Back to business//Blogging

It's been a while since I posted my last blog post, since I finished my Art Foundation I have been busy catching up with friends who have been away at uni, trying to get fit and get a job, and going on holidays. But most of all I have felt pretty uninspired. Whilst I was at art school there was inspiration all around me. I was constantly surrounded by fascinating people who had the same interests as me and thought provoking art work that would spark questions and conversations that I could spend hours dwelling on. I am still surrounded by brilliant people, but not all have the same interests and thoughts as me when it comes to art and creativity, so it has been hard to find inspiration and ideas. Despite this, I am determined to get back into blogging as much as I can, and very soon I am going to set myself a summer art project to work on so that I don't get out of practice before I go to Uni September!

I had the most amazing time on the Art Foundation and made some friends I will always treasure, so leaving left me on a bit of a low, I just felt deflated and didn't really know what to do with myself. I went from being busy 24/7 and the weeks before the final exhibition being completely hectic, to then having all the time in the world with no deadlines and nothing to work for. So when I went back into college for the first time since finishing to find out that I had achieved a Distinction grade (the highest grade) I was absolutely over the moon and felt like nothing else mattered in the world. I was so uplifted, and all the hard work had paid off. I got some amazing feedback from my tutors, they were both so supportive and proud of the level of work I had put in over the year. They invited me and my group of friends in a few weeks after to say our final goodbyes, where we gave them gifts that we have bought, and they presented us with tea and cake. It really was a lovely way to say goodbye, and I definitely won't forget all their wacky words of wisdom and the support they gave me on the course, I couldn't have done it without them!

FMP Exhibition

My exhibition space 

Me in my exhibition space, including a label stating my university destination and degree choice!

'Rural' watercolour paintings mounted in foamboard

'Urban' silk screen prints mounted on foamboard

Poetry based oil paintings in canvas, with quotes from Mark Goodwins poem 'Ways Through An Outskirts Estate', which the paintings are based on. Mounted on mirror plates with screws.

I am absolutely over the moon with how my exhibition has turned out, which is currently still open at Leicester College. Leaving the Art Foundation, my tutors  and the friends I have made will be hard, but the excitement for starting my degree at Sheffiled Hallam will make it a lot easier!
I would like to say a huge thank you to the poet Mark Goodwin, who has allowed me to use his passion within my passion, to create work that I would never have explored if it wasn't for him. He has been extremely encouraging and positive about my work, which has given me the confidence to want to carry on creating 'film-poetry' and using poetry in my painting. 

Rurban Short Film

Short video based on the concept 'Rurban', made to exhibit in my final Art Foundation show. Audio recording by Mark Goodwin, reading his poem 'Ways Through An Outskirts Estate'. Shot in Thurmaston, Leicestershire. 

Rurban//Landscape Work

Watercolour and acrylic paints and biro

Watercolour paints with biro

Watercolour paints with biro

Oil paints

Oil paints

Oil paints

Oil paints

Oil paints

Oil paints

These are all paintings I have completed in a 20 page A3 landscape sketchbook.

Rurban//Landscape Research

As I did for the architecture part of my project, I went out to take photographs as research for the landscape part of the project. I collected photographs around Sileby Marina (the village I live in) and around Thornton Reservoir.

Rurban//Architecture Work

I started drawing whilst walking around Leicester, but felt that more detail could be achieved in my drawings if I worked from my photographs. All the work I have done so far has been in an 80 page A3 sketchbook, and the work consists of drawings done in 4B pencil, graphite pencil, fine liner with pencil, biro with hairspray, charcoal and silk-screen prints.









Graphite pencil

Graphite pencil

Graphite pencil

Graphite pencil

Graphite pencil

Fine liner with pencil

Silk screen print

Silk screen print

Silk screen print

Rurban//Architecture Research

 The first step of my Rurban project was to do some photography based research. I went round Leicester city with my Pentax DSLR to take photographs that I could later use to base my drawings, paintings and prints on.

As an artist, photography is very important to me, as I believe it helps me to see things I would usually miss and find interesting ways of later composing my art work. In photographs, a higher level of detail can be achieved than just with the naked eye, so I like using photos as a back-up for my ideas and art work.

Whilst taking photographs around Leicester, my eyes were opened to what was actually around me and made me realise how interesting Leicester actually is, as I was constantly looking around for any buildings that would make interesting photos. I have now made two photo albums of the photos I took when exploring Leicester which I am using towards my final project.

Foundation in Art and Design

My love of art and creating art started at GCSE and A Level when I chose to do Fine Art. I enjoyed all four years, but most work was so skills building and artist based, focusing a lot on links and copies of work. Most sketchbook pieces I completed during A Level were very finished pieces without actual thinking and experimentation. Because of this, when it came to year 13 and deciding what the next step in my life was, I decided that I wasn’t ready for university and that the best thing for my creative career would be to apply for Art Foundation degrees. I applied to DMU, Loughborough University and Leicester College.

I feel that accepting an offer from Leicester College was the best decision I have ever made. I have met amazing people and I have two tutors that have helped me learn creatively and grow as a person. They are both so inspirational and without them I wouldn’t be the artist or person I am today.

Without them, I also wouldn’t have a place at the university I have dreamed of going to since I was 14, Sheffield Hallam, on an amazing course, BA Creative Art Practice. At the beginning of 2014 I had three interviews at three universities, Leeds Metropolitan, Birmingham City and Manchester Metropolitan, for Fine Art degrees, and Sheffield Hallam for Creative Art Practice. I got offers from all of these universities, apart from Manchester Met. I was absolutely over the moon with these offers, and even happier that I was able to accept an Unconditional Offer from Sheffield Hallam.

I started the Foundation in Art and Design at the end of August 2013 and am now a matter of weeks away from the end of the course. It has been a life changing experience so I will of course be very sad to see it end, however I am very excited about exhibiting my Final Major Project in our end of year exhibition, and finally starting my new life at Sheffield Hallam.