My s u m m e r in pictures

YEAR 2

Year 2. The second year is said to be the middle child in a three-year university program.

After having such long break off from studies, with all this year’s summer heat I’m struggling to put my head together to start fresh. On other hand I been looking forward to new tasks and assignments knowing it’s going to be tough. I’m on full-time course which requires a lot of attention, also in job duties, which hardly have any profit, but takes a lot of effort to run my small gallery. Additionally, to this I’m taking freelance work few hours a week to earn a bit more and finally I’m a mum of two who from now on till April will mostly be able to spend time with me only on Sundays. Life will be challenging, but I’m really hoping to achieve good results as last year and open my potential even more.

I haven’t been on the blog since spring as I already mentioned in the past I’m not a diary girl, usually I create mind maps in my head and stick to the imaginative plan. I know it’s not how it works as in studies there is a requirement for reflection so I’m back on blog where each week I will be writing about my experiences and development throughout second years studies.

My summer was quite lovely, I manage to travel up to Liverpool and embrace this amazing city’s culture. TATE was the highlight of it all, with so many incredible artworks it touched my artistic soul in so many ways. So as work in gallery let me get to know many more talented artists and their works. I had a chance to visit Belper Art Trail so as my favourite Patchings Art festival. I also took a trip back to my country Latvia where I visited some local art and craft centres, inspired by different culture.

Art world around us is very tough at the moment – there is so many talents but so less people who would appreciate that. Our modern society is driven by mass-produced stuff, fashion accessories and artworks created overseas, which sometimes not even make that much of price difference, but it’s sort of normal to have what’s advertised. Artists struggle to make a living unless they recognised by celebrities and then themselves becoming a fashion accessory.

As managing my gallery now for nine months I came to understand that it is survival business – every week I hear a new gallery been closed due expensive bill payments and lack of customer base.  I’m using my student grant to pay my bills at home and working at the gallery just for idea and willingness to help artists to sell they work. This summer I happened to sell three of my own paintings, what really lifted my spirits, but luck like this don’t come often…

My studies help and inspire me. Make me think in different directions and push me to explore more, but honestly, I’m not sure if I ever be able to work in the art industry.

Still, there is a good year ahead of me and I’m really, really excited about it. I have so many ideas and there is a need to put them in the right place.

End of Year I

I expect that some of the insights from this term will evolve and expand as I reached the end of the first year of studies.

Speaking professionally – the process of reflection has heightened my awareness of the skills I am currently obtaining from the degree program and has highlighted ways in which these can be transferred to future.

I haven’t been reflecting anything for past few weeks as being busy working up to the deadline, to finish all my assignments.

VISUAL STUDIES

We live in an increasingly visual culture. New technologies and philosophies of vision influence how we see ourselves and our world, and how we think about seeing itself. The Visual Studies allow students to directly engage these developments through a multi-disciplinary course of study, connecting the theory, practice, and culture of seeing.

I really enjoyed the first part of the course where we been exploring different types of media and was doing more practical stuff. As for this year’s part, it was more challenging and not so exciting. We had a tutor change also, in the middle of all this process, so as initial assignment changes made me lose interest in this subject.

I did finish my Time Line. I did my best! Perhaps could do better if not the strict time frame. In the process of research, I find out lots of interesting things and certainty fallowed true abstract art development throughout the years.

Twice I had my work returned back to me by a new tutor. As I mentioned in previous blogs, once because it was too busy with pictures and quotes, other time because of content. Following his advice, I think I improved my report, however, I never shoved it him again.

I finished just a few days ago and there wasn’t any time. My friend is a solicitor and not with any particular art background. I ask her to go through and proofread and possibly correct some spelling mistakes.

I was thrilled when she gave me a positive feedback, finding my work quite interesting.

So, at this point, I just hope I get a reasonable mark from university side.

I do hope we are having Visual Studies next year. I did enjoy a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research, discovering different perceptions of the role of visual arts itself. I think it is is one of the elective subject of the Arts education at the moment, becoming an important part of every business. 

STUDY SKILS 

Study skills – course where I was exploring study strategies and approaches applied to learning.

As we know such skills are generally critical to success in future so as considered essential for acquiring good grades, and useful for learning throughout one's life.

This year it was more based of creating parallel blog which explored variety of legislation requirements and guidelines – you can fallow this link here: https://ligfineart.blogspot.co.uk/

...and success story’s presentation in the end.

For my presentation I choose Leonardo da Vinci - as in my opinion there is no one more successful in the field of art and I think there will never be another.

He was one of the greatest minds of the Italian Renaissance, and his influence on the painting of the following generations was enormous.

There are so many successful people – but he still stands out with his incredible mind. I think no matter how many years will past he will remain on top of our mankind.

I think my presentation in the end was well formed, but maybe not so well presented – for very simple reason, lack of audience.

At the time there was only two other students in the class, which was disappointing. I had lots more to say, but there was no one to lessen and somehow in my brains it was hard just to talk to camera and grafick students. So, I think I fail in this part, didn’t feel the confidence and confusion of situation get me.

Oh well, I’m sure there will be other presentations, which I do enjoy, and do hope to do better next time.

FINE ART  

I submitted my sketchbook to my tutor last week. In my surprise I didn’t use all pages. It contained all evidence of setting up pop up shop, developing ideas, creative process and research along the side.

I really hope I achieved high mark in this assignment as it was the one I spend most of my time and effort.

Pop Up Shop assignment in general was a good, worthwhile experience and certainly a learning curve. Not having much success of selling our art it opened our minds and views from different perspective.

ILLUSTRATION

It’s not happening next year, unless I choose to do it :) – and I don’t.

As Fine Art students, we each have different approaches and interests which has enabled me to focus on my own particular aspect and perspective. Whilst I can draw and paint people, I wholly respect that there are others who are better than me and it is for this simple reason that I don’t want an illustration as my subject.