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Art Talk: Finding Beauty in Boring

August 10th, 2017 by Emma

 

A few prerequisite thoughts:

Have you ever looked at a piece of art, a photograph or even out of your window and thought- that’s so boring?

Look again and find another word to describe what you’re looking at.

 

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So, I’m not just fanatical about drawing and painting; I’m also a huge fan of documentary and street photography. So much so, my final year dissertation title was this:

“Black & White Photography: An Examination of the Role of Documentary Photography in the Ending of South Africa’s Apartheid”

Did you fall asleep a little bit whilst reading that? If you did, don’t go anywhere- continue reading because I’m going to talk a little bit about how stereotypically ‘boring’ things can be the most beautiful things.

When I typed into Google ‘beautiful photograph’, it came up with things like eerie forests, skylines of New York and camels walking across the desert. Don’t get me wrong, these photographs are incredible and I’d have any one of them hanging on my walls at home. However, why are there no photographs that fall under the category of street or documentary photography showing up on my Google search? Because many people find them boring.

I must admit, even I sometimes doubt everyday surroundings as being beautiful. Occasionally, I resist taking my camera out and about with me around my hometown because I have in my head that I’ll just be seeing the same things as usual and won’t find anything to photograph- also, carrying a camera around will just be ‘another thing to carry’.

This is so wrong of me – I will elaborate further on.

 

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Check out this photograph by the great Henri Cartier Bresson:

 

Can you see why this photograph would be considered beautiful? Or do you just see it as a boring, black and white photograph of some stairs and a cyclist?

It might seem funny to some, but this photograph is actually used quite a lot in books about great photographs. Obviously, there will always be the ‘everything is subjective’ argument and what’s beautiful to one person, is ugly to the next yada yada. However, what I’m trying to do is to open up the minds of those who would consider a photograph like this as only boring and not beautiful. You know what, it is boring- the subject matter that is. But look at the photograph again and see what it does to your eyes; where do they go? Look at the lines, the angles and the geometry of the stairs, the railings and the road below.

Photographs like this fascinate me because to capture something so ordinary, the things we see in our everyday lives- stairs, bikes, bricks etc. and to frame them in a way that shows both stillness and movement, horizontals and verticals, blacks and greys- it’s fricking cool. It might be worth mentioning here that apparently, Henri Cartier Bresson spent hours uncomfortably crouched on the stairs waiting for the right moment to shoot this. This definitely adds to the photograph’s iconic status. What do you think of his photograph?

 

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See below a photograph taken by Garry Winogrand, who was considered a “giant” and a “legend” of Post-War American street photography. Read the photograph- it’s like a visual story in one snapshot. The parts that are out of focus/in focus, the shadows, the lines and the movement make this a beautiful photograph- forget the subject matter. Although, this completely goes against the purpose of this series of photographs by Winogrand, which was about photographing the beauty of women. Nonetheless, this still would not show up in my ‘beautiful photograph’ Google search- but why?

 

“Photography is about finding out what can happen in the frame. When you put four edges around some facts, you change those facts.” – Garry Winogrand.

I think what Winogrand means by this is that one should forget about the thing that’s being photographed – whether it’s a staircase, a man sat selling pretzels in the street or a woman wth a handbag standing on the pavement. The subject matter can be as ‘boring’ as you like- but how it’s framed is what makes it beautiful.

These words from Garry have opened up my mind to the idea that the everyday isn’t as boring as I once thought. If you can see past the subject matter and instead, take into account colour, angles, lines, shapes and movement- surely, you can find beauty in most of the ordinary things around you, right?

I’m not saying that anyone can take a beautiful photograph whenever, wherever- it’s possible – but quite rare. High quality camera equipment, a certain artistic eye and a bit of stamina can come in handy to take a great photograph.  Then again, there are millions of incredible photographs out there taken on iPhones- so, you never know.

 

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Similar to what I was talking about in my last post “Being an artist: Soaking up the world“, I’m basically trying to tell you, whether you’re an artist or not, to look up and around in the places you call everyday and see more than ‘boring’. Look at them- try and not view them as a dustbin, a brick wall or a man sat on a bench, see them as colour, lines and shapes. Even use all of your senses. No, I’m not saying to go and smell or touch the dustbin or the man sat on the bench, perhaps not with those types of things (I’m talking about leaves, walls, fabrics, road signs etc). If you’re a non-artist, it makes going for walks a lot more interesting and if you’re an artist, it opens up your mind to new ways of seeing things and new ways of creating things. This means, I will be making an extra effort to bring my camera or sketchbook out with me every time I leave the house (apart from maybe the supermarket).

