I went to the wood workshop to get a range of sizes of board to work on ready for my crit which is happening during week 7. I decided to get board as I enjoy working on smooth surfaces and I don’t have to worry about added texture that you get on a canvas although I may progress to working on canvas in the future if it will benefit my work.
I started working on several board paintings at once so that while one dried, I could continue making progress on others as often I overwork pieces and so this allows me to avoid doing that.
Board paintings:
Goat painting 1
This is the first painting I started to work on where I focused on using a neutral colour palette which was very realistic to the goat I initially did a quick drawing of at Tropical Birdland. I need to continue layering the different tones to build up details and areas of contrast but I am liking where this painting is going.
Sheep painting
For this sheep painting, I firstly sketched the image onto the board before using a pyrography machine to burn the outlines of each element. I then applied paint over the top which created an interesting effect and this is something I would like to explore further in this project, maybe even experimenting with adding more details and mark making to see how that could affect my outcomes.
Horse painting
I have started this horse painting by applying watercolours down as a base to allow me to work out which tones of colour work best with the horse. I find the effect of using the watercolours quite interesting as the paints look rather subtle due to them being watered down. I would like to explore combining areas of watercolour and acrylic on board to see if this would create an effect that I continue in my project further down the line.
Goat painting 2
This goat painting involved an experimentation with the tones of green I was using in the background as in the previous paintings I focused on using a viridian green and a sap green so this allowed me to break out of old habits and start to be really experimental with colour used and how it affects the look of the animal and the enclosure itself.
Robert Phelps started his artistic career by being a decorative painter at Disney, mainly painting interesting scenes and doing caricature work. He progressed onto becoming a Fine Artist, doing exhibitions since 1996. His subject matter is of vibrant and uniquely coloured figures, both portraits of humans and animals.
I have decided to research Robert Phelps as I felt his focus on animals and colour relates to my ideas for my project nicely and I could benefit from trying out his methods of applying paint onto a surface. His works have an Expressionist or Fauvist style which I find interesting as I have researched these terms throughout art history and I could benefit by researching these further.
I like the fact that Robert Phelps doesn’t limit himself to one type/group of animals and I feel that I should try to do studies of a range of animals rather than just farm animals although this will involve going to places like zoos to gain primary evidence which I will have to arrange in my free time. If I don’t have the time to do this, however, I can still learn from his techniques and unique style, particularly his interesting use of colour to benefit my work and push it further than just being a painting of a cute farm animal.
I couldn’t gain access to good quality pictures of Robert Phelps’s work due to security on the website so I took a screenshot. Although the image isn’t of great quality, this painting relates to my project through the use of the goat and a sense of being in an enclosure. I particularly feel that the combinations of bright and dark colours create a great balance and makes the image very captivating. The painting is simple and yet built up in areas such as the goat’s face of different tones of the same colour which add depth and detail and makes it look like real fur despite the painting being abstract.
Although this painting has a lot more realistic colours, it still has small strokes of colour which add depth and make the audience want to spend more time looking at the painting. An interesting quality of Robert Phelps’s work is the range of backgrounds and environments in which the animals are, making me wonder if he has a lot of access to different animal attractions or whether he works from photographs. I find the use of green in the goat’s fur works well with the brown colour and I feel I could apply this to my own work as I tend to stick to quite simple colour schemes and the additions of small areas of colour could make my work a lot more effective.
In a lot of his goat paintings, they are gazing directly at the viewer which is something I have been exploring within my own work to see the different emotions this can evoke from the viewer as well as creating a connection or making the viewer feel uncomfortable. There are some paintings looking to the side, but I have decided to only include the paintings that are relevant to my own practice as that is something that I, as well as other people, feel works well from feedback during my crit. Robert Phelps adds a lot of texture to his paintings which is relevant to his subject matter.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EaFovmt0JUs – a short video of Robert Phelps working on some paintings. I decided to include this video as it shows that he likes to use his fingers to apply paint as well as brushes which I think is a really interesting method as it can add texture and make the artist literally a part of their work. I also found out through the description of the video that he likes to experiment with ‘alla prima painting’ which is a wet on wet paint technique that allows you to produce work in a spontaneous style without too much perfectionism.
