30/11/18

My main issue for todays tutorial: Finding clarity and making what are academic ideas and thoughts into pictures. Taking an anthropological approach to ideas of masculinity and femininity in western society. And gender stereotyping in early years.

Should I start my examining what I know about directly; motherhood and identity?

THE TUTORIAL

What is my VISION? Good question…

Phil emphasised focusing on my craft before worrying too much about my ideas. I question this, I truly feel they need to develop hand in hand. Until my proposal comes together my work won’t either. For me the two things are completely intertwined. I’m finding the lack of interest in the proposal ideas in Illustration rather frustrating. I can draw and create for myself at home in my studio, I’m here to have my ideas challenged.

I’m not sure what I gained from this five hour group tutorial, particularly as I was second to last. I am going to start collaging images together to help produce new ideas relatively quickly and help me see things a little differently.

10/11/18

Having attended Richie Manu’s workshop on Exploring Curiosity, which was moderately helpful as most of these workshops are. It’s prompted me to really dig down into my ideas and ask questions, seek new experiences to expand my understanding of my area of interest.

What was helpful was the feedback I got from Richie about how I start trying to pull what feels like two separate things in my life together. Art & an anthropological theory/approach. I want to converge gender studies with illustration. This is the main aim of doing this MA and it’s definitely going to be my greatest challenge.

He suggested exploring which area of gender studies I really want to develop research in. Do I want to look cross-culturally; analysing the differences between Asian and British perceptions of gender differences for example. Do the Chinese gender toys and early childhood experiences in the same way as the British? Or I can look more in the direction of consumerism and the way gender is used to sell products. The dreaded pink and blue!

I could consider “neutralising’ toys, stories, fairy tales that have strong stereotyped connotations. I don’t know how to start presenting these challenges in drawing or painting. I find the gap between my ideas and my creativity very frustrating. Richie suggested using the Pantone colours somehow, maybe to rename the colours and highlight the socially constructed nature of gender.

This somewhat related to my previous idea to of creating a t-shirt company that produces fun and illustrative t-shirts that are unisex in colour and content. By the time I get round to it all the shops will have probably (hopefully) have caught up and be producing clothes for children that go beyond rockets and unicorns.

I’m so far from formulating anything that makes any sense at the moment. In all this confusion I need to use my own experiences to inform the core of my project. Being a woman, mother, artists, these are things I do know a little about.

18/10/18

For our first project based on the Ship of Fools I am considering various options, one being a mono-print, but I would need to finish it in one sitting and at 42x42cm I feel I’ll start to rush it so it doesn’t dry while I’m still drawing. Right now I’m experimenting with different themes and materials in my sketchbook, but I’m leaning towards dip pen and a Rackham-esque, darker feeling about the drawing. In the genre of Brothers Grimm. Rackham used very varied line work within one illustration, I think I can achieve an etched style, even if I don’t actually etch.

I want to find the balance between the freedom of just letting the line go freely where it wants to and the control and beauty of lots of repeated marks building up depth to the drawing.

4/10/18

Symposium 1

So I’m introducing myself in this symposium. I’m trying not to be nervous, I can pretend I’m supremely confident, I think…

I paint portraits, I’m self-taught (I guess), I’m extending my ideas to be more illustrative, to help me make an actual “career” of being an artists and feel validated. I want to find new ways of bringing together painting, printmaking and the academic bit, Social Anthropology. The academic bit is based on my observations (and a BA) and experience of bringing up two girls; gender identity is a big deal, if no one had noticed. Ideas of femininity and masculinity and how they’re used, understood and change over time from an anthropological point of view, are also of deep interest. The aim is to explore some of these concepts through art.