Lucy Carter Artist

2012-01-18T15:37:00.000Z

Please bear with me as I am currently working on designing a new blog layout...please keep popping back!

2011-09-22T10:37:00.000+01:00

Sharing is a lovely thing...I was introduced to these two poems last night, the first, I think, is thought provoking and genius. Written by Paul Adrian, 'Robin In Flight' won first prize in The National Poetry Competition last year. The second, by Josephine Haslam, titled 'Wish', won second prize in the same contest.

'Robin In Flight' by Paul Adrian

Let’s imagine for a second that the robin
is not a contained entity moving at speed
through space, but that it is a living change,
unmaking and remaking itself over and over
by sheer unconscious will, and that
if we were to slow down the film enough
we would see a flying ball of chaos,
flicking particles like Othello counters,
air turning to beak in front just as tail transforms to air behind,
a living being flinging its changes at a still universe.

This would require infinite alignments. Each molecule
privy to the code of its possible settings,
the capacity of a blade of grass to become
the shadow of a falling apple by pure force
of the tree’s instinct. Every speck of world with the potential
to become stone, dog’s breath, light twisted through glass,
filth under fingernails, the skin’s bend at the bullet’s
nudge the moment before impact,
the thought of a robin in flight,
the thought of the thought of a robin in flight.

'Wish' by Josephine Haslam

I give you my wish; my half of the bird’s
fused clavicle picked clean of flesh. I give
you its winged thinness and its seed head curve
to stand for everything I own and love.
And though I want it most to be the one
that brings you back as surely as the bird
that turns for home, it isn’t that.
Nor is it the unearthed bone from Grimm
that speaks the truth and knows its provenance;
but only what we’ve taken from the supermarket hen
we cooked for lunch. Still, it’s this
they say will bring you all you long for.
But if that doesn’t happen, know that every bone I have
is for you a wishing bone and every wish,
for you, the best there is. And if
when it comes down to it and we’re all done
the bone is all that’s left, I’ll give you my tibia
and fibula, the femur, knuckle, pelvic girdle, skull,
this finger with its ring on, spine that holds me up,
every part in fact of the empty cage that’s held
the inner workings of the heart, the breathing lungs.

Collage experiments...

2011-09-11T17:21:00.005+01:00

Studio time brought some experimental collages today...not the greatest images in the world as they were taken on my Blackberry and they are not stuck in place yet, they are more 'work in progress' really, but here they are...

Held by the Sea

2011-08-28T16:37:00.004+01:00

I have been reading a beautiful book recently written by Cornish artist Jane Darke called 'Held by the Sea'. The story documents Janes struggle to come to terms with her husbands death from cancer. Jane writes with such tenderness of their relationship, from their time together, her friends and families support and how she is trying to come to terms with the new beginning she faces without her soul mate. The book makes you take a second glance at close relationships and realise that what is important is the everyday 'being together', not taking each other for granted and really working at your life with one another.

I would highly recommend anyone to watch her film 'The Art of Catching Lobsters', which compliments the book beautifully and gives an honest view of her life with her husband, family and friends, all based in their home in Cornwall. They show lovely insights in to their relationship with one another, sharing time in their home, looking out over the beach or scouring the sand together in search of unusual seeds or lobster pot tags that have drifted hundreds of mile to wind up on the Cornish coastline. The gradual decline of Janes writer husband, Nick Darke, after a stroke and the onset of cancer is sad but beautifully depicted through his own commentary throughout the filming. His strength and lust for life cannot be dismissed. Overall this film is tender, magical and touching - a must see for anyone who feels like they need a reminder of how to love and appreciate every moment.

It's sometimes just the simple things...

2011-08-27T13:16:00.003+01:00

Sometimes it's nice to reflect on all the things that make you happy and realise that they do not come from materialistic means but sometimes, in fact most of the time, from the everyday... what is already there right in front of your face. So here is a somewhat long list of the things that make me smile, laugh or just plain content!

Daffodils / Childrens books / Dancing until I can't feel my feet / Cosy nights in / Printmaking / Drinking hot tea outside cafes on a crisp Autumn day / Old fashioned romance / The smell of new books / The woods / Tulips / Live music / The theatre / Long walks / Lavender / Sunflowers / Christmas lights / Sun set / Moon rise / Suprise deliveries / The Sunday papers / Cats and dogs / The smell of paper / Galleries / Starry skies / Cold pizza / Late nights with friends / Sennen beach / 80's rock ballads / Paint brushes / The bunny and the ant / Poetry / Magazines / Bookshops (with stationary departments) / Bonfires and fireworks / Carving pumpkins / Sweetpeas / Forcing Hyacinth bulbs in winter / The smell of the rain / Open spaces / Freshly cut grass / Thunder storms / Castles / Silence / Warm country pubs in Winter / Feeding the ducks / People watching / The sound of the sea / Sketchbooks (preferably someone elses!) / Sleepy lie ins / Walking barefoot on the beach.....