Screenshot of Robert Phelps’s youtube
Robert Phelps also has an art Etsy account – https://www.etsy.com/shop/RobertPhelpsArt – in which he sells his artworks in a range of forms, including the original paintings as well as prints of his paintings in the form of good quality prints, t-shirts, stickers, mugs, phone cases and tote bags. This is interesting as it could be something I can explore in the future provided enough people are interested in my work and I make myself present in the art world.
Image of Robert Phelps’s Etsy website
In the above image, I find the image on the far right quite interesting with a real cat being behind the painting. Although a different cat entirely from the one in the painting, I find this playful photo has a good composition and brings the painting into the real world. Although I doubt I would be able to take photos like this with my own paintings due to farm animals tending to nibble on whatever they can get access to, I still found this particularly interesting and is something I could explore if I were to focus on more chilled animals.
Item selection and pricing on Robert Phelps’s Etsy account
Since I don’t have a lot of experience selling any of my work or items with my designs printed onto them in my professional practice, looking at the ways artists such as Robert Phelps is informative and educative and gives me an idea of how I could price my own work, although this does differ artist to artist.
For this sort of business to work, I feel that you need to have a lot of social media presence and have a good following of your work to know that people would actually buy them. As well as this, I would have to factor in being able to afford materials or getting another company to do the different prints for me so I feel that if I ever explore having a small business, this will be a venture in the future when I have enough money to feel stable to keep it afloat and enough time to dedicate myself to it.
How Robert Phelps’s work is influencing my work:
I am fascinated by Robert Phelps’s use of colour as colour is a vital aspect of my project and finding artists to influence me helps a lot in deciding colour palettes
The subject matter of Robert Phelp’s work is also relevant, particularly his paintings of farm animals – in particular goats. The additions of fences and enclosures are very interesting in the context of my work as it seems as though Robert Phelps likes to explore animals’ emotions in enclosures similarly to what I am hoping to achieve in my work
The gaze of the goats is effective as they are looking directly at the viewer/staring which is a concept that I am interested in as it evokes a lot of emotion in the viewer and creates a connection between the subject animal and the viewer. I am intrigued by the different ways people can be affected by paintings and how an image can drastically affect or not affect the viewer at all
This week, I continued to work on my A one sized paintings and added a fence around the deer inspired by my time at the farm which I feel added an interesting element to the painting which I liked.
Deer painting:
Deer painting – I may add further highlights and highlights to the fences in order to add more detail to the painting down the line
Finished deer painting
I decided to add some quick bright white highlights which I feel added an interesting aspect to this piece and made it a lot more realistic. I am very happy with this piece overall and the ways that it introduces my theme of animals in enclosures. I look forward to seeing how I develop this idea further in my next paintings.
Owl painting: I also finished the owl painting with acrylic paints and oil pastels, using layering to create an eye catching expressive piece which I feel works well. I am considering adding an enclosure of some sort to relate it to the other work I am doing but I don’t want to ruin it. I feel that the expressive background really adds to the image overall to create an interesting painting for this project.
Owl painting
I also decided to go back to the farm to capture more imagery and even went to Tropical Bird-land in Desford to get some drawings done of birds within enclosures too. There was a section with a range of birds out of their enclosures where people could touch them which I thought could be interesting to study within my work, exploring how being out of their enclosures could affect the animals (positive effects).
I added some colour to some of my drawings, both from this week and last week to explore colour palettes and get a sense of what works well before I start to work onto board.
During the second week, I had a tutorial in which I discussed my ideas with my tutor and she gave me ideas of how I could make further progress.
From my drawings, my tutor felt that they were all done with the same amount of pressure on the pencil and I could have benefitted from capturing a range of line thicknesses and tones to add more detail and realism. I need to keep the looseness of the drawings but refine areas to make it more effective.
Also, although the museum for drawing animals was a good initial start, she felt that I could go to actual farms and zoos and capture the animals within their enclosures to add more context and create a link to last years project which included areas of linear fences which my tutor was drawn to when looking at my work from last year. I was encouraged to get a range of wooden boards as I enjoy working on board and work to a range of sizes, both small and large to explore colour palettes.
My tutorial really helped me understand how to progress with this project and I feel I have a lot to keep me busy in the upcoming weeks.
Deer painting using drawing from museum, palette knife background
Start of owl painting using drawing from museum onto painted background
Using one of my deer drawings and one of my owl sketches, I started to do A one sized paintings exploring mark making and my subjects, experimenting with what could work for me. Being able to use palette knives reminded me of the start of second year which I thoroughly enjoyed and I enjoyed being expressive with my mark makings.