 

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When it comes to art, in my opinion, beautiful art isn’t necessarily complicated art. It’s also not necessarily realistic art. It can be simple, monochrome, intimidating, boring–  but still beautiful. For non-artists, see the artwork of Mark Rothko, and Yves Klein. Let me know what you think.

What makes something aesthetically pleasing to you?

 

I’ve found myself thinking about this a lot lately.

 

N.B. The photograph in the header image is “Humdrum”. I took this in New York City in 2014 after being drawn in by this man’s stillness. In the midst of such a hustling, noisy and crowded city, he continued to sit in peace selling his pretzels. As I stared at this image on my laptop screen later on, all of the other quirks in the image came to me, especially the creases in his shirt.

 

Thank you for reading. If you have any opinions or you’d like to ask me something related to this, message me here. You can also follow my adventures and studio practice on Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Talk: Soaking Up The World

August 3rd, 2017 by Emma

 

“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.” – Pablo Picasso

 

A lot of people ask me where I get my inspiration from to make the art I do. It’s a bit of a hard question to answer- I can either be too broad by saying ‘from anything and everything’, or too specific and peculiar by saying ‘from the texture of a shirt on a man selling pretzels in New York’ or ‘the lines and shapes I saw in a cluster of clouds last night’. Which way do I answer the question?

Recently, I’ve been reading a lot about how artists or creative people see the world differently to people who aren’t so creative- those who are more analytical or mathematical, if you will. This isn’t to say someone can’t be both- I’m sure there are some brains out there that interpret the world in all sorts of ways. But to keep it simple, let’s just focus on one particular person- me, an artist with a ‘creative brain’.

I’m not going to state facts, figures and scientific experiments here- I’m not submitting this as an academic essay, so there’s no need for quotes and references- I hope you agree.

I deduced from one article that when looking at a landscape, a scene or a photograph, an artist focuses on lines, negative spaces, colours, gradients and angles, ignoring the actual subject- whereas, non-artists only look at specific objects and translate what they see into a concept or a subject matter. Do you relate to either of these?

When I look at the world around me, I instantly see colour and line. So, you could say that the way I see things is comparable to the artists talked about in that article. I don’t just see a boat, some buildings or a cliff face- I see horizontal, vertical or meandering lines, gritty texture with a burnt orange tinge and an expanse of nothingness above. This probably sounds super strange to those who don’t see things this way, but if you’re an artist/creative, do you know what I mean? When you look at a scene, are the first things you visually absorb shapes, lines and textures? Alternatively, if you’re an artist, and you don’t see the world in this way, how do you see it? Let me know here.

 

 

Going back to what inspires my art- it’s the world around me and how I interpret it. It’s why I also label myself an adventurer; I like to travel, to go places and to see all kinds of different things. Whether it’s my local park, a nearby forest or 7,100 miles away in Hawaii.. the places I go, the things I see, the people I talk to- they all inspire my work. Usually, I take a notebook with me everywhere I go, so that I can document marks, colours, lines, shapes and conversations- all that make their own way into my artworks. The green in “Jungle Agapanthus” was derived from hilltops in Kauai, the marks in “Pastel Blue Overcast” were taken from dark clouds in Santorini and the layers in my latest paper experiments were all inspired by numerous adventures I’ve been on with Jon. Each artwork has it’s own stimulus.

 

 

Obviously, I’m not going on epic adventures all the time and I do have days when I’m stuck in my own head, lacking inspiration and not wanting to be in my studio- this is normal. I have days where I don’t want to make marks, mix up colours and reminisce about things I have seen/places I have been. When this happens, you know what the best thing for me to do is? Leave the studio and go soak up the world on my doorstep. For many years I took for granted where I live- I never realised how much potential artwork can be made from my bubble here in Gloucestershire. It’s pretty much a dictionary of marks, colours and textures- everywhere is!

