Tuesday 29 January 2013

Reflection 23.01.13

Today was crit day dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Still got the flu and speaking like the exocist ...it was hard to explain something whilst speaking like a man ........kinda off putting.
 
Did i like my piece?  - i liked the thought and source behind it. I find it hard to have something that looks so basic. It makes me feel like havnt worked hard, but actually its all it has to be and to overwork it would be to cheapen it.
 
What would i do differently? -  I feel that the stone settings need to be reviewed and I think that there is a lot more potential and possibilites that could lead it into becoming a collection.
 
 

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Reflection 22.01.13

Still bunged up with flu :( First time i've had flu its friggin horrific! bones ache i sound and look like the exorcist eurgh. Anyways enough self pity and to reflection...

Today was a non uni day but actually turned out to having me think about William Morris

I have finalllllllllllly been offered a home with the council and today was my first time seeing my little flat. For years my living scenario has been in a state of flux. I have always been fortunate to have a roof over my head but when its not your home and you are not in control of who enters and subsequently affects your life and well-being, its extremely distressing. Everyone has the human right to have a safe environment and when financially the only option to you is council and you go onto their exhausted waiting list for 6 years it can become hopeless (ek this sounds like a therapy post). 

My reflection point is that William Morris was RIGHT 

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."- William Morris

I've been living in other people homes, surrounded by their taste, their objects, their memorabilia and feeling more and more unsettled/distressed. I think William Morris' point was that by putting down roots i.e. decorating your home you create an environment that is yours. Just as dogs piss over their territory to make it feel like home, ...maybe the human equivalent of this is to decorate! 


I am the first to admit that this year I have been very distracted from uni work as home-life has been a MASSIVE worry. I feel and hope that over the next few months as i become settled I will be able to become more focused on my uni work. I just hope its not tooooo late ! ! ! ek! 


My tower block flat :) 




Monday 21 January 2013

Reflection 21.01.13

Today was my first intro to silversmithing. Incredibly excited and optimistic about this. Loving that we are being taught the craft alongside a design project. I think it will help a lot by understanding the fundamental idea/skills in order to design and push the boundaries of what can be achieved with fresh ideas. 

I have the flu at the moment and feel incredibly weak so unfortunately couldnt have a shot :( Once i'm back to health I should be hopefully be good at it ... i have the guns so that should put me in good stead. Watching Helen demonstrate it was clear that it exerts a lot of energy, who needs the gym when your a silversmith?????

My knowledge of silversmiths is limited. I had the pleasure of being taught by the lovely Roger Miller whilst I was at Cardonald College. He is incredibly generous with his teaching i.e. letting you in on his tips which some teachers seem to withhold, and an amazzzzzzing silversmith! See below...




Silversmithing is something I hope that I am good at. I think I could get a lot of pleasure from hitting something into my vision (in a non domestic abuse way). I love boxersize so maybe i've found my calling. Jewellery seems to be a female dominated craft and silversmith leans more towards male. Im hoping I can be a silversmith. Something a little different. hmmmm time will tell.....


Friday 18 January 2013

Reflection 18.01.13

I decided to treat myself to a kids spirograph kit :) It made perfect sense, i was looking at parallel universe theories and points of impact ...any excuse to spend money!!!!!

loved the effects 


I liked experimenting with a kids toy and felt that it was a really enjoyable relaxed process. I would definitely opt to use more fun methods to create development work in the future. 

Thursday 17 January 2013

Reflection 17.01.13

There are stars in the sky that burnt out years ago, but they still burn bright as their light is still travelling through to Earth. It is impossible to tell from the naked eye which ones are dead (The Impossible film 2013). 

^^How amazingly cool and romantic is that!!! ^^

I've noticed that I gain a lot of my inspiration and ideas from qoutes. Im a great fan of some cheesy lines and cool quirky facts. When I "reflect" I realise I struggle with my sketchbooks because I am not a great drawer. So perhaps I should look at my sketchbooks like journals and just write EVVVEERRRYTHING down. Then revisit it and try to do doodles and find relevant source for the image. I have never opted to write in a sketchbook as I feel its not what I am meant to do, but this has never actually been stated and it could help me feel as if my sketchbook is less contrived. It just might turn out like a book! 

