Summaries

Sunday 2nd October 2016
Week 1  - 181 words

Over the summer I visited a few galleries in London, the one most worthwile being Conceptual Art in Britain. (See Research File > Exhibitions and Museums > Conceptual Art in Britain)

This week I had two tutorials, one regarding my Research Report, and one about my ongoing practice. The key points from my tutorial with Krzysztof were; looking at documenting process painting, artists such as Pollock and Namuth's films, and Yves Klein and his Anthropometry performances; look at books by Catherine Wood and Amelia Jones regarding artists mentioned; the idea of process painting being time based, paintings and sculptures are often timeless, how does process alter this view of time?

My tutorial with Simon gave me lots of new ideas and inspiration. I am interested in the process of painting, rather than the meaning and representation of it. Simon advised me to look at artists such as Ryman, Richter, Martin and Parrino with regards to my practice. One book I found particularly beneficial that he suggested was The Indiscipline of Painting. (Find detail on all of the above in Research File)


Sunday 9th October 2016
Week 2 - 114 words

Following my tutorials last week I began researching Richter and Ryman (See Research File). I found this research very valuable for my ongoing practice and it has encouraged my ideas of process. Along with other research, I have spent this week making a clear plan for the next few weeks. This involves further research, purchasing some larger surfaces to work on, and experimenting with different techniques.

I have also been in contact with one of my fellow students Amber Branch this week, who I collaborated with to the end of last year. I feel our work is progressing in a very similar direction and it would be enhance our practices to work together again.


Sunday 16th October 2016
Week 3 - 149 words

This week I visited Newcastle saw there was an exhibition in the Baltic Centre by Caroline Achaintre. This was the first time I had ever seen Achaintre's work in person, however have come across it numerous times over the years. Achaintre's work is textural and expressive, she uses a tufting gun to 'paint with wool'. Her work is process-based and embraces materials and surface, much like my own work. (For further analysis see Research File > Exhibitions and Museums > Caroline Achaintre)

This week I have also bought some sheets of MDF and Aluminium. I have primed the 1.2m square MDF boards in white and also grey, I have never worked onto a grey primer so wanted to try it out as Simon had mentioned it in my tutorial.

Following my Research Report tutorial I have begun research into Jackson Pollock (See Research File > Artists > Jackson Pollock).


Sunday 23rd October 2016
Week 4 - 194 words

This week I have begun painting onto the boards I purchased last week. I have primed one of the boards white and one grey to try out different surfaces. I started with the grey board and begun by using a large paintbrush to make marks, also experimenting with dragging the paint.
I then worked on the white board and metal simultaneously with pink and purple tones. I liked working on both pieces concurrently as it forced me to be less precious with my marks and made me work quicker. (See Reflective Journal > Studio Work)

I had a tutorial with Simon this week, in which he advised me to begin trying out different mediums, eg acrylic gel, gloss and oil over acrylic. Also to try different surfaces such as mirror. Simon also recommended a show at the Royal Academy of Arts I should visit.
I also had a Research Report tutorial where I have put together a brief plan with Krzysztof for my essay. (See Reflective Journal > Research Report Tutorials > Wednesday 26th October 2016)

Myself and fellow student Amber have decided to work collaboratively and exhibit some work in the project spaces.


Sunday 30th October 2016
Week 5 - 195 words

This week during a group crit I had a chance to talk about my work in a slightly informal setting with students, some I had never met before. This was beneficial as it was the first time they had viewed my work and were able to give me new feedback and ideas. I was given positives about my work as well as ideas to improve it, I was also able to give advice to other students. (See Reflective Journal > Group Crits) This informal presentation has given me a little bit more confidence and practice for my 3rd Year Presentation due later in the year.

I have sourced a board double the size of my last ones to begin working larger and seeing the effect that has on my work. I have primed this board and will begin working on it next week.
I have also bought some mirror and gloss paint to start experimenting with.

With regards to my Research Report, it is coming along well, I have withdrawn several books from the library regarding Jackson Pollock and performance art which are slowly forming my in depth research into the area of process painting.


