Assignment 5

I can see a clear line of progression from the beginning of this project.  I kept taking things out rather than adding them in.

I spent a lot of time selecting materials and disregarding many like the inclusions in the felt.  I found that grey can have green/blue tones that were not at all appropriate for the monotones I wanted.  I like working with felt because it offers such a wide range of options and it felt right for this work.

It was the black and white collograph that captured my imagination and determined the course I took but it would be interesting to go back to the redundant plate and take it from there using colour. It would undoubtedly mean a whole new range of materials and outcomes.  For instance I'm keen to try more digital imagery directly onto fabric.  My research opened up lots of possibilities around using felt and a light source.

The most exciting stage was when I got the textures I wanted with the simplest of materials and knowing that I had managed to capture the atmosphere from the woods. 

The most arduous time was when I was getting good images but didn't know what to do with them.  I think this comes through very clearly in my blog!  My tutor on A Creative Approach sent me a piece of writing that helped me through this difficult process.  It's called "The Four Steps to Creativity" and those steps are

• Preparation - processes that may not be inherently enjoyable
• Incubation - where you don't know you are percolating an idea
• Illumination - the Eureka moment
• Implementation -  when everything flows

I'm unsure whether my tutor wrote the words as a handout but I remember her saying the idea was American.  I'm grateful to her because now I'm starting to recognise these stages and relax knowing that eventually the penny will drop.  

I like my completed piece of work although I didn't anticipate what it would be until very, very late on.  I love it's simplicity - with that comes a directness that I like.  Hidden within the piece are layers of other work like the felt and the tree trunks so I don't think I've slipped into being simplistic which was always a danger. "Less is more" is a mantra I've taken on board and I think it works here.

This was the first time I've tried using monochrome and it was surprisingly difficult. I found myself quite resistant to using black in any quantity and used dark greys instead.  I'm still not sure whether this was the right thing to do.  Quite what to do with a piece that requires light was a dilemma that I solved.  I'm still not sure whether my original felt piece would look OK as a window hanging as I had originally anticipated  but the work of Mary-Clare Buckle using acrylic sheet gives me some ideas.  I feel that this work could be just a starting point for a much bigger project.

In some ways I prefer the colouring of the first piece of felt - the wool was a whiter white and the tree trunks were a more vivid silver.  The finished piece isn't very robust and certainly not washable so it needs to be left on it's glass vase without much handling.  

It has become my practice to look at what I've learned by checking it against the assessment criteria.

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills
I have developed many new skills during Exploring Ideas and learned to look for inspiration in unlikely places.  A case in point is my fruit bags that nearly went into the bin straight from the laminator.  The benefits of looking for key qualities are becoming more apparent.

Quality of Outcome
I always try to do my best but I sometimes get frustrated when my lack of experience means my expectations are not met.  I have a serious case of wanting to run before I can walk.

Demonstration of Creativity
The difference between interpretation and copying is slowly gaining a foothold and I'm able to use the work of others as a springboard for my own ideas.  This happened with my sketchbook work centred around Lucienne Day.  I'm concerned about plagiarism and I tend to err on the side of caution and I think this hinders my work.

Context
The idea of key qualities has given me a better understanding of how my work fits into a process that has some cohesion.  It's a bit like knowing the provenance of the food I eat.