If you’re an artist, see every place you go as a dictionary of inspiration, whether it’s the Amazon rainforest, a subway in New York, your own hometown or your local garage where you take your car- take a notebook and soak it up; there’s your inspiration.

 

Thank you for reading. If you have any opinions or you’d like to ask me something related to this, message me here. You can also follow my adventures and studio practice on Instagram.

 

 

 

Art Talk: How to Not Lose your Sh*t

July 28th, 2017 by Emma

 

Are you an artist? Or would you like to be an artist but you’re not quite sure how it works as a career? Do you lack faith in your ability, so you’ve settled for another career you’re not entirely happy with? Maybe you don’t want to be an artist but you’ve stumbled across this blog post and giving it a read..

So, first things first, it’s hard to be an artist. We get the odd comment and scoff when we tell someone ‘I’m an artist’; many people don’t see it as a job, more of a hobby. Well, they’re half right- it is a hobby but we’ve been canny enough to turn our hobby into our job. It can also be a physically and mentally draining job that involves super late nights, super early mornings, self-doubt, a million spreadsheets, creativity slumps, a heck load of organisation and many more things… but having your hobby drain you instead of a grumpy boss or a mundane office is pretty cool, right? And you can make a living, it does work; but you’ve got to stay cool and not lose your sh*t. So, if you are reading this and you are/want to be an artist, don’t lose faith, we’ve got this!

This next bit is for all the artist’s out there that sometimes struggle with the actual process of making the artwork.. but still read on if you’re looking at becoming an artist because this will come in handy! If you’re neither of the above, hello and thank you for carrying on reading!

 

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How many times have you thrown a piece of artwork away because you just can’t get it right? How many times have you sat back and thought to yourself what the hell am I doing, perhaps it’s time to quit while I’m ahead? Have you ever spent hours painting over a canvas again and again and again, making a mess of murky colours and wanting to tear your hair out? I don’t know about you but all of the above happen to me quite regularly- I lose my sh*t.

However, over the last few weeks, with the help of a few people around me and practicing mindfulness/positive mental attitude.. I’ve started to not lose my sh*t and instead, fricking love every second of this artist life, murky colours included.

 

So, here are 6 things to be mindful of before you lose your sh*t:

 

1. IT’S JUST A LAYER.

You’re painting on a canvas and you can’t seem to get it right. Compositions aren’t forming, paint is not flowing, murky colours are appearing, your water is looking like chocolate milk and you doubt your whole existence over one piece of art- sound familiar? Well, don’t fret, some of the most beautiful artworks I’ve seen are beautiful because of their depth. See your painting as a single layer of marks, set it aside to dry and work on top of it later. Do this twice, 5 times, 10 times- something will come of it, I promise. In addition to this, change the orientation of the artwork.. you’ll be surprised at what crazy cool things you can see at a completely different angle. Oh, and don’t forget to step back at regular intervals.. what you see up close can be a completely different story to what you see from further away. (If you’re a super duper experienced artist, I know you already know this!)

 

2. MAYBE IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT.

So, I have to thank my boyfriend for this one. The other day I told him that I’d made the most hideous painting and that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. He said to me “it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not, somebody out there will, right?”- I mean, how fricking wise did he want to be!? Of course someone else will like it.. as the saying goes, ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison’. I then went on to tell him that I need to write a blog post about this and he said “but that’s not good marketing, you can’t say your work is hideous, no one will take you seriously”. I took his word for it.. but I’ve obviously ignored it. I mean is there a rule that all artists need to like every piece that they make? A lot of my artwork is about the process and not necessarily about the end result. If people like it then that’s a bonus, surely. Therefore, don’t beat yourself up about that “dreadful” painting you did last week because somewhere in the world there will be a living room it will look great in.

 

3. YOU DON’T NEED TO MAKE SENSE TO EVERYONE.

Has anybody ever looked at your artwork and said “I don’t get it” or “I can’t see anything” or “it looks like a 5 year old did it” or “oh my gosh it’s a horse galloping on a wave with flames coming out of it’s ears” when really it was an abstract impression of a landscape you saw on holiday? Yes, this happens to me all the time. From all the things I’ve read and heard, this seems to be quite common among abstract painters. I think the thing to do is to not focus on whether people ‘get’ your art or not and remember that your work is your work, it’s all you and it’s all yours. Don’t feel as though you need to make sense to other people, you don’t necessarily even need to make sense to yourself! As long as you’re creating what you want, using the colours you want to use, holding the brush in what ever way you feel comfortable and you feel happy- you’re set. There are many many people out there who will respect you as an artist and love your work.. some really won’t get you but you can’t cater for everyone.

