Pathway Project 2: Writing/Word

In theory our second pathway project began in December, as soon as the first one was done.  But in practice things never go quite as smoothly as planned and since then life, builders, kitchen re-fitting, Christmas, a bout of mild flu and a long-overdue commitment to produce an article for Llafur all got in the way.

So although over the holiday period I have done a fair bit of research into artists using words and text in their work, some of it recorded on this blog, and a bit of thinking both conceptual art, post-modernism, and the meaning of life, I haven't actually focussed on why my project is going to be about.  The deadline is Monday 29th January, so I have almost a month, well, three whole Mondays in terms of college facilities.  But joy of joys, yesterday we were told that we have access to the Life-drawing room on Tuesday mornings too.   So there should be plenty of time and space to do whatever...

The missing bit, therefore, is to decide what to do.  

I've had two tutorial discussions about this so far, with Abi and Harriet, both useful in forcing me to think out loud about the topic and what I might do with it.    I found myself thinking about how much of my working life has been concerned with the written word, reports, papers, research, etc, etc.  I've left that world behind me now, and perhaps I might make something to represent the end of that chapter, the transition from my old office life to the new world of creativity.

Another thing I've been grappling with is to identify my preferred pathway.  I am still not sure about this.  I have enjoyed printmaking although I haven't been very adventurous with that so far.  I've also enjoyed making things from paper and card, books, and small paper sculptures.  Is that a pathway?

One recurrent idea so far has been about making something (i.e. a construction, not a print or a painting); and making something quite large, in contrast to my practice so far, which (apart from huge quilts) has all been fairly small pieces, nothing much bigger than A4.

I quite like the idea of physically re-cycling some of the products of my old working life,.  My first thought was to create something using papier mache, perhaps some large-scale letters or text built out of this.  Another possibility is making some hand-made a paper, using old Welsh Government report as the base material, and then using the paper as the foundation for print or text.

I have in the past made things from textiles, mainly quilts and a little embroidery.  I am trying hard not to turn to this at present - I see Foundation as an opportunity to try different media, and to extend my horizons beyond the familiar.  However, one idea which emerged talking to Abi was the notion of making some kind of quilt-based text.  But as time goes on, I'm not sure about this.

Then there is the question of finding or creating a text.  Do I need specific words and should they be deeply meaningful?  Or could I just use letters and random words...and if so, what would that "mean"?

But the really important question is: why was I drawn to this theme in the first place?

My affection for book arts is the main draw, I think, and that has two strands - firstly the sheer ingenuity of manipulating old books to create new objects - in which case the content of the books doesn't hugely matter.  Add to that a happy fascination for the process of making little books such as these

and a growing interest in print, enhanced by a week at Cardiff School of Art this summer making prints like these

and the experience I gained at UWE summer schools last year in book binding like this

and letterpress printing like this

and there is a strong thread emerging of my interest in books and the written and printed word and in print more generally.

But the other attraction is the idea of text in art as a way of drawing attention to a concept, an idea, a perspective - where the words are absolutely central and crucial to the overall work.  But you can't get meaningful words out of thin air: they have to relate to something that matters to me.  ell, lots of things matter to me, but right now I'm not itching t spend hours stitching phrase about conservation or the ozone layer.  So perhaps I'll not try too hard to be deep and meaningful, but will make something with words which are reasonably accessible and perhaps a bit playful.

I also like the idea of making words which are more than 2D on a paper and for reading only.  Word which ask to be touched or felt or held.  Words which require some engagement by the viewer more than simply reading and decoding their meaning.  Words and writing play a massive role in our lives: why not touch and feel them, as well as see and read and hear and understand them.

In fact, thinking about re-cycling my old life, constructing playful words which reflect on change, retirement, leaving things behind, etc, etc, would be best.

I will let this simmer for a day or two, but I think I have enough ideas here to work from:

• re-cycling and change
• re-using old words for new purpose
• making new paper or things from old words
• words which reflect my personal change
• words which encapsulate the concept of life-changes
• something constructed, rather than sewn or printed or painted
• something not too small
• something tactile, to be handled not just looked at

College week 11/2 More Pathway Project 21st November

A whole day working on our Pathway Projects.

I wrote a draft project Proposal (I had done one last week on the computer but forgot to save it and it's disappeared into the electronic wasteland) which formed the basis of a discussion with Mark.

I am working on the Place/Site/Map theme,  focussing on Maps.  What is a map?  What elements of a map do I want to develop?  A map of somewhere or nowhere?  Or just the idea of a map as a (normally) two-dimensional representation of a physical place or of a complex set of information.

My chosen pathway is printmaking, possibly also fine art/making.   I have started by plotting my journeys from my house in and around the city, but I intend to leave the literal representation behind and develop  some images/objects which are derived from, but not necessary represent, the actual map.   For instance,  I have become interested in the use of contour lines as a way of drawing the topography of a map.  I could use contours in a more general way for drawing...

