating giving up TV & vino in the coming weeks so as to be able to focus & put my time to proper use. That means no leisurely glasses of rioja in the ever increasing light & sunny evenings...I know some would be horrified at the thought but it is with a goal in mind & will not be forever...I've done it before & can do it again ;)
My main concern is how to get around the issue that I need to hand in an exhibition proposal on Monday, which should explain what material I will be using in my degree show, the measurements of my final piece, risk assessments, and an explanation of what my work will be. That all sounds reasonable I hear you say, and yes I agree, if it wasn't for the slightly concerning fact that I don't as yet know what this final piece will be and will in turn look like, measure etc. Talk about pressure!! It's not that I haven't given it any thought...it's all I can think about these days. I mean literally...I go to bed tossing & turning wondering what to do, waiting for inspiration to strike and wake up in the morning disappointed that I didn't have some profoundly prophetic dream in regards to my work for the degree show!! I will have to write up something tomorrow, there are no more days left, only 2 more sleeps until I have to hand my proposal in. I just hope that what I do propose will not be set in stone & there will be some understanding on the process of the artist. After all there are around 5 weeks until it has to be set up & if there is one thing that I have learnt in art college, it is that it's all about the process! I am hoping & praying for that crucial dream of inspiration that will bring clarity and direction to my minds maze.
So until next time you crazy cats, when please God I will have a lighter spirit to the direction my work is taking...I bid you Adieu!

*Wednesday's Wishes 3*

Fabulous rings by Dillon Designs

I Heart Lyndie Dourthe

The Studio - Part One

::a little dark but you get the idea::

::the view::canary wharf::

::the essential tea trolley::kettle, radio & heater::

*Wednesday's Wishes 2*

I've been having a few problems with blogger & getting photos uploaded, but to no avail! My own personal IT consultant has promised to have a look & try to sort out the issues...that is after his cinnamon swirl & coffee! In the meantime you can have a look at the links and I'll try and get photos asap. I've also moved into the studio & have promised to post a few photos which I'll do over the next few days...hopefully!

BINGO!


JDavis Studio

Olivia Jeffries