June 2012
The first student who I had a paired discussion with was James, and at the time I was attempting to paint but trying to include text into the imagery, these pieces where not working and I really struggled to discuss the work, however I was able to give constructive help to James on how to push his work further, I suggested that James needed to take the sugar cubes outside into the larger world, and James was very supportive during this session and quite gentle with his comments regarding my work.
July 2012
Sarah and I were due to meet up in July however Sarah had problems with the internet as she had no internet connection at home so we decided to communicate via email rather than Skype, at this particular time I had taken a series of photographs of myself within my small shower room and then I had worked into these images. I looked at the ready made work that Sarah had created and I suggested some artists such Gerard Richter, looking at his 'Atlas' website especially the black and white paintings and I also suggested other artists that would enable Sarah to extend her research. There email I recieved from Sarah and the main points of Sarah's response are below.
Hey Jo,
Thanks for your feedback, I'm gonna look up all of the people you suggested when I get chance, I haven't heard of most of them so that's class cuz I am in a rut and need fresh stuff drafted in.
The idea in the first photo-with your face in profile-of the ball dress
that is too big and doesn't fit the body without the bra is really great. I
especially like the angle that the image is from and the reflection angle, it's
suffocating and full and introspective and intimate.
I think that you could do more with this idea of ill fitting clothes and
the gravitation pull on the reveered aspects of the female form. Unfortunately
so many people wear clothes that don't fit them that this is not immediately
evident form your photo but when I read this and then saw it it
was brilliant. Maybe amp it up with something that is specifically made for
perfect young pert figure and get it a few sizes too small or something? Boned
corset or something? That being said I like the low key nature of the way you
are using the concept now, just would hate for it to be lost because of the
majority of peoples poor sense of dress size. It's significant that you can't
see your face in the reflection much, just your chest which is meant to be the
conceptual focal point in a complex photographic composition, and actually is
visually the focal point. Accident or no, nice work.I also really like the etching/drawing you have done on the final two photographs. The scratchy lines with the black and white and close range and really graphically effective and create a kind of link between the torment of the subject trapped in self depreciating inwardness and the viewer watching helplessly. The lines seem on the surface so they link the sorrow and the sympathy or the subject in photo and viewer looking at photo respectively. The lines are erratic scratching attempts to conceal and recreate, conceal that which the subject wants to hide and finds disgusts/disappointment (face) in and recreate that which subject sees as different and so optional/alterable in others (body shape/bust). They are very provocative and the scratching abstracts them which makes them more interesting than straight up documentation.Very dark and effective.
I also really like the first painted image you sent; the kind of blue organ-y image. I don't know what it is but it suggested things like carnality, entrails, then the colour pallet suggests calm and clinical vs the supposed shapes suggesting the paradox of carnivorous and human and hair and blood and guts and sex.
There is a book I studied in Philosophy degree which I'm starting to look at again because of my interest in the domestic roles and objects in my own work and parts of it may be applicable to your work too. Its bit heavy going but is seen as one of the greats and is actually taken seriously even though it's by a female philosopher, of which there are practically none. It's called 'The Second Sex' by Simone de Beauvoir.
Reading the theory/philosophy might give you new ways forward to developing
your visual work, once your ideas are strengthened and assured, and taken from
the solely personal to the historical context you might see new ways of making
your feelings about womanity and aging evident and relevant in different media
and manners.
September 2012
Eleanor had a meeting in September and I was absolutely fascinated with the work that Eleanor has produced during this module 'taking the pencil for a walk' I found this session interesting especially when Eleanor discussed the issue of the fact that I have struggled to paint and what was interesting is how Eleanor commented on how unusual the composition of the photographs that I had contined to take within this module, compared to how composition is often used within painting and maybe this was an area that I could explore, furthermore Eleanor suggested that I should also attempt to sketch more not for the MA but for myself to keep creating without having to have a reason and to create blindly without being inspired by something visually.
A really thought provoking session.
October 2012
Once again I have meet up with James and during this session I felt that I was able to comment with more honesty and how I believe that the work that James has produced using text and his research has really opened up the work and it has become more extensive. James and I discussed my work and by this time I have been creating ink sketches, James discussed in depth the photographs of Emma and he suggested that there could be a sexual element to some of these images, which is an element that I have not seen in these pieces and noone has commented on this so that was another discussion point, we also discussed the compositional elements of the photographs which is becoming more highlighted on during this module.
November 2012
Tonight Ameila and met up on Skype and I explained how I have had to drop out of the MA these last couple of weeks because of major work issues which thankfully have been resolved. This particular discussion mainly centred on the research aspects of this particular module and the essay that is required for this unit, Ameila's advice regarding using the Kindle app will be invaluable. I have been very impressed with Ameila's blog which is full of information and research and is well written and I believe that the extra sessions regarding research and writing practice has really been a positive influence on Ameila. Furthermore we have talked about the work we have produced, and how Ameila does feel discouraged in producing more work along the lines of the furniture, and I feel that quantity of work is important within the MA which makes creating large finished pieces difficult.
We continued this discussion by talking how we will extend our work into the next year and how we will develop our work.