Animal drawings at Gorse Hill Farm
Colour studies of animals at Gorse Hill Farm
Donkey drawing at Gorse Hill Farm
Quick study of enclosure at Gorse Hill Farm
I decided to go to Gorse Hill farm in order to capture animals within their enclosures as my tutor thought that would add some context to my work and allow me to capture the lifelikeness of the animals. This also related to areas of my work from the end of last year having fences around them and are areas I can create a lot of contrast in my work.
I did some studies in watercolours and coloured pencils to add a sense of colour experimentation in my work.
I need to go to the wood workshop to get some board to paint on at a range of sizes in order for me to zoom into certain sections and explore colour palettes.
There are a range of different residencies with some artists moving from one to another throughout their life, also known as altering modernity or nomads. The different types of artist residencies are aimed at different stages of artistic careers, some for established artists and others for emerging artists.
Types of residencies:
Non-funded residencies – for a mix of affluent amateurs and people who have a lot of experience. Res Artis website offers lots of opportunities.
Res Artis website offers residencies all over the world
Part-funded – free accommodation/studio space but no travel (although the travel costs can be funded by art organisations so research is vital.)
Fully funded – very competitive. high standard and high application numbers.
During COVID there were online artists’ residencies but they were incredibly hard to control and translate, in-person residencies give a sense of time and place.
Most artist residencies keep in touch after and follow your artistic career afterward – a very rewarding process. Some residencies even allow your family to come which is great for single parents or parents struggling with child care – even though children can be distracting. Some residencies are project-based, some offer technical support, residencies respond to a theme. There are a lot of exhibition opportunities after you take part in an artist residency.
Artist collectives are a good idea as they offer conversation opportunities and discourse, artist talks, lectures, crits. It is much easier to get funding for collectives vs as individuals. Collective studio spaces give you support, both physical and psychological support, motivation. Collective exhibitions are more likely than individual exhibitions.
Location is very important within the art world with different places offering different opportunities with different places suiting people for a range of reasons.
After university, a key problem is accessing facilities, so an artist studio is a good idea. Budget is also key as materials can be expensive.
Artist residency advice/experiences:
Art residency video
Although I learned a lot about artist residencies in my lecture, I wanted to find more information so came across this video on YouTube for more information. It is about an artist residency in Beijing and the experiences of artists within that residency.
In the video, the creator had a friend who had been running an artist residency and was going to be running an exhibition from this residency. An interesting part of this residency was that it was in a fairly remote location and it was a small residency with a maximum of 20 artists. The video showed clips of the artists in the residency at work with large-scale paintings which I found very captivating, even if I don’t ever get the chance to take part in an artist residency I would like the chance to attend a residency exhibition.
Screenshot of an image of the residency space from video
The exhibition involves connecting the artists with some collectors to give them the chance to sell their work which is a good idea, especially with large-scale works as transporting them back to the artist’s home would be rather difficult. The artists were very busy creating work which highlighted to me how you have to be prepared and have high motivation. This video showed how a range of people from different backgrounds, at different ages and stages of life are brought together in residencies.
First resident experience – Tom travelled a lot and moved into different industries, didn’t have a physical space to create work. The residency gave him the time and space to concentrate and be really productive. He tried to avoid social media and his phone so he could completely focus and take advantage of the space to just do art in order to relaunch his art career after a long period of not doing art at all. He struggled to make a living in art and so was making a living in other sectors which is a sad reality for a lot of creative people.
Screenshot from video of Tom and his paintings in the residency space
Second resident’s experience, Karen – she was from America and had graduated from art school a long time ago. She had a lot of opportunities arise in her life and got caught up with them including being involved in an art magazine which she did for around nine years. The residency is her opportunity to relaunch her art career after over 20 years of not painting. She wanted to put herself first for once and focus on her passion for art.
Screenshot from video of Karen working in the residency space
Third resident’s experience, Max – originally from London but works in the US worked as an artist for a long time, quite successful. Over five galleries over the world represent him. He’s a curator, museum manager and had been involved in a range of projects over the world. Teaching art. Took this opportunity to relax and discover China’s local art scene to give him inspiration.
