Work Experience: Life and Work behind the piece! (LGP)

I have recently started some work experience in a local Galley, The Lancaster Projects Gallery! I wanted to do this work experience to gain an insight to the life and work behind the piece.
As this is an area I have never had any experience in, I felt it would be valuable to see if this was an area I would possibly want to work in when I had finished my degree. Not only that I also felt it would be useful to see the behind the scenes set-up of a gallery in preparation for my future end of year and degree shows.

So I am evidulating in the gallery, which means being available for any visitors every tuesday afternoon 2-6pm. I also have to be able to help, guide and inform any visitors who do come to visit in order to help them understand the artists intentions and work.

Currently I am really not enjoying the role, I'm still unsure as whether this is because of the piece, whether its because there are no visitors, or even it's the gallery itself? As an installation piece, I am subjected to 3 video pieces totalling 45mins for 4 hours, it wouldn't be so bad but this piece uses extracts from CIA speeches and other philosophy narratives. By the time my time is done, my eyes can't see due to the dark conditions and I feel as though I am ready for war!

I am hoping that with a different exhibition I may find this time more enjoyable, as at the moment it is only useful for me to do all my written university work. With a different exhibition I may also get more visitors which will the mean I will have people to discuss the work with.

I am going to continue with the work experience for now as hopefully it could lead to gaining a more useful insight into the marketing and research side of setting up an exhibit? I have also learnt that even in the art environment I do crave human interaction. Hours on end by myself is not something I could do as part of my job.

Mid module review: looking backwards, forwards and sideways...

So I have finished my module but not the work its created, this module leads directly in to my final module of the year and also my end of year exhibition!

So this is more of a comma than a full stop so to speak!

Looking back: I am so happy with how my experimentation has gone, after initial nerves and hesitation my work progressed as did my self exploration!

The key thing I have learnt is that if hit with a mental block or hurdle the best thing to do is just get something on the paper, a piece of paper with something on is less intimidating than a blank sheet!!!

Not being afraid to cut into my images was hard but once I did it my work got more and more intricate and interesting!

Looking forward: I think my main focus for this module will be to start to consolidate this work into my final piece! I want to look into different ways of display such a an installation piece. I also would like to look at the possibility if having a VoiceOver track in my work!

The main thing I have learnt from the last module is that by doing a little but if work often means in always making progress! So I need to keep this up in order to keep my momentum, inspiration flowing.

To log or not to log

So initially when I was told I needed to keep a log book of all my work, exhibitions I've been to, inspiration I've seen and anything else that's had anything to do with my work... I nearly died!

I did not see that point in creating more work for myself, I thought it would interfere with my work and get in the way!

In actual fact it wasn't any work at all and I found myself putting all this together naturally just to keep myself organised!

We don't need to do this for Year2 but I definitely will as its now like my bible, I use it all the time to refer to for my work!

My log book holds they key to my work, my artist research is neatly collated, as are reviews I've read, exhibitions I've been too... Not forgetting the pages of lecture notes I've written!

So if ever you get asked to do one! Do it.... It doesn't need to be backbreaking and it's easier if you do it as you go along!

Painting Project.... Thinking back and ahead!!

So painting project is done... work handed in and group critic embarrassingly endured!

1. You've learned at least one valuable thing this project. What is it?

I know this sound silly, but I feel like I have learned so much, I am looking at everything differently. It is as though the blinkers have been taking off and I'm seeing for the first time.

Contextual studies is fascinating, by learning how/ why and what has been done before me is making me appreciate Art in such a different way!

As for the painting project, my most valuable lesson was stripping everything right back:

• Dark and light
• Perspective
• Colour mixing
• Contents
• Subject

Over the years you are brainwashed by schools to COPY previous artists work as opposed to being influenced by them to create your own ideas. I love this new freedom I have and the confidence this is giving me to follow my own ideas and instincts! 

I now cant wait to actually start my own work without being afraid to do my own thing. I have learnt that Im not the biggest fan of painting on its own, I love experimenting with texture, colour and abstract shapes!

There are a few artists who I am really interesting in looking at, and I cannot wait to try and bring my sixties inspirations and influences to these methods in the future. I am also interested in trying to use Vermeers concepts from the 1600's with a modern twist. I have so many ideas I don't even know where to start. But like Graham (my tutor) has said the best way to start is just by experimenting, starting over and over again and just seeing where the paint takes you! 

Exhibition Notes #1 Craig Mulholland

illegitimi-non-carborundum

ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM
Craig Mulholland
20 September - 21 October 2012

Launch Night 20 September 6-8pm

Notes taken on the day on I-Phone:

Initially i felt scared looks like a ghost or someone trying to tell you something but is either frightened or struggling to do so.

Finger prints look very forensic like a murder scene or something! The sporadic locations also quite unnerving as there is not pattern.

The words on the boards look angry, written in red bold characters, shouting. As they're on projector screens which are used to communicate to audience this coneys to me someone trying to get a message out. 

The exhibition itself is like a classroom somewhere where a lot of us maybe felt constricted or controlled! The artist here looks like he is trying to fight against this! 

Dragging fingerprints portray to me someone trying to drag themselves away or maybe even escape from the conformities of society, represented here by the classroom!