Horoscopes and Milestones

I'm going to start this post with a quote taken from my horoscope this month (courtesy of Elle magazine if you must know the source). "The New Moon on the 10th is a lucky time to start new projects, especially involving writing. On the 25th, the Full Moon in your career zone promises to reward the previous six months' hard work."

I'm not one to take my horoscope literally but in the past it has proven particularly accurate, much to my surprise. With this in mind, I spent today (the 25th February) pondering over what I could potentially be rewarded as I started both my degree and my current job six months ago.

I had prepared in advance for a presentation that I was to present this afternoon at college, which already had me jittery as I'm not the best of all speakers. However this was not an issue as I did not have to present to as many people as I initially thought and actually came out with some good feedback. I also received feedback from my tutors about my first semester, along with my dreaded module grades, which I was in no way excited to look at. But to my relief I had passed them all. I wasn't particularly impressed with the grades that I had received, though I know that I could have done better if I had made more effort.

I started to think that maybe I had been rewarded with the relief of passing my first semester after six months of balancing four varying modules all at once and struggling with the transition from A levels to FDA degree.

However, at work this evening (I currently work in an art and crafts store) I discovered that my temporary contract has ended and been replaced with a permanent one, something I have been anticipating for a good few months now. I need no longer stress myself with the thoughts of potentially losing the most fun job in retail - with a considerably good discount when you're an art student. The only downside (and it is quite a steep one) is that my hours have had to be dramatically cut in order for me to keep my job. They've been cut down to less than half to what I work now, which is is worrying, but still better than having no job at all. On a positive level, I will be given overtime when it's available, which is quite often so there is always a chance of earning a little extra money.

And so in many ways my past six months of hard work and energy have been rewarded - on different levels, but still rewarded. I feel this is a milestone that I have successfully reached, now all there is to do is keep going.

Composition Practise

I've been studying my own dreams as part of my fine art project and have been trying to record them visually, which isn't particularly easy. As my dreams are not always vivid, I've been practising drawing them in a way that reflects how vague aspects of them appear to me, whilst other elements are clear and recognisable.

Sketches done in free hand watercolour. Experiments with layering, something I think may be interesting to use in later work.

Life Drawing

Since the start of my foundation degree I have been practising my life drawing skills in workshops and have built up a body of large studies in pencil, ink and oil pastel. I thought it was time to share some of my favourite pieces. 

 

I feel that my most successful studies are the ones I experimented in media with and with composition. Just click the images to see a larger view.

Juergen Teller

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the ICA in London where Juergen Teller's exhibition is currently being held. It was extremely interesting - his collection of photographs displayed on the walls in the "reading room" were strange, graphic, unexpected, yet humanly natural. I highly recommend giving it a visit.

On the same day I also went to the Photographer's Gallery, currently host to the works of many collage artists. I was particularly excited by Peggy Franck and Laura Letinsky's work, both of which have given me inspiration (something I seem to lack recently) for my own art projects. I think I'll be taking another visit soon as I attended both galleries in a group and feel I did not pay the exhibitions as much attention as I could.