Screenshot from video of Max in residency space
Hearing people’s different reasonings for doing the residency was really interesting for me as it showed that even the most successful people in the art world sometimes need a break and people who don’t have much success are resilient in their passion for art and want to push their artistic career. A key observation is that they all wanted the time and space to just focus on art without any outside distractions which they couldn’t do without the residency.
An alternative of artist residencies is renting an artist studio near your home town but sometimes moving away from the place you live works wonders for inspiration. When asked what makes his residency stand out, Steven said they offer a unique experience for the artists to network with local galleries, collectors, and museums so that they could build up connections and contacts which can be referred back to even after the residency is over. A networking opportunity. However, it is not guaranteed that the artists will sell their work but it is a good possibility.
Some people do an artist residency every year in the summer
An artist residency is an opportunity for artists to work outside of their studio in a new environment where they can focus on creating art, reflecting and researching.
It is an escape from your reality
Lots of different artist residencies out there – some are collaborative and others are independent. ‘
Some collaborative residencies involve doing art and mailing it to a person from another country and vice versa until a whole project is built up and then the different members of the collaborations meet in a designated place for residency for one month in the summer each year in which they can focus on the body of work they created and develop it even further together.
Residencies differ in length – sometimes a month or two, sometimes six months or even a year.
Studio residencies are located in many cities and countries meaning you don’t always have to travel a huge distance – you can sometimes commute
You are able to meet a range of new people including mentors, art collectors, curators
You get a lot of crit opportunities during residencies
Online residencies have started to become more popular due to covid and they have had good reception so will be sticking around
Applying for a residency – think about what you are looking for – travel/local, alone/with family, collaboration/working individually, funding/able to pay. The things you need to apply for a residency are typically a letter of motivation (kind of a cover letter saying what project you want to work on), project proposal in which you break down all elements of your project (the residency will know if you have any specific needs from this and will know what to expect), artist CV, artist biography, artist statement and portfolio (possibly letters of recommendation)
expenses of residencies vary depending on the type of residency. Sometimes you can get grants or funding which you apply to from different places – have to give a detailed list of materials, travel expenses. In most studio based residencies you have to pay to use the studios and be a part of the program.
some artists look for residencies that give them access to specific equipment including but not limited to ceramics, print and glass
Some residencies give you a brief or require you to make art about a heritage site or the place the residency is in so it is good to take that into account and read the fine print
Benefits of a residency – you have time to focus on you and your passion. Time is valuable as an artist. It is a good CV builder. You make a lot of connections. Press opportunities, exhibition opportunities. Artist talk opportunities
When looking up Residencies that I could apply to for when I’ve finished my degree, I came across the Residencies Opportunities Page on Arts Hub which includes a range of Residencies in the UK and other countries with the chance to win residencies in some cases through competitions or exhibitions which I felt was interesting. I came across a lot of interesting opportunities but some of them had fees and this is something I need to take into account when applying.
I found more details about the opportunity on Curator Space, finding out that it is an opportunity for women artists based in the East Midlands with two residency spaces up for grabs which is based in Derby – not too far from where I live at the moment. The deadline for submissions is the 31st May which gives me a lot of time to apply once my work is submitted for marking.
Residency fee for a one month residency is 270 euros (£227) and two months is 450 euros (£378.35).
What you get from the residency – regular meetings/activities, usually 3 sessions per week. Weekly live meetings with artists for crits and reflections of progress. Advice about social media presence and artist websites. Discussions with previous residency members. Online exhibition at the end of residency. Being presented on their blog. Become a permanent member of their international artist network.
Unfortunately I don’t have the money right now to join this residency but I found researching into an online residency was interesting and a good option if I don’t have the time to travel or dedicate myself to a residency full time. I feel that an online residency would be limiting in terms of space as you would have to find your own studio space or work from home but you will have access to people who can give you advice, crit your work and even influence your work with their own, an option which you most likely wouldn’t have without the residency.
When I was looking for opportunities and exhibitions, I came across Art Quest which had some interesting science based projects and some different artist residencies which was insightful and something to consider for when I’m finished with University.
I came across this residency which is available for an arts practitioner or a collaborative group for a 6 month residency in South East London. I find the project quite interesting as you get to work with families and children to create a narrative about their life and as I am interested in working with communities I feel that this would be a great opportunity for me.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the right specifications for this residency as I haven’t co produced any cultural projects, delivered workshops or released any publications. However, I still feel that researching into this residency has been beneficial in the sense of allowing me to know just how different artist residencies can be and the different options out there. I am hoping there will be a residency like this again in the future as it really interests me.
