The drawings for Part 2 took me to quite personal and vulnerable places, so I was not quite sure what feedback to expect. I was delighted to receive a very encouraging and positive report from my tutor Emma Drye.

She recognized that I am exploring new ground and saw potential to develop  new tools and find new ways forward with performance drawings and animations. Her advice: “Continue to let your conceptual content direct your process though.”, feels very important. So far I have chosen either a more conceptual approach or allowed for performance drawings, and it is an exciting meeting point to let these approaches come together.

I was experimenting with video for project 2.1 Space Depth and Volume, where I created a stop motion of  a Wave crashing. This was a new approach that I will develop further.

Emma pointed out how in the portraits inspired by Auerbach for the same exercise- the Auerbach lines did not support the construction of the head- which was the missing link I needed to see.

My tutor formulated, how the large paintings with my body for Assignment 2, unlocked the way that my relationship with my body had been affected by my experiences and how important that was.

She recognized, that some of the paintings were too chaotic, and how the ones of a single moment that showed a clear iconographic image were easier to read for the viewer.

I guess, I was worried they were too empty or too simple , so it felt like a recognition that I can go on and explore single movement drawings. For sure, this opens up new possibilities and there are so many ways to continue this exploration!

For the final painting in red on linen, there is also a too hidden narrative. Emma writes “This is something that would need to be worked on and developed to find its own place as a figurative painting.”

For Project 3 Narrative, where I produced a series I called “Family picnic” where I portrayed my family with a COVID mask, I agree with my tutor, that the drawings would have benefited from a different type of line. She suggested that a  slightly more faltering , slightly more vulnerable and variable line would have given more information and would have conveyed something more about how the situation felt. I can absolutely see that now. I think at the time, I felt safer when choosing a rather boring way of drawing.

Similarly in the series of paintings for the same narrative, Emma really liked the surface that I have laid down, but was not convinced by the way that I actually painted the masks. I absolutely agree with that, and am quite surprised myself in hindsight about the difference in painting techniques between the backgrounds and the masks. I can’t believe this was not obvious to me while painting.  I was really so taken myself by the conceptual idea, the narrative, that I navigated towards some calm safety in the techniques without meaning to.

By painting the COVID masks onto objects in a humorous way, my tutor recognized how I was working through the feelings that came up with this difficult subject and seeing the power of art that way. I found it really helpful to get this reflected back at me, as it was a spontaneous decision at the time.

Another helpful reminder was to not overwork the pieces- something I definitely have a tendency to do! There is the value of space!

I have a long list of artists to research, which I am really excited to start with:

Louise Bourgeois, Ana Mendieta, Yoko Ono, Marina Abramovic, Ulay, Carolee Schneeman, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Helen Chadwick, Cathy de Monchaux