 

4. YOU HAVE THERAPY ON TAP.

This is a big one for me.

If I’ve ever have a moment of self-doubt and been on the brink of losing my sh*t, I remember that art actually saved me. After suffering a tragedy, I lost all sense of the world and couldn’t see a life ahead of me- I had metaphorically jumped down a huge hole and refused any help to climb out. It wasn’t until I started painting and drawing again that I started to see the light at the top, and kind of wanted to see what’s up there again. I channelled all of my negative thoughts and feelings onto paper and canvas- and jeez you can make some crazy cool marks and blend up some awesome colours when you’re not feeling level headed. Thankfully, I’m completely out of the hole and now climbing up a career ladder but it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have a box of paints and brushes. It sounds crazy, mega crazy- but it’s true.

So, being an artist or creating art is actually a fantastic form of therapy; it enables you to transfer bad into good. If you view your art making process as therapeutic, healing, meditative and intuitive, you certainly won’t lose your sh*t, you’ll keep your cool and realise how awesome being arty is.

 

5. YOU CAN JOIN A COMMUNITY/ TALK TO SOMEONE.

You know the saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’? This is quite fitting for when you come across a problem as an artist. If you’re feeling disheartened about your latest painting, confused about shipping an artwork or in need of some advice about which paint brand to use, talk to other artists; they are everywhere! When I say everywhere, I’m talking about the net. Personally, I use Instagram and Facebook to connect with other artists; it’s tremendously helpful in the prevention of losing my sh*t. Three artists I must mention here that are prominent on Instagram are @amirarahimart, @taylorleepaints and @zaideewalker; they’re all super inspiring and fantastic artists. Amira Rahim actually started a creative community called Passion Color Joy, a support network for artists. It’s there for all artists to share tips, ask for product recommendations, talk about wins/struggles and more; it’s a place that makes you feel supported and encouraged- check it out!

So, there is no harm in asking another artist a question about their work and what materials they use or even ask them their opinion about your work and help you with your creativity block. Talking to other artists and having reassurance from these like-minded individuals will not only boost your confidence but also give you the opportunity to spread the word about your business and on top of this, you make friends from all around the world!

 

6. YOU’RE DOING WHAT YOU LOVE.

Finally, you love making artwork, you love the way paint moves on a surface, you love mixing up new colours and you love that somebody has your work on their walls at home. If this is you, it can be your career- so make it happen!

The days when your boss shouted at you for something you didn’t do, when beads of sweat ran down your face whilst you were sat in that unventilated office, when that customer patronised you, when someone threw a pint at you while working behind the bar.. can you empathise with any of those? They all happened to me and they’ll never happen to me again. If you’re an artist, they will never happen to you because you are your own boss (except during the time you need to work to fund your business- of course!). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticising those who work in an office, a bar or a shop, if you can do those jobs and feel happy, I think it’s super amazing. I’m just not cut out for it for the long term. I just need to make art, so that’s what I’m doing.

Don’t lose your sh*t, remember that you’re doing what you love and you chose this path. I think being an artist is incredible and we’re so lucky to be able to call our hobby our job.

 

Thank you for reading; I hope this helps you, somehow.

 

If you have any comments or opinions on this,  please let me know.

Find Space and Make Awesome Things

April 11th, 2017 by Emma

Just a quick one today to say hello and to show you my new studio space!

 

Hi!

 

Having a studio space wasn’t really anything I’d ever think about. Sure, I’d had a space whilst I was working towards my degree at University, but since leaving, I’ve just been working in the teeny shed I live in with my boyfriend. It was normal for me to lug my box of paints, sketchbooks, canvases and pads of paper up the ladder from the basement, make a huge mess in our cramped living room and then pack it all away. Yes, annoying- but it’s what I’m used to…

Until a couple of weeks ago when my boyfriend had an epiphany moment. He suggested that I use the space above my Mum’s music shop in town. She’s recently taken over my late Dad’s business and has changed a few things around in the building, freeing up a pretty great sized room. It has a high ceiling, spot lights, a quirky window and hardly anything in it.. perfect for not only an art studio, but also a little gallery to hold exhibitions, workshops, meet-ups etc.