I'm not at all sure I've explained this well - I will have to do better in my revised Proposal!

The discussion with Mark was useful.  The key issues emerging were:

• the proposal needs to follow the prescribed format - this seems to matter more than I had expected;
• I need to document my research better;
• I could take photographs of my frequent walking routes;
• I need to be aware of the physical and technical resources available for this project (and the limited time) so that my ideas are realisable;
• perhaps I am trying to do do too many different things?

However, I did get on with some practical work today, to add to the start I'd made at home last week.  Today I decided to cut some plates ready for 'poor man's etching' and/or collagraph printing next week.  I did three boards:

one based on my walking route to town:

 one based on the overlaid tracings of my various walking routes:




 and one derived from the idea of contours:

I gave them each two coats of shellac varnish, but they weren't dry enough to try printing today.  I hope there'll be sufficient time to do quite a lot of printing next week.


While they were drying I also did some tracings of the aggregate set of drawn-out routes.  Not quite sure what I'll do with these, but I like the idea of doing something by way of a digital print from them - or perhaps a stitched piece.  For the moment, this is what they looked like....

Pathway Project 1/1

I've started work on my first of two Pathway Projects for Foundation this week.  From the list of 8 possible topics, I've focussed on Site/Place/Map and have been doing a lot of thinking and web-based research to get my ideas loosened up.

It's been an interesting journey already.  I'm not sure I made a conscious choice about this, but I began by focussing on the word Map.  I looked at all kinds of references to maps in art - from the old world onwards.  There is just so much out there!  Here's a random selection from among the many images I've found and liked, starting with three textiles images, firstly this by Shannon Rankin

or this by textile artist karen kamenetzky

or this by New York quilt maker Ian Hundley

Printmakers have done lots with maps, such as this by Bristol printmaker Anna Warsop (website link is here)  

Among many current artists using maps, I particularly liked the work of Susan Stockwell, whose work is very varied and original, including using printed maps to make dresses and other objects, and creating maps from unusual materials such as tea bags,  dressmakers patterns, and blank tissue paper.  More of her work here and some images here...

It's been very hard to focus.  And as I've explored the idea of 'map' i've been drawn into other aspects of the theme - Site and Place - and realised that this theme could take me almost anywhere - from site-specific installations, large and small,

through to graffiti and street art,

and onwards into landscape of all kinds,

and indeed into land art.



Too many images to choose form - more on my project folder in due course.

So how to narrow this down to something I want to do, in the space of a month-long project?

I also have to keep my chosen pathway in mind too.  Of course, I'm not entirely sure what that is - so here's a bit of a ramble about how to choose.

I have, so far, done most of my creative work in textiles - and I know I can continue to do this at home and in classes - I know how and where to get inspiration and challenge.  So it makes sense to develop pathways this year which are outside my 'usual' areas, and which take maximum advantage of the college facilities and staff.

Plus,  what are the things I might be able to continue to develop, within the limitations of working at home, after Foundation finishes?  There's no point getting all excited about enamelling, for instance, if I'm never going to have access to a kiln later on.

Adding these things together, I am drawn most to Printmaking, and  - oddly and surprisingly - to Painting.  And of course I can add stitch and textiles and ceramics and digital and photography and sculpture into this mix as the mood takes me.  But a focus on printmaking will be the starting point, and aiming to move towards printmaking in the confirmatory stage.

College week 9/3 Art History 8th November

This afternoon we had a session with Jo on how to tackle our essay assignment.  The task is

• to select an artist or designer who has particularly influenced you in this year, and to analyse the characteristics of their work and evaluate it relevance to your own work.

This caused me some trepidation as I have not yet decided on an artist and I have been feeling increasingly lost about my own work and where I am going.  A very unsettling peer review session yesterday (too painful for me to write about, it all felt horrid) didn't help so today I felt rather exposed having to talk to the whole group about my plans.

So I skulked about hoping not to be noticed, but Jo caught me in the end.  I came clean and said I did not yet know who to focus on, because I did not yet know what pathway I was going to go down, nor what kind of work I was going to produce for my two pathway projects.  But that I had been much interested in modern colourists - Tony Cragg, Barnett Newman, Yves Klein, Anish Kapoor (see yesterday's post).  I might choose one of them.

In fact, I have begun thinking about colour as a theme for my project work, and also about abstract expressionism and minimalism.  I am interested in simple process drawing and painting, about repetition and simple shapes, and about bold colour.

Not sure how this will work into my pathway projects of which we have to do two by mid- January, in theory 4 college weeks for each one but Christmas gives us a little extra time.  The topics we've been given to choose from are:

• My Imaginary Friend
• Site/place/map
• Tales of the Unexpected
• I Am A Camera
• Weather
• Protection
• Ceremony
• Writing/Word

Initial favourites are Site/Place/Map and Writing/Word but I will play around with them for a few more days before choosing the first.