An interesting part of the Res Artis website is that it includes residencies in all parts of the world which makes it a great source for if you decide to travel for a residency. This is something I would be interested in but I need to consider my finances – even if funding is available, I’d still like to make sure that I am comfortable financially just in case. I also think that I would find going to a different country on my own quite scary but it would be an amazing opportunity so I’d have to work over the fear. I feel that residencies in other countries would open me up to a lot more valuable connections and I will have the experience of living in a brand new area and learning about cultures which I would find very exciting.
The website takes into account a lot of factors including:
Location – region, country and city
Disciplines – ceramics, glass, printmaking, sculpture, visual art
Artistic Facilities – library, metal work tools, exhibition space, woodworking tools
Practical Facilities – car, cleaning, internet, kitchen, private areas, shared spaces, places for family
Studio type and size – private, shared, live studio
Duration of residency – 1-3 weeks, 1-12+ months, 1-1+ years
Organisation type – artist run, foundation, government, hotel/guest house, museum, gallery, not for profit
Residency fees – yes or no
Setting – rural or urban
Accommodation type – private or shared, apartment or house or cabin or room
Working languages
Companions allowed – children, partners
Wheelchair accessibility – yes or no
I decided to do a search for residencies in the UK as I don’t want to travel out of the UK just yet. There are 13 available in the UK which is a fair amount but they are spread out quite far which surprised me.
I selected Newcastle and London on the list and no residency fees to see what results I would get so I looked into the residencies to see if I would like them.
Artist talks and networking events are arranged for residents
They offer funded residencies throughout the year
Promoting role of artists in the sustainable development of towns/cities
1 month residency
1 private artist studio
No accommodation offered
Networking artistic facilities
Open call
Out of all three residencies, I feel that the first one would be suited towards me more than the other two. However, commuting to London everyday would be very expensive, even getting accommodation in London would be too expensive and so costs are definitely something which I’ll have to take into account before applying for residencies.
My plan:
As soon as I’ve finished with University, I am going to find some residencies taking place at the end of this year or the start of next year which I can apply to in order to develop my CV and gain experience, as well as making connections in the art world. I feel that waiting until the end of this year/the start of next year will give me some time to get a part time job and make sure that I am financially able to do a residency as even the ones with no fees have other costs that need to be taken into account such as materials, living costs and travel. It is my ambition to do at least one artist residency in my life, hopefully more if I get the chance as it is an incredible opportunity.
At this moment in time, I am unsure of what I want to do after my University degree. I know that I want to go straight into a job and then consider doing a master’s course in a year or two if I decide it is something I want to pursue but I am currently in no rush. I feel that doing a Masters straight away would just be a waste of time and money as I have had enough of education for a while and would like to gain experience for my CV as my experience is quite limited at the moment. I also feel that I am unsure of what subject I would want to specialise in and so I feel that this is important to consider in depth.
At the moment, I don’t feel that a Masters would be suitable for me as I don’t have the drive for it yet but this is something to consider in a year or two when I feel more up to continuing my education and pushing myself further. At the moment however, my main focus is to get a job and gain experience for my CV.
Things to consider about a Masters
Another factor that puts me off doing a Masters straight away is the cost as I would like to experience doing a Masters in a place outside of Leicester where I have lived my whole life and so as well as course fees, I would need to factor in living costs which isn’t financially possible for me at the moment and so I would be in a much better position to do so in a couple of years when I have some savings.
Things to consider about a Masters
Another thing to consider is what grade I am going to get in my degree which could affect my chances of being accepted onto a Masters degree. I am currently unsure of what grade I will get as I find University grading can differ a lot from tutor to tutor and can be harsh and so I wouldn’t want to make the effort doing the application just to be rejected if I end up with a lower grade than I want.
Things to consider about a Masters
I don’t feel that I am ready for a Masters straightaway as I feel that I have burnt myself out during my degree and lost my passion for art as I have felt that my work is never good enough and so I would like to build my confidence and ensure I am at a time in my life where I will get the most out of my Masters rather than wasting the good opportunity and not doing the best of my ability.
Although these websites gave me a lot of information, I felt it would be good to watch a YouTube video or two to hear people’s own experiences and how they navigated life after University in terms of doing a Masters. This reassured me also as I have no idea what to do and I can be too critical about that sometimes but it is completely normal.