After a clean, a vacuum and a little lick of paint, I’ve now moved in.

I’m currently cracking on with various exciting projects, surrounded by an arty mountain of mess; the radio is blaring Toto and I’m chugging a beetroot juice from Applebar– it’s all good.

Stay tuned.

 

–Emma

 

Welcome!

March 3rd, 2017 by Emma

It’s been a long time coming, but coding geek Jon Munson and I have finally put our heads together to create my new portfolio and blog page! I’m not just here to promote myself as a working Artist. I’m also here to inspire and motivate, as a person who (after many many years of setbacks) is finally hitting goals, fulfilling dreams and sustaining happiness. You can do it too. As Dale Carnegie said, “if you want to conquer fear, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy” in this book.

If this is your first time here, let me introduce myself..

My name is Emma and I am an Artist, a Designer and a Photographer from the UK. You’ve reached my portfolio website, where I will be documenting past, present and future creative projects in:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Photography
• Graphic Design

I will also be providing you with regular blog content that splits into 3 categories:

#Art

#Design

#Lifestyle

Cue the cliché: I’m a true believer in a balanced life (aren’t we all nowadays), therefore, I find it important that you don’t just see my work life; I want to let you in on the other parts that make me.. you know, a real person. So, in addition to arty things, I will be writing about various aspects of my lifestyle that generally relate to food, fitness, mental health, travel and other ‘normal’ life things.

I’ll be telling you how it is; there will be no fakery here, nuh-uh. I’m a person, like you. I eat, sleep, cry, laugh and burn toast regularly. I pick my spots when I know I shouldn’t, I still have teddies on my bed, I hate it when plans change and I’ve watched all of The Big Bang Theory three times over.

Know me a little better now?

Here’s more: I don’t particularly care about what I wear, I hate wearing make-up and I ironically spend an obscene amount of money dying my hair, despite it being a frizzy mess most of the time- but that’s me, so it won’t be changing anytime soon.

More: My lovely Dad passed away last year from metastatic cancer; he was a quiet man but an incredible musician (the best in fact) and he will always be an inspiration to me. His passing was actually one of the reasons why I’ve restarted a blog, redesigned my portfolio and found my creativity again.

On a lighter note, I have a top class Mum, everyone tells me; she’s the life and soul of a party and will sing you Dancing Queen whenever, wherever. I have an older brother; he has a foul mouth and an Oreo tattooed on his a*se, but he’s alright. His wife (my new Sister-in-law!) is a forever-smiling, smoothie-making and powerlifting champ, who we all call Saint Hannah. Lastly, let’s all take our hats off to the geek behind this awesomely built website, the guitar-noodling, head-banging and adventure KING, Jon Munson, my boyfriend. (If you find any glitches, let me know, he’ll sort it out.)

Now, some of you may be wondering about the previous blog posts listed on my site.. They’re all mine and they’re all honest, but they are not current. They were written as part of my University course and I’ve left them here to remind me of how far I’ve come. By all means, have a read.

Anyway, welcome to my new portfolio, my new blog and my new attitude. Thank you for being awesome and checking me out, I really appreciate it.

 

Speak soon.

 

-Emma  

 

25 Fine Liners

January 29th, 2015 by Emma

Some how, I’m halfway through my final year.. with real life starting in 5 months time.

I cannot believe how fast time goes. It’s scary to think that in 153 days I will be saying goodbye to school holidays, financial assistance and the decision of whether or not to get out of bed; and saying hello to mortgages, bills and early commutes.

Anyway, the last 5 months have been all about mark making, repetitive strain injury and the creation of a large landscape of imagination. Bear in mind, these did not happen without a little blood, sweat and tears.. It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster.

