It has been an interesting two weeks at Art College. I have been in a Jewellery Design class and we were looking at working on a lighting design.
For inspiration I thought about the patterns light makes when it is shining on water. I already had some photos from my holiday in Turkey of the sunset. I also took lots of photos at Broughty Ferry of the sun (yes it was sunny one day believe it or not!) shining on the Tay.



Some material samples.
I played with lots of different materials during the two weeks. These two above are the ones that I have taken through to my finished piece.

One of my design developments. The orange you can just see at the back ( it's not too clear on the photos) is the sunset photo printed onto acetate. If it was a free standing piece You'd be able to see all round the design

This is my final design for lighting. I've put some LED lights inside jsut to show the lighting design and its effect.

Jewellery Design Project

What is my GOLD?
This was the title for my latest 2 week project at Art College. I decided that my Gold was my life and time. I enjoyed using old clock bits and pieces, using Photoshop to enhance my photos and digital clock bits & pieces to develop my research into what my designs could look like.

Here are some of my sample design ideas.
I like the idea of having a snooze button, a rewind button and a pause button in my life. I like the fun side to this as well as the more thought provoking meaning.
If I decide to go on to study jewellery design in second year I would like to take these design ideas further and create wearable pieces.
I've got a 2 week textile project, then another 2 week jewellery project then I put forward my request for my study option for 2nd year. How time flies!

A Few Bits from Semester One

Colour and The Word

We were given a letter of the alphabet and had to choose a word then interpret it in colour in some way.
That was a challenge but looking back it was fun. I chose "Kitchen" as my word and made up a "Kitchen Scrap Book" using colours, shapes, recipes and designs from the 50's. There are about 8 pages in the book but I've just copied a couple and the finished book with the miniature wire kitchen utensils attached.

Self Portrait Christmas Project

I didn't realise that doing a self portrait was so difficult! Obtaining a likeness to me or what I think I look like seems to be almost impossible for me to achieve.

After lots of sketching looking in a mirror, trial and error with a variety of materials and serveral "aliens" produced I am quite pleased with my illustrative self portrait. I used water colours, ink and stitch. (The camera flash has caught the black of the hair so apologies for the photography)

I 've to hand this in the first day back. I don't feel particulary confident about it but I'm Art School to learn and I feel I've learned a lot working on my self portrait project so that has to be good!

Fansite - Digital Imaging

One of my recent projects was a Digital Imaging Project to create a Fanzine or a Fansite using Photoshop.

I decided to create a Fansite for the Artist/Architect-Cesar Manrique as I have visited Lanzarote so many times and I am still facinated by his work.
I developed a stitched image from one of his mosaics and used this as the heading for the Fansite. I also used my own photos that I had from my trips to the beautiful island.
The work for the digital Imaging Project was just one project in a bigger module and if it is selected it will be displayed in one of the Gallery spaces in the new year.

Poetry and Art

Another week has gone by at Art School or Uni as everyone now calls it!

We were asked to make a piece of art in response to a poem. We were give a selection of 12 to choose from. I had to read and re-read the poems to try to find one that inspired me and let my imagination take over. I narrowed it down to two poems then to the one I eventually used. The Poem by Robert Gray.

The vision of the woman bringing in the washing and the smell of the fresh washing, folding seams, together with the moonlight was my starting point.

My tutor was helpful in explaining more about the poem and then I was off creating a mind map of my ideas for it.

We have four days to finish each project so it really makes you make decisions very quickly something I've not had to do much of up till starting this course. I thoroughly enjoyed making my textile piece this week. I used a real variety of fabrics and a whole range of techniques including grinding fabric between two stones to wear and distress it. I really loved adding the final hand stitching I found it very relaxing and satisfying.

I hope to enjoy the Poem and my response to it.

The Poem

The paddocks there are so wide open

she says you always feel

that the lid has been left off everything.

It’s all gone hard and stale.

The children have to stay in the shade;

they hang on the verandah,

and the game they fight about is discovering

a demand upon her.

On the backs of her hands, in this light, open

small, dry screams.

She is bringing in the sunlit bed-clothes,

putting together the seams.

Sheets still pegged she takes into her fist,

and stands inhaling each one:

taut with air, white as a heron in the moonlight.

This, which she has done.

ROBERT GRAY (Meanjin; Vol. 60 Number 2 2001. First published in New and Selected Poems, Duffy & Snellgrove, Sydney 1998)

Calm at the End of the Day

Playing with Paper

I have been working on a Uni project - Form and Function ( playing with paper really!) All great fun. This has been the best week so far, I feel more comfortable making things.
I made a load of samples (a few are below) and experimented with different card and papers before deciding to make a corset!

I got there in the end after much PVA glue, Bostik and masking tape!

The corset is made from old music glued onto corrugated card with scrunched up white tissue paper pasted over the music. This was then folded like a fan then glued into position.
I used a dummy model to make a paper pattern then used the pattern to cut out the pieces for the corset.
It is held together with wide tape and strong glue.
I made small holes in the back then used gold rivets to cover over the edges of the holes, I then laced the back up with a gold cord. (sorry no picture of this)



The final piece is decorated with painted paper doillies and music printed onto acetate sheets, treated with a heat gun and burning tool. I rolled up some of the acetate sheets, glued them and cut them into circular shapes to add to the embellishment.

I have done a bit more work on my Sketch Book Project Pages in between my University work and study.
I also have to keep a Journal that I have to carry with me to record ideas, thoughts, interesting things etc. I've made a good start to it and just need to remeber to carry it around with me.

Here are some more pages of my Sketch Book Project -
"It Must Be... Time for Tea."