Although I already know that I don’t want to do a Masters straight away, I felt it would be beneficial to see whether a Masters would be beneficial to me anyway and who Masters are mostly suited to. I found this YouTube video which went into a lot of detail and I found it useful to hear all the points.
Information learned from video:
A masters is a postgraduate qualification done after a Bachelors degree which allows you to go more in depth in a specific subject
Masters are good for people who know what direction they want to go in, they know the industry and sometimes which specific roles they want
You need a different mindset going into a Masters compared to your undergraduate degree – they are typically only one year so you have to have more focus, not a lot of time for fun or a social life. A Masters is viewed as an investment
Cost of Masters – typically £8,500 but it varies depending on the course and location. Living costs aren’t covered so it is quite expensive and you miss out on a year of wages which you would have earned if you went straight into a job rather than doing a Masters
A Masters does give you a chance to earn more than just having an undergraduate degree but this isn’t always guaranteed. More of a chance of employment too but again this isn’t guaranteed
A Masters isn’t vital in getting the best roles, you can still be successful without a Masters – its not a necessity
Who should highly consider doing a masters? – someone who has done research and found out that doing a Masters is essential in getting a job – in some sectors having a Masters is much more beneficial such as Law and Engineering so you can niche down in the subject and make yourself more suited to your dream role. If you want to maximise your potential. Someone who got a 2-2 in their degree might feel that they didn’t do too well and a Masters could help hide that qualification as that could hinder your chances with some companies. Someone who wants to pivot their subject and move to a different specialism
Why you shouldn’t do a Masters? – If you’re unsure about what you want to do as a Masters is an investment, not a way for you to avoid adult responsibilities or keep in the university lifestyle life. If you can’t afford it right now it would be a good idea to wait until you’re in a better financial position. Some universities prefer masters applicants who have experience in industry and so depending on where you want to do a Masters this is something to take into account
Information learned from video:
1) Gap Year – go travelling or get a part time job so you still have a lot of free time. Last year of freedom before going into the working world full time. Going to different countries for the experience. The part time job ends up funding these opportunities.
2) Getting a job – Lots of different jobs out there and the jobs don’t always have to link directly to your degree. Some degree subjects offer graduate schemes after uni which are helpful and train you in the role that you want to pursue. Some graduate schemes allow you to gain different qualifications.
3) Building your CV – people often realise after uni that they don’t have a lot of experience and so focus on building it up before applying for graduate schemes or applying for their dream jobs. Getting an internship, either paid or unpaid depending on what is on offer. Internships last different amounts of time and so will be suitable to some but not to others. Volunteering is another good option (either in the UK or abroad). If you don’t know what you want to do, you can dabble in different things throughout the year and try different careers to see what best suits you. It might make you feel disorganised and out of place but it will help in the long run.
4) Masters – so many different types of post grad courses in different areas with different specialties. Have to consider how much you pay for the course vs how much you’ll get back from it, is the investment really worth it?
1) Gap Year – go travelling or get a part time job so you still have a lot of free time. Last year of freedom before going into the working world full time. Going to different countries for the experience. The part time job ends up funding these opportunities.
2) Getting a job – Lots of different jobs out there and the jobs don’t always have to link directly to your degree. Some degree subjects offer graduate schemes after uni which are helpful and train you in the role that you want to pursue. Some graduate schemes allow you to gain different qualifications.
3) Building your CV – people often realise after uni that they don’t have a lot of experience and so focus on building it up before applying for graduate schemes or applying for their dream jobs. Getting an internship, either paid or unpaid depending on what is on offer. Internships last different amounts of time and so will be suitable to some but not to others. Volunteering is another good option (either in the UK or abroad). If you don’t know what you want to do, you can dabble in different things throughout the year and try different careers to see what best suits you. It might make you feel disorganised and out of place but it will help in the long run.
4) Masters – so many different types of post grad courses in different areas with different specialties. Have to consider how much you pay for the course vs how much you’ll get back from it, is the investment really worth it?
Although looking into ideas as to what to do after university is helpful, I decided to look into people’s experiences of graduating from art school and the challenges they faced with getting an arts based job as I felt this would be more relevant to my own experience and build my confidence if I see other people’s successes.