Amsterdam

I’ve been working hard to nurture and advance my studio practice, so much so, I was lucky enough to be chosen (along with 4 other students) to exhibit and compete in Amsterdam at the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel. The competition involved approximately 35 students from 6 different Art Schools all in the running to win 5000 euros. We were randomly designated a ground floor hotel room to exhibit our work with one other student from a differing Art School. I was happy with how my exhibition space turned out; I exhibited 4 screen prints and a large landscape drawing. Unfortunately, there was no winner from the University of Gloucestershire.. the winner’s work was on another level above the rest of us; it was obvious he was going to win.. and consequently too many Heinekens were consumed that night, catalysing a few tearful moments.

Anyway, the whole experience really boosted my confidence and enabled me to have more faith in my artwork. It was also great to experience life as a true artist and go through the whole process of presenting artwork to the public in a real exhibition.

Landscape Drawing
So far, my final year has been all about mark-making. The summer before term I began filling a sketchbook with various types of marks, using only fine liner pens. I carried on with this book throughout the first term and translated the invented marks onto a large scale roll of paper; consequently leading to the making of my landscape drawing.

In May 2014, I flew across the pond to Washington D.C and New York City. Here, I documented my journey with my Nikon D60, recording treks through the vineyards of Virginia, hikes up the Blue Ridge mountains and the rush of the big apple. These images now act as main reference points that inform the marks made in my drawing process (e.g. a close up of the rough surface of a paving stone in New York). This amalgamation of marks has built up over the course of about 4 months, forming a very personal and intricate landscape that represents my journey. Currently, the drawing depicts a visual road of self discovery and is a visual representation of myself as an artist, which almost exists as a wordless diary.

So far, it has taken 25 fine liners, a couple of bruised fingers and consistently numb hands to create, but all in all, I’m truly excited about my progress with this drawing and have ambition to ensure that my part in the University of Gloucestershire Degree Show (in 4 months time) will be awesome.

 

Next time, I’ll be writing about my enthusiasm towards the medium of photography with references to the great works of Garry Winogrand and Vivian Maier.

 

Bob Davison: The Art World

January 7th, 2014 by Emma

Bob Davison, currently the Head of Fine Art, Painting and Drawing at the University of Gloucestershire (and one of my tutors) gave a personal talk about his route into the Art World and what opportunities there are for us as Art students.

He began the talk by giving us some background information about himself and how he got into the art world. I actually found it very interesting and endearing to find out that Bob was very keen on the subject of Science, as I am too. I took comfort in this fact because I’ve always been concerned that I’d have a different way of thinking in comparison to my peers who have studied Art foundation or been ‘arty farty’ their whole life.. and to know Bob has similar interests.. makes me feel better! Anyway, Bob was a physics technician for numerous years whilst having a passion for painting landscapes. He saidthat he believes paintings are all about space, construction, abstraction and colour.. and that artwork can change with time.. a painting has different elements in it, which can be taken away, added, changed, distorted.. in anyway the artist desires… Different things can be seen within one image.  This idea that Bob explained, definitely took a weight off of my shoulders- in regards to painting a picture. Stop copying a photograph and stop planning exactly what you’re going to paint.. just go with it… I like this way of working- his paintings were beautiful- full of energy, layers, texture, movement, emotion and vibrancy!

Another thing Bob talked about was the broadness of work in Art Galleries. He explained that the work entails hanging shows, publicity work, catalogue production, preparing upcoming shows, documentation of shows, art fair preparation and more! He basically put us at ease by telling us that there are plentyof opportunities out there for us, as art students. Obviously working in an Art gallery isn’t the only door we can go through.. I’m actually very interestedin branding/advertising/design, so I’m thinking of going down another route.. but yes, there are many many things that we can go into with Fine Art degrees. He did say that moving to London is very helpful.. but lets not get carried away!

All in all, Bob’s talk was very informativeand helpful in regards to how we can develop ourown artwork and where it can take us in the future.

 

This post was written in 2014, during my Fine Art Degree. One part of a module suggested that we start a blog to document our practice – and even though I cringe at my method of writing (spelling, grammar and tone of voice), I’m very glad I got started. You can find more up to date posts on my blog listing page. 

 

Royal College of Art Students: Their Experiences

January 7th, 2014 by Emma

Jeroen van Dooren and Pauline Emond are two students from the Royal College of Art in London, a very prestigious PostGrad University for the Arts. They came to talk to us about their own experiences as Art students and what their work is all about.

