....at last my final essay is finished!

to conclude.....

"....And finally, Constantine and Reuter eloquently encapsulated the importance of cloth in art by surmising “...the use of cloth in works of art is not a movement but an all-persuasive trend adopted by artists of every cut and colour. Sometimes cloth is the entire work of art, sometimes a component or a fragment. However, just as thread is assumed into material, cloth has been assumed into the fabric of twentieth century art” (Constantine and Reuter p233) it is now clearly apparent that the value of cloth is multi dimensional providing aesthetic, spiritual, social, historical and symbolic qualities. It connects mentally and physically. Through these artists cloth and its history become metaphors, carriers, bearers of significant meaning, provoking and arousing almost palpable responses through memories and emotions. It has been shown to be representational, functional or both, and as artists have discovered over time and through the results effectively established throughout this essay the function of cloth in Fine Art practice plays a crucial role...." 

Handed in and although there are some good bits, overall I was disappointed with my  end result....I felt it was disjointed and repeated itself a lot....anyway too late now.....

.....but now to crack on and do what I truly signed up to do.....be creative! we have our critique with the lecturers next week about where we are going with our studio practice, to be honest its the first real feedback we will have had this 3rd year so I'm actually looking forward to getting some feedback.....be it good or bad!

As I have been concentrating on what I find when out and about, this terms theme is "Pebbles" they represent so much to soooo many people!....originally it came about because of their markings, I'd had some surgery on my face and noticed how people looked at me differently...... marks left from life are often misconstrued!....I have had surgery in the past to remove malignant melanomas and most people would never know but as soon as its visible......? anyway whilst out walking on the beach I started to look at the pebbles, all so different, each individual pebble standing the test of time, its life a journey of endless possibilities. As a group they are so similar, we accept them for what they are, individual and original. Their marks bear testament to their relentless battle with the elements....how not only does the environment make a pebble....it can also break a pebble. ...erosion  speeding up the process to becoming a grain of sand.....

....my families battle with skin cancer also bears similarities.....genetics have delivered our make-up and the environment causes untold damage on the surface, leaving marks and scars along the way.... sometimes  eroding and cause untold damage within.......

....so  pebbles have many different meanings to many different people....I also live on the coast and I'm constantly reminded of the changing coastline and its effects....coastal erosion etc but also the beauty of what surrounds us as a country. The tranquil  seas and picture postcard scenes can transform to immense and powerful images of danger and destruction within hours....the ebb and flow of the tide constantly changing the beaches washing up new and interesting finds....

Acrylic, collage (geographical maps) on canvas

....thats where I come in ....the new and interesting finds.....ever the Magpie, always on the look out for that something wonderful to create something around....so here's what I've done so far...

chalk pastel and ink on paper

...I do have a favourite pebble that seems to have a strong theme throughout my paintings, this pieces is still a work in progress as I was initially concentrating on the marks, the crevices, I wanted them to appear similar in that they are indented, but with artistic license!!...

close up detail...

this is a large scale pebble approx 1m x 1m, I have used modelling paste and decorators caulk to build up the surface, now I'm adding acrylic inks to add subtle colour.....should I have kept it white and not added any colour?....

inside of assemblage box

outside of box!

....As you can see from my art....mixed media....lets embrace everything!, I make the boxes around frames I buy from charity shops, - they must be wood and have glass inserts. I'm even considering learning how to make dovetail jonts as I think they look sooooo much better! or I even source unusual boxes and use them as a starting point, I have two clock frames I am musing over at the moment!

...this one has changed slightly as I asked family and friends, colleagues to arrange the tubes as they thought they worked best...it was interesting watching them quietly move them around and inspect the contents! The whole box closes - it was a cigar box - and is wrapped with string, I'll put final photos on after assessment!

...anyway, sorry for not blogging for a while but I'm back and raring to go

Happy new year to you all, heres to a peaceful, productive and hopefully prosperous one!

happy reading, bye