Research Project – Page 3

It is finished!

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Painting, Project 2, Week in Review, Workshops

I finished the Ann painting this week. The last section was quite fiddly and intense to paint, and it was a sweet relief when it was over. I didn’t even stand back and look at it afterwards, I just pushed it in the corner of the studio, facing the wall, so it can dry. Once it has, I will look at it with fresh eyes. I will also have an open-studio, so friends and family can come and see it. I especially look forward to showing my mum, as I feel the painting has a special connection to her. As I mentioned before, not only has she been helping me with the research for Ann Thompson’s story, but her middle and maiden name are also Ann Thompson, which I think is very special.

There’s always a bit of an anti-climax when I finish a big, labour intensive painting like that, and I tend to feel a little bit lost, in terms of what to do next. To keep up the momentum of my art practice, I make sure I keep my 3 daily painting sessions. Since finishing the Ann painting, I’ve been playing with old paintings that were never really resolved, working on what might possibly be my next big painting, and painting horses.

It’s enjoyable just playing and experimenting, but very soon I will have to focus on my MA project about water. I will also have to start looking at the other artworks I want to make to go with the Ann painting, particularly the film, as well as consolidate the research into Ann’s story, and see where the holes are, and where further research is required. There’s a lot to do, but for the next few days, I think I’ll just play.

I had a couple of workshops this week. One was about socially engaged art, with David McGovern, which I found really informative and interesting. The other was one our whole class did together, called “Emerging dialogues through textile and visual arrangements” with Sukie Sagoo-Reddy. It was actually a workshop I had done last term, even so, it was enjoyable and inspiring to do again, especially with all my classmates. My favourite task was called “chasing shadows”, where we were asked to create a piece of work that involved shadows. I decided to arrange and photograph the shadows cast by these beautiful glass ornaments made by a lovely friend of mine. I love how glass effectively casts coloured shadows.

Anam Cara (where I live) has been exceptionally beautiful this week, and my new favourite thing is to sit on the front lawn, facing the sea, and do the readings for my research paper. To be honest, I spend most of the time just looking at the sea (keeping an eye out for Fonzi of course), or closing my eyes to heighten the sensation of being in such an exhilarating place.

Goodbye London, thanks for the chips and the raging allergy

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Low Residency, project 1

Written – Friday, 17th March

Currently, I am sat in my hotel room, bag packed, watching breakfast telly, having just eaten my “I’m very poorly, I’ll eat what I want” breakfast, which consisted of a pot of chocolate pudding and a Bakewell tart. I will be heading to the airport soon, for what will either be a short trip home, or should the misfortune that befell my fella, befall me, a 3-day odyssey that will take me back and forth across the Irish Sea and a jaunty trip to Liverpool.

My body seems to be making a sterling effort of fighting whatever ails me, as I feel mildly better today. Unlike yesterday, which saw me getting progressively worse as the day wore on. I made the difficult, but ultimately wise decision not to attend the last day of class activities – i.e. visiting several art galleries together. I was disappointed I couldn’t go, as it was the day I was most looking forward to, but no one wants a moribund mucus-dripper for their art-viewing companion. Instead, I wandered the streets of London looking for the ghost of Mrs Quick.

Mrs Quick was the intended subject of my Interim Show painting that I was unable to finish in time for the show. Now the show is finished, I can resume my work on the painting, the start of which is research into her story. In short (I’ll write at length in another post), Mrs Quick died in the 1928 Thames flood, when her basement flat in Westminster became entirely submerged. Something about her story caught my attention and gave me the idea for my “Confluence” research project as a whole.

_{Mrs Quick – Acrylic on paper – test detail}

Anyway, I decided to walk to Westminster to see what I could find. To be honest, I didn’t find much save the street where she had lived and sadly died (the house long demolished and replaced), and the local pub she may well have frequented, and which I did (alone, in a corner, slathered in anti-bac). Post ghost-hunting, I made the mistake of catching a tube back to my hotel, which re-triggered my allergy, making my symptoms worse than ever, and leaving me utterly miserable for the rest of the day.

I think I’m allergic to London

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Low Residency

I woke up feeling crap this morning, with a blocked nose, sore throat, and red, itchy eyes. It’s happened before when I’ve been in London, especially when travelling on the tubes that are deep underground, as I did yesterday when I went to the V&A. Either that or I have cold, though the itchy eyes leads me to assume it is the former. Hedging my bets, I traipsed to the 24hr supermarket at the crack of dawn and bought supplies, more for comfort than remedy.