Things I learned from the video:
Art school does not adequately prepare you for the financial realities of being an artist
A lot of art graduates are confronted with the realities of working alone for full time hours
Some artists get normal jobs to fund their passion and make savings before taking the leap to making art their main source of income and work on art full time which allows them to focus on art opportunities more such as exhibitions
Some people create and sell work but don’t manage to see any profits building up – it is bound to happen when you take the risk to focus on art full time
You have to consider how to become financially efficient – consider working from home and converting garage into art studio, means there aren’t any extra expenses. Make sure living expenses are reasonable
Figure out how to keep material expenses low as it is sometimes the only way to maintain being an artist full time. Framing one of the biggest expenses. Building your own frames would cut those costs down massively. Working on panels is quite inexpensive. Working with other shades of yellow than cadmium which is the most expensive will cut down costs.
Be creative with materials and experiment. Find a job with freedom which pays well, flexible schedule or even part time so then you have a stable income yet can still pursue your art. Then you don’t have the financial pressures
Teaching could be a good route but it’s not guaranteed that you will have the time or energy to do your own art alongside teaching
Interesting comments about peoples experiences on the above video:
This comment was interesting as it showed the harsh reality of wanting to pursue art and how difficult it can be to make a living and even get accepted into shows which is something I myself have experienced this year and it makes it really difficult to keep motivated.
I really relate to this comment in terms of feeling nervous that you won’t get a career doing what you love. I just have to see what happens and keep pushing myself to get a job that makes me happy. I hope I get there some day
Finding a job/ job sectors suitable for me:
The job I get maybe a normal retail job for me to get experience but I am hoping to discover an artistic job so my degree hasn’t been a waste of time. To assist me with finding jobs that are relevant, I started to do some assessments on the ‘National Career Service’ which uses your interests and skills to recommend relevant job opportunities. If I do end up in a normal job then I will still work on my practice in my own time and build up a strong portfolio to make me look good to potential employers in my preferred industry.
National Careers Service home page information
National Careers Service home page information
The assessments are used to identify skills you already have, your interests, your work ethic, and good things about you that make you suitable for certain jobs. Each assessment takes around 15 minutes to 30 minutes and there are 10 in total. I am working my way through them all so that a report can be generated for me which will give me jobs that would be suitable for me individually as well as suggest areas of improvement which could greatly benefit me.
Personal Skill Assessments
Work-based Skills assessment
I finished my assessments and downloaded my report:
My Completed Assessments
My report:
Here is a copy of my Skills Health Check that you can download and view. I have also attached a range of screenshots in case any technical problems occur.
Working with numbers tips and written information results
Written information results
I am really glad that the report gives me thorough information about my strengths and areas for improvement with tips as I now know what I should work on to build my employability and make a good impression on employers.
I am going to speak to a careers advisor when I have the chance so that they could recommend some more detailed information and specific jobs rather than ‘job families’ as I feel this could be an eye-opener and could allow me to find a career I feel gives me a purpose and allows me to make the most of my degree doing something I love. However, I have learned that the University careers advisors are more tailored towards academic careers rather than creative and so I feel I would need to find a careers advisor more tailored towards creative subjects.
In my search, I selected ‘Creative arts and design’ for the job sector and ‘East Midlands’ for the location as I can’t see myself moving too far away any time soon due to finances and family. Unfortunately there aren’t any art graduate jobs nearby and so I need to consider finding general entry level arts jobs rather than graduate jobs.
“Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don’t restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.” – This gives me hope as sometimes I worry that I will be limited to certain jobs and I sometimes worry that I will never be successful but I need to stop worrying and have faith in the process.
To start off third year, we are going to be doing an ‘opening project’ to allow us to get into the process of creating work again and to create a body of work with a high focus on presentation skills. This project involves a critical review a few weeks into the project which does feel like a lot of pressure but we have been told to just enjoy the process, making sure to experiment, take risks and mostly have fun.
I have decided that I want to move away from architectural subjects for now and do an animal based project as I feel that I have grown bored of architectural based art (in first year I did a project on the Leicester train station, in second year I focused on Cornwall architecture in the first term and Leicester architecture in the second term.
Although I do enjoy architecture, COVID during most of second year really made me feel demotivated and I feel like I didn’t produce work to my usual standard and so I feel that doing something different could push me more and get me more into the process of creating. I may go back to architectural based subjects after this project.