First up was Jeroen van Dooren, a dutch guy full of bizarre and fascinating ideas. He was very keen about exploring identities and the presence of the artist in the artwork- very interesting concepts! He went on to talk about alter egos (a second self), pseudonyms (a second name) and heteronyms (one or more imaginary character/s created by an artist/writer/author/video gamer designer in order to write/paint/design in different styles). Jeroen has created many heteronyms overtime and considered himself the director of his characters- he uses his characters to make different types of art. He used the example of a construction worker- what would their artwork look like? He said that every person in society acts in a certain way, so everyones Art is different for different reasons. Jeroen emphasised his desire to play with the gap between fiction and reality- he likes to use script to close this gap. He also admits that he is interested in numerous areas of Art, so having different heteronyms enables him to channel all sorts of mediums in any way he desires.. (Through his characters!)

I think Jeroen’s way of thinking is absolutely crazy, but in a good way- its fascinating and a really unique way to express his creativity.

Next up was Pauline Emond, a Belgian young woman who seemed to be quite timid but very endearing. She studies Printmaking at the college and considers her work very classical and image based- she likes to draw! She thought her school back in Belgium was too small and she moved to the UK with the hope to find another way of thinking. She felt as though her work would exhaust itself, and wasn’t challenging enough. She gave us tips about what she’s learnt about drawing- she stressed that its very important to ‘draw what you see, not what you know’ (especially when it comes to life drawing)- stop making things up, draw what is ACTUALLY there. Pauline also emphasised her interest in things being in reverse (hence why she loves printmaking- prints are in reverse!) and traces left behind. She feels that printmaking fits her way of thinking. Her talk was heart-warming because despite the fact she was very shy, I could really tell that she loves what she does- she’s really passionate about drawing and printmaking!

After this talk, it’s made me excited and determined to discover  my own unique niche within Fine Art..!

 

Some relevant links:

http://www.rca.ac.uk/

Jeroen’s work: http://iamacollective.com/

Pauline’s work: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/wipshow2013/8264797746/

Grant Scott: Social Being

January 7th, 2014 by Emma

Grant Scott, a previous Art Director and current editorial and advertising photography lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire gave all Art & Design students a lecture on how to be a ‘Social Being’ earlier on this term.

He began by discussing what ‘Social Media’ actually is. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, Flickr etc… It’s  a software package, a digital code, a series of platforms… Also used as a reference library, a notice board, a means of communication,  a publishing platform, a marketing tool, a community.. the list goes on. So basically, social media is extremely useful.. and somewhat an ‘essential’ part of life in this day in age… Especially in ones professional life. Grant went on to say that ‘the Creative Arts use social media to their own benefits.’

It enables us Art students to create our own ‘online personality’ by publishing our work online in the form of a ‘digital sketchbook’ or ‘digital portfolio’ .. as a promotion technique… therefore ‘selling ourselves’ to potential employers.. Much easier than going through huge, tangible portfolios and a thousand pieces of paper.. right? Environmentally and economically friendly!.. But that’s beside the point.. Social Media, like Twitter, enables us to show the rest of the world (i.e, potential employers) what you DO and WHY you’re great at it… So Grant emphasised the point that your own social media platform should be professional and to the point. Show these employers that you have a PASSION for the relevant area of work..  talk about it, retweet relevant information, post relevant videos/photos/posts etc… ‘build up an online personality’.

Grant finished his talk by stressing that ‘SOCIAL MEDIA + SOCIAL BEING = SOCIAL SUCCESS’! 

I do agree with Grant.. to an extent. I believe that it’s very important to have a relatable, professional, appropriate and positive ‘online personality’ because that’s what’s important in our current society- that’s how things are, that’s what employers look at, that’s how the world is working at this moment in time.. However, it saddens me that this is the case… I would love to be in a world without technology. Do people even speak (in person) any more?! Interviews are done over Skype, CVs are now submitted over the internet, people become obsessed with their online personalties- distorting their idea of reality.. There are many negative and dangerous aspects in regards to the use of social media but I won’t ramble on..

I’ve learned from this that in my generation, Social Media is (in most cases) very important when it comes to business and work. I accept and welcome the ideas/opportunities that are available to me at this moment in time and now aim to be a great ‘social being’.