My intention, as summer turned in to autumn, was to “expand & broaden” my creative skills – turning from urban- & botanical sketching into testing different kinds of artistic methods and materials.
Designing my own art education, I am free to choose my own path. Having a MA in literature & aesthetic theory (including art history, film & architecture), I believe I have my theoretical and historical foundation in place. And since I’m not interested in working in conceptual art, what I need to learn is the material & practical side of it all. I need to learn craft and to develop skills.
To push on, to learn more, I looked for suitable tutors. I found quite a few… I also set a strict timetable for myself, ensuring I got creative work done – EVERY DAY. This is a short “line up” of what I have been doing:
Semester summary (courses & classes etc.):
- Daily croquis of new dog.
- Followed Nelleke Verhoeff’s class Creating Simple Characters (drawing & collage)
- Participated in the online class: 7 Essentials with Anita Lehmann.
- Four (very busy but tremendously fun) weeks in Este MacLeod’s online class: Flower Collage.
- A weekend painting workshop.
- A weekend workshop in Cyanotype/Blueprints
- An intensive 3-day-workshop focusing on image/text relationship.
- Last but not least; a weekend workshop in linocut printing.
Preliminary review
I worked a lot with collage this autumn, I think the process is too messy, and I sometimes find collage art lacking a personal touch or being too cool & trendy. But things changed a lot when I started painting and printing my own paper (as I did in the Flower Collage class). Suddenly it was no longer about a clever way to use pre-made images and found stuff. Instead I started working with my own paper and, to a greater degree than before, with my own imagination, and everything felt much more like an original, intuitive process.
I might not like messy untidiness, but I do like unpredictability to play a part in my art making. I really like to work with projects where some of the process is left to chance. And all kinds of printmaking have this quality to it, and so no wonder I really enjoyed both cyanotype and linocut.
I think collage and printmaking will follow me into next semester, and I already have a week painting workshop scheduled. What I am looking for is a really good printing-workshop … so if you know of any, please let me know!
I must admit I really enjoy designing my own education! I have given myself 3 more years to go, three more years to study, before I’ll decide what to do with the rest of my life …
It’s a grand privilege – I know!
I find this post so inspiring! I love that you created a syllabus for a semester of art exploration. I look forward to hearing more about your education:)
Dear Cheryl, thank youl!
I made a syllabus, and also “went public” with my plan to study art, because I found that stating my plans to friends and family made my project more real to me and forced me to take my own intentions seriously.
I organise my days in such a way that I secure time for creative work, not at the same time every day, but sometime during each day. I keep a diary at my desk, so I don’t end up fooling myself, believing I have done my chores when in fact I haven’t … 🙂
Thanks for sharing this. You have inspired me, again. I was not going to go to the last writing workshop I signed up for so I could save bus fare. But I am going! One of the things I promised I would learn this next “semester” is to be able to speak in front of a group without zoning out or freezing and I met a young woman who said she would got to some poetry slams in town with me at the workshop but I didn’t get her contact information, so I will go!
Dear Rio,
You definitively should go! Looking forward to reading the slam report (how fun to have a young companion!).
I agree with the others, very inspiring what you do and what you write about! And taking your time to experiment is fantastic. I like printing and similar techniques for the same reason as you do! The unpredictability is so inspiring, surprising yourself and giving you new input. I do a class with mixed techniques right now and I love it .I do a lot of printing with the most simple things. There are lots of possibilities and I think I can try more and more. A never ending story if you want 🙂 I love your figures, so funny and fresh 🙂 Please go on!!!
PS and I am impressed what you did so far, so many classes and workshops, wow!
Thank you! This has been a great autumn for me! I wasn’t sure a summary would be of any interest to anybody but me – but since these classes have been really helpful and also important for my development, I chose to share it.
Are you taking classes over a lenger time-period?
I would love to try Japanese Watercolour Woodblock next, just have to find where to do it 😉
I haven’t had the time to look at all your links yet, but I will catch up soon! Yes, I think it is very interesting to everyone who loves being creative or who loves to look at art and the creative process. It is always inspiring to substitute experience. – We have a good centre for creative education in town and I took a lot of classes the last years. Most of them are only for short time periods of 6 or 8 weeks, but they continue from term to term. – That sounds interesting! I will have a look at a video about it. – Do you have many classes nearby or are you travelling elsewhere to do workshops? There are so many fantastic things 🙂