Sunday 6th November 2016
Week 6 - 190 words

This week I have been painting with gloss. So far I have only had white gloss however am interested in sourcing some other colours. I experimented with running the gloss down the piece in drips then flipping the piece round so the drips would run in opposite directions. I feel this worked really well and added an extra dialogue to my work.

I also began painting on my 2.4m board this week. I set a rule for this piece which was a time limit of 20 minutes per layer. So far I have done one layer with acrylic paint with gestural marks, drips and splatters. Followed by a thin layer of acrylic paint in even larger strokes. I intend to add many more layers to this piece, adding texture and depth. My plan next is to use gloss paint, and a different mark making tool eg. a squeegee to drag the paint.
(See Reflective Journal > Studio Work)

I have also been developing my Research File by considering various artists in relation to my practice. This is helping to inspire my creative ideas while also adding context to my ideas.


Sunday 13th November 2016
Week 7 - 188 words

This week myself and Amber have been preparing for our project space exhibition next week.
We intend to paint straight onto the wall as a background for other works. We decided the best way to prep would be make lots of pieces and then decide which would work best in the space once painted. Amber has been working on thinner, material-like surfaces eg bed sheet and plastic sheets, whereas my pieces have been more solid eg board and metal.

I have been experimenting with painting onto mirror and painting with different colours of gloss. Following a tutorial with Craig (See Reflective Journal > Creative Practice Tutorials) I have been experimenting working on much smaller surfaces but with the same large gestural marks I was making before. I have also been introducing different colours into my pink colour scheme. This week has had very successful outcomes, and also not so successful ones. Yet the less successful ones have perhaps taught me more than the effective outcomes. Craig also suggested some artists that I should look at in more depth such as Ian Davenport and Sabine Tress and John Hoyland.


Sunday 20th November 2016
Week 8 - 182 words

This week myself and Amber have been installing our project space exhibition. We decided to make lots of work then curate our exhibition from these pieces instead of making set pieces for set spaces. We thought this would allow us to be less precious over each piece, which is a key part of both of our practices. We brought all of our pieces that we would be happy to exhibit into the space and began to arrange. (To see more info on our exhibition see Reflective Journal > My Exhibitions)

We have our private view tomorrow, which we have created a poster for. We decided to go for a black and white poster as the image we were using was our collaborative wall piece and we wanted to not give too much away. We also liked the simplicity of the monochrome colour scheme.

I have also been in contact again with Tony from Nunns Yard Gallery and I have reserved from Monday 2nd January to Wednesday 4th. I intend to keep creating interesting and textural pieces to exhibit in this unique space.


Sunday 27th November 2016
Week 9 - 187 words

This week I have been focusing on my Research Report. I have started by writing about Jackson Pollock as I have already gained a huge amount of research on him, and his ideas and his influence on painting are central to my practice. I have written a clear plan for my essay and have carried out a vast amount of research on various artists. My draft is ready to be handed in tomorrow.

I also visited London to see the Abstract Expressionism exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, and a selection of Jason Martin's works at Lisson Gallery. It was a great experience to see some of my favourite artists' work in person, in particular work by Pollock, Rothko and Barnett Newman, as the scale of the pieces is so overwhelming and consuming - elements you cannot achieve by looking through a computer. Martin's work was even better than I expected, the works were much larger than I imagined and the depth and texture of the work was inticing. His steel cast works were amazing and have inspired me to look into casting my own work. (See Research File > Exhibitions and Museums > Jason Martin, Lisson Gallery)


Sunday 4th December 2016
Week 10 - 170 words

This week I have been getting on with more studio work. We break up for Christmas in a few weeks and I have an exhibition at Nunns Yard just after new year so am trying to get as much done as possible. I am on track however I am aiming to get it done sooner so that I can focus on my research report. (See Reflective Journal > Studio Work)

I recieved feedback on my 1000 word essay draft this week, it was mostly positive with a few pointers on what to edit regarding structure. However, I was a bit dissapointed my essay had not been read as it would have been beneficial to recieve some feedback regarding my writing style and referencing. If I need any further help I will contact a tutor. (See Reflective Journal > Research Report Tutorials > Wednesday 30th November 2016, Tutorial With Krzysztof)

