Overall my experience this term has been interesting,

The lectures have really opened my eyes to different ways of working, thinking and developing my own practice.

This term I have been focussing on writing notes and ideas in a mindmap style collecting my thoughts of artists, exhibitions and my own ideas. I have found this technique a lot more effective as it helps my thoughts flow more creatively as my dyslexia means  I often struggle to think sequentially. I have also found this more challenging as my writing can be messy and I have misplaced a lot of these notes so next term I will develop this technique into a more organized and productive style by categorizing these meandering thoughts. I am also considering posting my direct notes onto my blog next semester as I find the general aesthetic of these note pages interesting, the writing has a lot of movement creating a sort of visual landscape of thoughts. This reminds me of the works of Roy Claire Potter and his medium of working through speech and writing to create a flow and movement to his writings. His work is also about making an uncomfortable experience for the audience, this is similar to Ariel Schlesinger. I love Schlesinger’s work as again its purpose is to create a high sense of tension which makes a captivating and uncomfortable atmosphere. I find this theme really interesting and would like to incorporate this into my own work. My pieces are about industrialization and the definition of beauty. I am exploring this through the imagery of pylons.  Pylons are quite dominating aesthetically with their grey unnatural bodies towering over us. They are also often placed incongruously in places which, otherwise, would seem far away from the modern world. I would like to create a more uneasy display in my paintings inspired by Potter and Schlesinger. 

Patricia Mckinnon-Day’s ideas also inspired me with her thoughts on industrialization and the imagery in which she shows it, in particular, her work in Liverpool where she was commissioned to plant flowers up and down the tracks in the dis-used dockyard.  The imagery of this, with the bright yellow flowers blooming with life against the dark melancholic background, has stayed with me and spurred me to want to create more metaphorical and symbolic work. Painting styles are seen in works such as Mark Wright, and Dan Howard-Birt has made me reflect on my own work and I have realized my paintings have become a lot more restrained and less free.  I think this may be because I am focusing on fine lines and details within the complexity of pylons. However, this is not an excuse, as Mark Wright said he enjoys “-replicating the fine details” and his pieces are still free and lively. Howard-Birt’s paintings are also an inspiration as he builds up layers to create an overall composition. I tried incorporating this into my paintings however, I now see, I didn't do it sufficiently confidently.  Evaluating myself now I realize I must be more free and expressive with my work to create and develop my ideas and techniques that I am aiming for.

A stand out exhibition for me this term has been a show called “Talking Maps”.  In this, I saw maps from all different backgrounds and histories which present the importance of maps showing us not only where we are, but who we are. The maps ranged from Grayson Perry to structural examinations by scientists.  It opened my eyes to the different ways you can display a theme. From structural mazes to intricate drawings all with a common theme. It showed how differently we all think and perceive information. It was also refreshing to be reminded of how differently people think. 

 The maps proposed designs from ancient travels to new ways of communication and navigation.  The difference in approaches with the same goal was interesting and the imagery of places linking together reminded me of my own interest in pylons and another thing they symbolize. The pylons are like a map, they allow us to communicate as without the pylons and electricity and phone lines we would be isolated.  Just as we would be isolated if we were lost without a map.  

I have also been exploring the work of Rachel Lowe who I saw in Tate Liverpool.  Her piece, “a letter to an unknown person no.2” form 1996 really caught my imagination. She works in a very different way to me, with her pieces being mainly performance-based. However, this piece was a film shot through a car window as it drives down the main road.  We see her pen frantically trying to draw the outline of the scenery constantly whooshing by. This window ends up a big scribble as subsequently, you can never capture everything. But the outlines and concept are very similar to my own. She focuses on elements of scenery such as power stations and bridges over motorways and the fight against capturing the view versus the speed in which it is disappearing is really thought-provoking.

I think moving forward I need to be braver and allow myself to take more risks with my paintings and expanding my ideas.  I need to allow my work to flow similar to Lowe’s car video. I want to focus more on personifying the pylons and other motifs in my work to create a sense of a power struggle between them and the audience:  who has more control, these man-made structures which look down on humanity, or us the creators whose world would no longer function without them, or rather, it might still function - but in a completely different and unrecognizable way. My work is also to do with exploring the definition of beauty and questioning why we see these electrical structures as ugly and how beauty changes over time as a result of media stereotyping, convention and fixed mindsets.