During my final tutorial of the year, Angela expressed concern that I had left my paintings for assessment so late. Reflecting on Angela’s comment, I have considered how I work and how this has happened. Today is the fourth day of continuous, uninterrupted painting and I feel I am finally starting to free up my approach. Without a continuous period of focus, the stop/start approach results in a ‘tightness’, whilst my confidence is being rebuilt. Angela was right to say ‘just immerse yourself in work’. This is certainly the way forward for me. However, the stress aspect of the written work is a key consideration. I know many people, like my daughter, who relish the pressure of a deadline. I am not that person, with the pressure resulting in migraines and broken sleep.
The essay this year drained many weeks of valuable time. I learnt so much during my research, but I do need to find a way of working more quickly. I understand from a colleague in her final year, that we will be stepping up a number of gears next year. Whilst this is exciting, I will need to use the Summer wisely.
The work I am now producing is experimental and very varied, different subject matter, paper, choice of colours, style of painting. This is my year to experiment. All the above works are experimental for me, in completely different ways.
The first is from a visit to the museum village of Oradour-sur-Glane; the second is from a screen shot from the TV; the third and sixth images are inspired by Philip Guston and Barbara Nicholls, and I plan to turn them into a series called Talking Heads; the fourth was an over-painting of a previous work; the fifth is a series of images of Virginia Woolf, taken from the TV series Four Square, following a visit to Charleston and the reading of A Room Of One’s Own. Angela has suggested I include an information sheet to guide the assessor as to where I am coming from. I have a week left to continue to develop work. I hope it’s enough time.
Without a project to guide assessment requirements, it is difficult to gauge what is really required. The only clue is that we need to be discerning. For this year I didn’t want to focus on a single image or series, because I felt this would contain me, when I wanted to be free. It might be a huge mistake. Time will tell.
susanmilleruk 