So after moaning a lot about sketchbooks I think I have came up with a plan that I think will make me like....possibly even LOVE :O sketchbooks. I do enjoy rambling (reflecting) and it might even help me to be more focused if my head is unloaded of all of this "stuff". 

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Reflection 16.01.13


Today I had no time for the brief. I went to a FoCHI workshop and then straight to work.

Workshop was really good I’m really excited to go into a school environment and see the difference between the formal setting and my youth group. My gran always asks - ‘So you going to be an art teacher?”  the answer is “No”. I have no interest in teaching art. I love how art can be used as a tool to achieve development in a range of areas i.e. community art, art therapy, mental health etc… Within my youth group we use Art to calm the kids down and have them all sitting around the same table so we can talk to them about issues or just listen to how there day has been. The “art” distracts them from their usual chaotic running around and playing and lets them develop emotionally. When I think about it the process of making and creating something is very therapeutic. It distracts you from thought and focus’ the mind on the task you are doing ----- MINDFULLNESS. With so many stimuli in the world today it is hard to switch off than ever before. Art is away of “getting back to basics”.

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Reflection 15.01.13


The powers of Powerpoint! I decided to try and be organised and start some slides early so I could unload my head. This worked a treat, felt rather chuffed with myself.  It seems to be a tool I really enjoy using as its clean and in order unlike horrid sketchbooks.

Horrid horrid sketchbooks! I know they are there to show our thinking, but some peoples thinking like mines is a riot and hard to keep track of with sketches and drawings, I feel my head runs away as my hand trys to keep up! L Id prefer submitting boards. THAT’S how I would like to work but artschool dosnt want us to work like that, and yet again are we not meant to be finding our OWN INDIVIDUAL design process and not theirs??? I’m whingeing again …sorry. Speaking to our exchange students they don’t work in sketchbooks so it is specific to our way of marking and ticking the boxes. Any excuse to go and do a degree in Philadelphia then!

Down with sketch books!!!!! J

Monday 14 January 2013

Reflection 14.01.13


Today I have mostly been in my head …THINKING. Now that I have my two pieces what am I going to do? I tend to do this A LOT, I look at the end result instead of letting things flow naturally. But I do think it is good to have a rough plan to try and stick to it loosely.

This is what I came up with:
·   *  The pieces are linked by aesthetic
·   *   Use of material 
** Source could be solar system, dead stars, images from Hubble, reworking simple shapes, black hole.
*
· * 

Friday 11 January 2013

Reflection 11.01.13


I was looking through a book today that I ended up keeping from my collage library….naughty naughty :/ opps, but shame out the way and I was really usefull.
I discovered this ring


Which looks incredible similar to Niessing’s famous ‘Tension’ set ring. It got me reflecting about ‘source’. Where this source had came from how I gather my own source. In the instance of  the BC ring, they had only just discovered Gold and due to its glow and glow they seen it as an earth manifestation of the sun and a gift from nature. SO … they gained source from their environment and designed this ring that invested some power from the sun e.g. the power to distinguish from social class.

Thought process ay have looked like this:
Gold > Looks like the sun want to stand out > shape from the circular sun > markings on surface from suns rays > commodity that only few could have and therefore this developed in a symbol of importance/”class”

I gather my own source from my environment like everyone else. The main methods I use are photography although I have no training in this apart from Instagram!!! I think for further development I would benefit from a photography class/course.

Naming a piece of jewellery - Designers create something out of pre existing ideas but come up with something NEW. Therefore, its made me realise how important naming a piece or opting not to name a piece is. We give names to objects and people to make us feel SAFE. Think about it …if you don’t have the name for something it unsettles you…humans need to know. How else would we communicate if everything was nameless? But what’s wrong with allowing something to JUST BE??? And what if you fuck it up and name your piece something that immediately evokes bad energy e.g. some people (me included) have a name that when they hear it the prejudge the person on the basis of the person with the same name before. Could make the decision between a sale or not. 