Our in-person classes were cancelled today, on account of the tube and teacher strikes. Instead, we had an artist’s talk via zoom, though, unfortunately, the internet isn’t very good in my hotel room, so I could only listen to part of it, and couldn’t participate in the discussion. So, I took the opportunity to finish wrapping my painting, ready for the courier to collect tomorrow. Jonathan, our kind-hearted teacher, had a go wrapping it when he collected it from the exhibition, but let’s just say, we all have our strengths.

Because I didn’t have any classes for the rest of the day, I thought I better do something arty, so I went to a beautiful bookshop around the corner, and looked for books relevant to my research project about water. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time browsing in a bookshop (I mostly buy books on Amazon); what an absolute pleasure.

Next, I went in search of somewhere nice to have lunch and peruse my new books, stopping at a chemist on the way to buy some antihistamines. I came across a nice looking pub called the Norfolk Arms. Having just completed an application for an art residency in Norfolk, I thought it was a fortuitous sign. As I was peeping in the window, to see what it was like, a friendly old fella passing-by informed me that the food was lovely, so in I went. I’m so glad I did. I had a sublime afternoon, hocked-up on antihistamines, eating delicious food, and reading the introductions of my wonderful new books.

I faded by the time I got back to my hotel this afternoon, so I took a nap but didn’t sleep. For my evening activities, I took my parcel down to reception, went to the shop for more tissues, watched the Ramsey Town Commission meeting (that my fella was chairing), and wrote this post. Now I’m going to have a pot-noodle for tea, and sit in my bed and watch The Repair Shop. London, baby!

Dotty is as dotty does

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Experiments, Painting, project 1, Research Project

I love dots. I love seeing them and I love putting them in my paintings. Nearly all my paintings have at least a little bunch or line of dots. In fact, most have lots of dots, and there are some that are completely covered in them. Dots are a pleasure to paint and are like sugar for my eyes. Basically, I can’t get enough of them.

Another thing I love are patterns. Whether in nature or by human hand, seeing a pattern makes my heart happy. If coupled with symmetry, as any self-respecting pattern is, then I am compelled to stop and stare, and invariably take a photo. For this reason, I have more photos of the spectacular wrought-iron work I saw on our recent holiday to Tuscany, than of the stunning scenery. Just ask my fella, he had to stop and hold my handbag every time I saw a lattice, and practically every house in the hill-top medieval towns we visited had them.

The beauty of the lattice-work I saw, inspired me to begin including it my paintings, which I did for a series I painted while at the Royal College of Art Summer School. I think it’s probably best not to over do it, but I little here and there looks lovely.

For the green paintings I’m doing for my first research project, I’d like to include more complex pattern work. So this past week, I have been experimenting with patterns from Victorian wallpaper. I like the results so far. When I am in London next week, I will try and visit the Victoria and Albert Museum to find some more inspirational patterns.

My fella has a rover eye

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Project 2, Week in Review

If I’m out with my fella and he does a double-take, I don’t have to look around to confirm my suspicions. I can tell by the goofy look on his face that he’s spotted a dog. It’s like he has a special dog-radar. If one is in the vicinity – even crouched down in a car or hiding under a bush – he’ll spot it. I am regularly reminded that the only thing he loves more than dogs is me. It’s true that if the house was on fire and it was me or the dog, he’d rescue me first, but, you can guarantee, he’d then risk his life to go back in and rescue the dog. That’s the kind of dog-loving fella he is.

We reached the grand milestone of four years together yesterday. I completely forgot, until he turned up at the studio with two bunches of flowers. That wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t forgotten Valentine’s Day as well. To be precise, I forgot to get him anything, while he surprised me with three lovely presents from a gift shop in town, and a dinner at the local pub.

To make amends, I bought him a belated gift. For future refence: an after-the-fact Amazon gift that you also bought two Valentines ago is bad! Luckily it was a Star Wars t-shirt, which seemed to soften the blow. The upshot is, he’s completely amazing when it comes to rescuing and romance, and I should live on my own with a cat.

I wish I could say that I’ve made great progress on the green paintings. But the truth is, I’ve mixed a bit of paint here and there, producing greens I neither like nor want to use, and that’s about it. Instead, I’ve been spending most of my time on the Ann painting, and I’m not even sorry. The home-stretch of a painting like Ann is an unmitigated pleasure, and I am savouring every moment. I was secretly hoping to have it finished before I go to London next week. But even if I worked on it all day and night, it still wouldn’t be finished. Besides, it would be reckless to try and rush it at this stage, as that is how mistakes are made.

As pleasurable as painting Ann is, it is also really nerve wracking, especially at this late stage. There’s no fixing a delicate, pristine painting like this, so damaging it is some way would be heart-breaking, not just because of the labour involved, but for the painting itself. Like a mother hen, I think all my chicks are beautiful, but Ann, she is beautiful and then some.