The feedback from my creative practice tutorial with Simon was that I had been creating a lot of new work. I hadn't been holding back on abitious ideas but to keep experimenting, in particular looking at layering and use of colour. (See Reflective Journal > Creative Practice Tutorials > Friday 2nd December 2016, Tutorial With Simon)

Sunday 11th December 2016
Week 11 - 154 words

This week I had a painting group crit with Craig and fellow 3rd years. I found this very useful as a chance to get some opnions from others regarding the subject 'painting' and its place in contemporary art, as this is a topic central to my research. I also recieved feedback on my own work, it was nice to get a fresh perspective. (See Reflective Journal > Group Crits)

This week I have really been focusing on my creative practice. I am exhibiting at Nunns Yard in a few weeks time, this is a large space so need a lot of work to fill it. I intend to have too much work for the space than not enough. I have been designing posters for the exhibition, I have decided on the title Painting As Process, this is also the title for my Research Report. I am continuing to gather my research on artists that I am discussing in my essay.


Sunday 18th December 2016
Week 12 - 136 words

This week marked the end of the official term. I have finsished 13 pieces of work with the intention of exhibition around 10 of them depending on the layout of the space. I have my favourites and will draw up a rough plan of which ones I'd like to exhibit.

I have taken out of the library a few last minute books as the university will be closed for the next few weeks. I now have an extra book on Yves Klein, and one on Performance Art in general.

I have also been developing my own website. www.elliebrine.com now showcases all of my finished works and exhibitions with good quality photographs. I am considering annotating these with information about the pieces however am unsure how to approach this. This is maybe something for a rainy day.

Sunday 25th December 2016
Week 13 - 145 words

For the entirety of this week I have been focusing on my research report. While I do not have the studio facilities it has allowed me to take a break from my creative practice and I have been able to carry out further extensive research into my topic of process art, as well as get a good chunk of the essay written. I have found researching process very difficult and have had to base a lot of my research on artist and their statements. 

I have sent invites out for my private view on Monday 2nd January. I picked a bank holiday as I felt this is often a day where people don't have a lot to do or forget to make plans, resulting in (hopefully) a good turn out. I have had a few responses from friends and family that intend to make it.


Sunday 1st January 2016
Week 14 - words

While without the studio space, I have continued the draft of my essay. I hope to finish my first draft by my exhibition dates as I would like to use the time sat alone in the gallery to work on editing.

My exhibition is next week so I have been finalising details eg. meeting with Tony on Monday, food and drink, printing out posters, labels and artist statement (I thought the statement would be professional and a nice touch for people who do not know a lot about my work).

This week I have considered health and safety and begun writing a draft press release, I thought these would be good areas of developing my professional practice. I drew up a rough plan of which pieces I would like to exhibit and where I would like them to go, however when I view the space there may be elements I have to change.

Sunday 8th January 2016
Week 15 - 141 words

This week I installed my exhibition at Nunns Yard, I had a friend help me do so as my pieces are quite big and I didn't want to cause damage to the space or injuries. Coming up with a way to hang them proved difficult however I decided on screwing through the work for discreteness and security. 

The private view went very well, there was a good turn out and I recieved a lot of positive feedback on the work, even a few comissions. 

Take down of the work was swift, Tony wanted to fill all of the holes as he could do it quickly and easily which meant all we had to do was take down the pieces and remove the wall plugs.

(See Reflective Journal > My Exhibitions > Nunns Yard)

I have been editing the final draft of my essay in my spare time in the gallery.

Friday 13th January 2016 - HAND IN
Week 16 - 200 words

This week has been spent finalising my research report and blog. Transporting my work has been very difficult the past few weeks so I don't intend to submit anything in my studio space for assessment, all of my work is kept online within my blog and/or website. I find this a neater way to submit everything as it is all in one place with annotations. 

I completed my self evaluation, I feel this unit has gone well and I finally feel I have found my practice. I have enjoyed being proactive with my making and also learning new ideas and concepts through making and research. The two have led me to what I hope to be a fluid and interesting research report.

The professional practice section of this unit has made me consider a few different elements that I may not otherwise have done, eg. writing an artist statement and press release for my exhibition, presentation skills and possible future careers. I feel the weakest part of this unit for me could be the researching as I often struggle with reading and writing, however I spent a lot of time on these areas this unit to try and combat this.