Feedback from last year and how I am planning to move forward this year: Good points – “There is a stillness and quality of light captured within the work on paper ‘Wilberforce Road’ which imbues it with a real atmosphere and sense of what might be about to take place. This can, in part, be directly attributed to a more nuanced use of colour than is on display everywhere else across the practice. Taking some time to analyse this work, and keeping it in mind when developing your practice further will serve you well in the future. Elsewhere evidence of an effective grasp of relevant material, principles, key concepts and practices is on display with the statement providing some evidence of critical analysis and insight.”
Suggestions for improvement – “A more developed understanding of colour would hugely benefit the work as a whole as the cartoonish hues do nothing to enhance the mysterious qualities within the work – typified by their awkward viewpoints and deserted locations. Whilst some degree of creativity, conceptual ability and critical analysis is clearly present, an ability to synthesise material and contextual research is lacking. Looking to filmmakers shows creative initiative, but being more selective in terms of other contextual research, and analysing the qualities within their work you’d like for your own, will hugely enhance your practice going forward.”
What I hope to achieve/do differently using feedback from last year (write about areas of improvement/weaknesses, what I hope to carry forward this year/strengths)
Animal sketches from New Walk Museum
Animal sketches from New Walk Museum
I visited New Walk museum which has an animal section filled with a range of taxidermy animals which allowed me to capture a range of angles and views of the animals. The taxidermy process means that some of the animals look quite distorted (particularly in facial features) but I still felt going there to do sketches was a good idea, I may even go back in the next couple of weeks to get more.
Some Photos from New Walk Museum:
I did the drawings on sheets of A3 paper pulled out of a sketchbook but divided and cut the pages into sheets of A4. I didn’t want to work in a sketchbook as I can find that rather limiting and then I can often struggle to break out of the sketchbook.
In November last year, it was recommended by our lens-based lecturer Anna Lucas to go to an exhibition which she put together in a collaboration with the Arts Council Collection. It was based at the WQE sciences building and was a fairly short/small exhibition. The exhibition was mostly lens-based in the form of photos and videos. It had Anna Lucas’s work as well as work by Wolfgang Tillmans – a popular artist in the Lens artist community and another artist Yve Lomax.
There were some drawings presented in clear display cases which worked alongside the themes explored in this exhibition such as nature and our interaction with environments. I wish I would have taken some closer up pictures of these drawings to show the detail combined with the simplicity which is something I found captivating at the time.
Catalogues of the exhibition were also presented in clear display cases with one opened to a collage of photographs. At the small scale of these pieces, there wasn’t much to look at but I like the way that the text in the background is at a large scale and creates an interesting composition.
There were several exhibition catalogues shown in the small exhibition which was interesting, especially since each one was presented in different ways with inclusions of different objects or materials. For instance, in this piece, there were again two exhibition catalogues with information about the work but the opened book was displaying a different page to the image above and there was a metal sheet that was accordion folded and had different shapes such as circles and squares cut out of it which reminded me of keyhole lenses.
In this display cabinet, there was some photography accordion-folded which I felt was interesting, as each compartment that was displayed in the clear cabinets were different and yet related to each other in some form, showing the development of things and how things are always changing to some degree.
Anna Lucas’s part of the exhibition:
As Anna Lucas had been one of the main people involved in the set up of the exhibition, she had multiple of her works in the exhibition, a lot of these looking like a monochrome mash-up of photographs that were created in the darkroom. They were quite abstract which I think is interesting in photography.
Anna Lucas ‘Babadag Tree’ (2020)
My thoughts about the exhibition:
Overall, I really enjoyed this exhibition and found it interesting that one of my lecturers was in it as often when I go to exhibitions, I don’t know anyone in them. I have always enjoyed experiencing the different ways that artists work on different subjects. Although I have dabbled in lens-based work through my art explorations, I am in no way an expert and so seeing the different ways people have used lenses to get their ideas across is always interesting to me and it makes me wonder about the individual process for prints or experiments in the dark rooms. This exhibition, in particular, wasn’t very long but sometimes I prefer that – short and sweet, especially since there was a couple of videos involved which required your attention. I found the location of the exhibition fascinating as it shows with the right permissions you can exhibit almost anywhere.
I wish I would have taken more photographs when I went to the exhibition so that I had more to write about but I was enjoying the work too much. Upon reflection, I should have gone to the exhibition more than once, the first time to experience it and a second time to make sure I gather enough photos of the experience. However, I can’t change things now so I will take this on board the next time I go to an exhibition.