The benefits of getting high(er)

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Painting, Research Project, Research Study Statement

Having recently completed my study statements (detailed descriptions of my aims and objectives for my two projects, and how I intend to realise them), I now have a clear idea of where I am headed, and how I intend get there. The statements were arduous and uncomfortable to produce, as I had to think about, and then articulate, what it is I am up to, and what I want from my work and my time on the course. However, having gone through the process, the clear view I now have is my reward. It’s similar to climbing a hill. Sure, it hurts on the way up, but the expansive view (commensurate with the height of the climb) is generally well worth the effort. It helps you situate yourself in the landscape, and allows you to see the direction and path you should take to get to a particular destination.

On Saturday, my fella and I went to the pub. On the way, we decided to walk up a hill. After much huffing and puffing and moaning that quads hurt when you use them, we finally made it to the top. The view was spectacular, and our thumping hearts and near-hyperventilation made the moment transcendent, and reminded me that exertion in pursuit of elevation is usually worth the effort. Of course, sitting by the fire in a cosy pub and eating chips is also pretty transcendent, especially after you’ve just walked up a hill.

Prior to the hill-walking and pub-sitting, we went in search of a confluence (of the river variety), which is the title I have chosen for my water/green paintings project. The project centres around the idea of confluence – the meeting and running together of two or more things. Using the metaphor of a river confluence (a place where two rivers meet and begin flowing together), I want to explore various historical “confluences”, where natural and human-engineered forces came together and resulted in disasters involving water. Within the selected historic disasters, I hope to find individual and/or forgotten stories of people who died as a result, specifically through drowning, and tell their stories. I also want to create a confluence within the paintings themselves, combining two or more stories within a given painting. If successful, the paintings will be an allegorical warning as to the fate that awaits more and more people due to the natural and human-made confluence of global warming.

Naturally, it remains to be seen if the paintings I produce even work as paintings, let alone achieve something as highfalutin as an allegorical warning (which, lets call a spade a spade, sounds pretentious). Still, I like the idea, and want to give it a go.

Anyway, back to the river confluence we went in search of. We found an absolutely beautiful one in Tholt-y-Will glen, where the Sulby river (the largest river on the Island) meets with a tributary (I don’t know its name) that runs down from the hills. It’s a heavenly spot, filled with magic and mystery. It is no surprise river confluences were once thought of as scared places where the gods danced. They were also viewed as portals to the underworld, and places where propitiatory offerings were made to secure the favour of the gods.

I meant to take a photo of the confluence, but I was too busy securing a favourable outcome for my project. However, I did take this video of a beautiful pool above the confluence, which is part of the tributary that flows into the Sulby.

Oh, and we also found a cave where I suspect the Cabbyl-Ushtey lives. The Cabbyl-Ushtey is a malevolent Manx water-horse that lures passers-by onto its back. Once on there, the person is stuck-fast, and the Cabbyl-Usthey leaps into the river and drowns them.

Falling into green

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Experiments, Green, Interim Show, Painting, Research Project, Research Study Statement

Picasso was a horror when it came to women, but his insights into painting were spot on – like this:

Painting isn’t an aesthetic operation; it’s a form of magic designed as a mediator between this strange hostile world and us, a way of seizing the power by giving form to our terrors as well as our desires.

or this:

Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.

I am particularly interested in this second insight at the moment, due to my recent colour change from blue to green. Blue has always felt like a safe, knowable colour to me, which is why I typically used it when experimenting. But green – it is completely different. I don’t yet know its boundaries, or what its emotional resonance will be on a large scale. On a small scale, it feels mysterious and other-worldly, if not a little bit spooky. When I paint with its darker tones (as above), I am reminded of a time when I was a child, in a boat on the edge of a lake. I remember looking deeply into the water which rippled and swirled with tones of impossibly dark green that merged into unknowable inky darkness. I was completely captivated. Even though I was only a small child, probably no more than 5 or 6, I knew I would never forget what I was seeing, and so I never have.

The above picture, which I found on the internet, is the exact colour/visual I remember. Looking at it, even with its poor resolution, I have the same sensation of wanting to fall into its depths. What a truly mysterious colour. However, the trouble with this shade of green is, it doesn’t really go with anything else (perhaps because it is perfection in and of itself), so it would not really be suitable for the figurative painting/s I have in mind for the Interim Show (although, never say never).

One thing is certain, if I am going to paint with green, I have to get it right, or I will end up with a garish mess that no one will want to look at. To avoid this pitfall, I have set myself the task of creating a suitable palette, so I’ll have a better chance of getting it right when it comes to the final work/s.