Thursday 10 January 2013

Reflection 10.01.13


First Rhino class today. Cant say that I’ve ever been a fan of Rhino and was pritty much dreading it and would have preferred the extra hours in bed. However, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it after the initial frustration of being clueless. Probably had something to do with actually being taught properly how to use it. I was introduced to the writing pad too and really liked the effect of drawing with it on paint.

                            
Im starting to think that maybe the computer would be a good tool for me to use for sketchbook work. I like my work to be neat, cleancut and simple and feel that 99% of the time I am fabricating a sketchbook in the style of a “sketchbook” for sketchbook sake i.e. messy, wiggly, torn paper!   And all of that horrid kindergarden play affects. Its really NOT ME and more what I think the tutors want to see and what will stop my sketchbbok from failing but are we not meant to be finding our own direction and method of design that works for us?? I suppose the sketchbooks aim is to provide a train of thought/evidence that your creation is your own so as long as mine fits into this outcome I should be fine….phew! Think im definitely going to try and just be myself more, instead of dripping paint onto paper and letting it run to fill a page.

So to summerise from that verbal diahorrea …..i need to start focusing on my sketckbooks as  a true reflection of how I work and not what I think The GSA requires.

I visited The Roger Bycliffe Gallery and ORRO today.

Roger Bycliffe___________



I couldn’t see anything that grabbed my attention for this project. Although I saw 3 pieces by Roger Millar that used coloured Titanium.

Note to self: Find out how this is done.


ORRO________________



I love ORRO! <3 and I LoVe Niessing Jewellery OAFT!  Possibly a little biased because I am infatuated by Germany. They seem to do everything perfectly. I love this country and love the jewellery that they produce.  Id really love to pick a Niessing ring for this project but im not sure if I should be pushing myself to look at something I haven’t focused on before and maybe Im too in my comfort zone with Niessing. But oh how I do love it so! But equally should I not go with what “excites” me?? Hmmmmmmmm

P.S. – Im not sure if this is me reflecting or rambling. Either way enjoying talking/typing to myself.

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Reflection 09.01.13



Brief day ahhhhhhhhh the suspense, excitement and fear ek! Initial thoughts on the brief are good. I’m looking forward to having some scheduled time to go and visit some galleries. Life has been hectic with work, uni and trying to fit in a social life. I’ve found it hard to spare the time to go and visit new exhibition etc … but really when I think about it this is a poor excuse as it benefits my work incredibly and gives me the confidence and the right to have an opinion when discussing contemporary jewellery. I realised that apart from my London trip last year I have not been to see anything, which is not good and something I will have to remedy. Perhaps I should aim to see an exhibition per month to make sure I don’t let life get in the way. Schedule some time in each month to go and be inspired and look at things I love. Surely I can mange that!?!

So the brief itself I discussed over high tea (ooolala) with Tina, Angel and our AIR’s

                         


The cakes and tea aside (which were magnificent and went straight to my hips and made me sleep like a baby on the train journey to work) it was a really good idea to relax after receiving the brief. I’ve noticed that I tend to run away in a fluster, immediately brainstorming and deciding on a direction to take only a few hours after receiving the brief as I become terrified of the ticking clock quickly counting down to crit day.  In this instance I was much more relaxed and was able to bounce ideas off my peers which really helped me to feel calm and in control of the project.

Outcomes found during High Tea:
·      
     * Places I wanted to visit – ORRO, Roger Bycliffe Gallery, Trongate 103, and the GSA   Archives.
·      * Places I wanted to avoid – Kelvingrove as I think it might be a popular choice amongst people and want to try and pick something different.
·     * I have the option to pick a contemporary piece and work backwards i.e. find a historical that links via books. – this may be a better option than finding the historical first as primary source is limited.

Oh and….
* less cake!
·          * Relax more


So all-in-all ive had a productive planning session although it felt more like a skive, but work should be enjoyable and now im relising why there are always lots of cafĂ©’s surrounding art businesses for this very purpose of networking and discussing ideas. I may actualyy be one step closure to understanding this “art world” that I now find myself in.