Sunday, 15 March 2009
Port
I walked around the port side of Bergen. I found a junk shop that is actually underneath the huge bridge across the port. On the other side they have plans for development that have only just started. There are many derelict building and signs everywhere informing of the new designs. I didn't expect to find such a run down area in Bergen. Yet it is still colourful and very beautiful by the water.
3rd! 2
On Wednesday we had sign up tutorials with Kari, who was one of the tutors that lectured in England! I saw her first, she was very positive about my work and like all my experimentation. She thought that I now needed to try and incorporate the things I liked from the experiments in to my final pieces. She suggested that i tried to categorise word that i had written down into two columns relating to the couple forms. Thursday and Friday we had a two day seminar with Ezra Shales from Alfred in New York. He covered so much information it was difficult to keep up but it was always engaging, informative and interesting. At the weekend I went into uni to try and finish my moulds. During the week I had made a 3 part mould of the organic form however it was slightly cracked at the edges so I kept the bottom piece and made 3 new pieces to make it a 4 part mould with a casting plug. I also photographed my Plaster work.
3rd!
This week Gunhild was not going to be in at all. So we were directed to finish makeing the moulds for the couple form and finish the repetition form. On Monday I began by sanding and finishing off the organic form, then in the afternoon I began to make the mould. Tuesday we had A days introduction to Glazes. In the afternoon we more specifically discussed what type of glaze we could use on our couple forms. For mine we talked about using a matt barium glaze to give a paper map type feel. As the two pieces had different surfaces, by using the same glaze a different effect would occur along the sharp edges of the geometric form and the smooth surface of the organic form. By adding more or less barium the could would deepen. For my repetition piece I thought of glazing it upside down so that the rim is clean and the base completely smooth in glaze. We talked of different application methods and not to use test tiles but to try on the cast objects themselves.
2nd Week of the Plaster Course
After sculpting my two forms. Gunhild help me to begin making the moulds. As I wanted the organic form to have a very smooth surface I left it for a few days to dry out so that I could sand it properly. The mould for the geometric form has 3 parts and a casting plug so that is a sealed form with no pouring holes. The organic form I mapped out roughly where the diving lines for the mould would be with Gunhild but would make the mould next week.
Friday night there were lots of private views. Two were student exhibition and one was at USF which had a wonderful feel at night across the inlet. There was also a talk by David Shrigley as his exhibition opened. He was a bit disorganised but it was a very funny talk. On Sunday we walked up one of the hills opposite Fantoft we followed a footpath at first but it soon disappeared so we ended up climbing rocks up a waterfall. At the top we were pelted by hail but made it through to the peak which gave spectacular 360 views. We walked back down into town, passed someone running with their dog up! The scenery was completely different on the other side of the hill! It was beautiful!
Monday, 9 March 2009
Saturday, 7 March 2009
This week I found out our Tutors name visit her website www.vatn.info/ her name is Gunhild Vatn. Monday morning we gathered and showed the forms we had been working with and discussed process and concept. I had done a lot of experimental work with different ways plaster could be formed rather that directly carving with plaster. However I then went on to develop my concept for the couples forms in plaster. Monday afternoon I finished some sketches and begun sculpting a second plater form as the first was too complicated to cast. This form was a representation of a puzzle piece, I originally designed the shape for the organic form then designed this geometric form around it. However once i had made the geometric form i used a condom to mould an organ shape around it so that parts of it echo the geometric form precisely.
Monday, 2 March 2009
First Week of Plaster Course
Monday Morning we started at 9. Our tutor for this course is a ceramic artist based in Oslo. She would be with us Monday and Tuesday this week and the rest of the week was to be self directed until her return next Monday for the full week. Monday she outlined to course, where there would be 3 projects running. One was to form a couple of objects sculpted out of plaster by hand, to then be used to make a mould from. The second was to create a mould from either a ready made object or something we had made from another material. The third Im still not sure on as all the written instructions are in Norwegian, I think its has something to do with elements?
After a morning of explanation, demonstration of how to make a mould and how to sculpt plaster, in the afternoon we had a try at sculpting plaster ourselves. There are several ways of doing this carving into dry plaster that had formed in a container, removing the plater from the container before it has set and removing as much material while it is still wet and using condoms to create more organic forms.
Tuesday we had more demonstrations and experimentation. Our tutor told us that she wanted us to concentrate on the couple forms for the rest of the week and on Monday we would look at peoples experiments with carving and sketches for ideas of relationships.
I didn't like to plasters surface texture once it had been carved but did like the smooth surface given by the condom. Lene and I went on a hunt to get free condoms from a student bar, allowing me to do lots of experiments. I tried hanging them, wrapping with string when wet, when dry, hanging from various points and turning in on itself. I also tried with other flexible plastics like small bags and ice cube bags. With my first attempt with the ice cube bags all the cubes came out separately. The second time i tried to keep them all intact and was very care when removing the plastic, they had curved from how i had hung them while drying which i really like. I also tried plaster in other things such as, polystyrene packaging, baby's cloths, neck ties and bent bicycle tyres. When thinking about couples, i leaned more towards juxtaposition and opposites within objects and the relationship of puzzle pieces. I want to work with maybe water and rock and the coastline of Bergen as a puzzle piece.
A Week Painting Course
The course was with a painter from Cornwall who had moved there from Nunhead called Ashley!
The first day we were asked to try out mixing colours. We chose 2 acrylic tube colours to be mixed together and test the range of colours we could make we were also allowed to use white. Then take another 2 colours and do the same. From our test patches we were meant to pick two colours we thought went together and put them down on on 1 canvas and 1 board in no specific way. I was no keen on one of my colours so mixed and introduced a third colour. From this we carried on building up layers using the colours and different painting techniques.
The second day we were to bring in photos that we could work from. The idea was to pick a photo that suited the marks already down on the canvas and fit the imagery around them. I chose two photos that i had taken around Bergen. I tried to fit the lines of the buildings to the lines already down on the canvas and the circular reflections in the water to the swirls on the board. I started mapping the images out in oil paint.
The final three days I tried to build on the paintings with both colour and texture. I spoke to Ashley the tutor everyday about the relationships between the shapes and the colours. Thursday morning I was not happy with how the water painting was developing. However the building painting i felt confident with. Ashley suggested that as the building painting work so well that i should attempt to apply those shapes to the water painting, I felt that one of the problems with the water painting was that its is a very detailed photo and a very beautiful one and that feeling was difficult to capture. By Friday I had finished the buildings painting but had not quiet finished the water painting however it did look much more successful in the building format, I had two shapes whose colour was not quiet right but using the test colour patches made on the first day I found colours that worked and stuck them on for the time being until I have time to mix them and apply then again.
I really enjoyed this course, experimenting with paint and learning new techniques and styles. I was very happy with how it went and feel inspired to continue painting. I was also glade to use the photo of the buildings as it is one of my favourites of Bergen. It was a productive week as well as a good opportunity to meet new people for different courses.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Saturday, 21 February 2009
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