I am sure to return to this list and add LOTS to it (I am assuming this is a positive thing...I didn't find this list hard to write and am constantly thinking of other additions to it....in fact Seeing the leaves changing colour in Autumn is an important one, so there you have it!). Despite modern cultures desperate attempt at turning us all in to materialistic morons I still find that most of what makes me content does not come from Tescos.

Cornish pondering.

2011-08-25T10:11:00.007+01:00

Any one who knows me would say that the dream is to be in Cornwall, making art work, surrounded by the beautiful landscapes, open skies and fresh air of that magical county. Whilst the dream is not always easily accessible the monthly arrival of my 'Cornwwall Today' magazine makes life easier to swallow...

This month I opened the 'Arts' section and was greeted by an interview with an interesting artist who creates luminescent paintings that many have described as resembling 'everything and nothing' all at once. Katy Brown lives and works in Cornwalls 'forgotten corner', the Rame Peninsula, and is totally consumed in her practice. The under painting is key, layers of fluid, beautiful colour that creates movement and depth within the pieces. The thought that they are 'everything and nothing' rings true for me as they could represent a minute detail of the landscape, a snapshot of the gases and stars in our universe or, more purely, they could be representational of colour.

New Studio!

2011-08-17T14:56:00.005+01:00

It is official...I have a studio!
I am now based at Moss End Garden Centre in Warfield, Bracknell, in a lovely little farm building at the rear of the centre. I am still organising the room, moving things in and making some fantastic discoveries in old boxes full of art equipmehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnt! Happy days!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

I am now free to put all my ideas in to action and will be aiming to get all the new work on my website and blog as soon as it starts to appear!

In the mean time cast your eyes over Camilla Brendons website, an artist I stumbled upon recently. Camilla works in installation and mixed media pieces which explore the possibility of a 'different reality'. According to her artists statement she aims to create unusual textures and forms that will invite the audience to question our world and how we percieve it, playing with the human acceptance that what we are told is real....interesting stuff - I particularly like her 'Dark Moon' pieces.

A quote for today...

2011-01-25T08:58:00.002Z

'Every individual stands alone at the heart of the world, transfixed by a ray of sunlight and suddenly it is evening'

Salvatore Quasimodo.

Drawing inspiration...

2011-01-20T22:24:00.003Z

Here are one or two of the drawings that inspire me to think about gathering my charcoal and my sketchbook and dragging myself to greater landscapes for some doodling time!

Cornish artist Mark Spray.

Fab printmaker Jason Hicklin

Jason Hicklin

Jason Hicklin

Jason Hickling

War Poems...beautiful.

2011-01-20T22:15:00.002Z

I am reading a fair amount of poetry at the moment, I find that it helps me to tap in to different emotions and other peoples states of mind, which can be really inspirational, like when you hear a new song that just blows you away and gives you goose bumps because the lyrics are so beautiful or moving...and you find yourself wishing you could climb into someones head and see what they were thinking and feeling...

Here's a sad little poem from a book called 'War Poems'...

THE ONE By Ida Procter

In the mass is the one
In the thousand drowned,
In the hundred shot,
In the five crashed,
Is the one.
Over the news
Falls the shadow
Of the one.

We cannot weep
At tragedy for millions
But for one.
In the mind
For the mind's life
The one lives on.

Something that made me smile...

2011-01-17T22:45:00.002Z

I am not sure if this made me smile because it conjures up all sorts of images in my head or it made me smile because I am already starting to hoard pens and pencils and things in boxes... see what you think...

WARNING - By Jenny Joseph (1932-)

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay out rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the paper.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Second year memories...

2011-01-17T22:16:00.002Z

In the second year of university, whilst working on my 'tree' series of work, my tutor at the time, Timo, was trying to explain to me that the most simple pieces of work are sometimes the most effective to the viewer... not understanding him at all I got more and more frustrated... the work I put so much effort into just didn't seem to work, why? He took hold of one of my pieces and reminded me not to disregard the simple things...in art and in life. I remember tutorials with him fondly, particularly the day he stood in front of a painting I had made and reeled of a poem it reminded him of... I stumbled upon it recently and had to have a little smile!

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING By Robert Frost (1847-1963)

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Heart Shaped doodles...

2011-01-16T22:01:00.002Z

...should I draw you the picture of my heart it would be what I hope you would still love though it contained nothing new. The early possession you obtained there, and the absolute power you have obtained over it, leaves not the smallest space unoccupied.

Abigail Adams to John Adams, her husband. Written December 23, 1782

Early days and Random Moments...

2011-01-16T20:10:00.008Z

Sometimes you just have moments when you think 'I must make a collage with some dead animals' right? Well, it happened, and so did some others. Admittedly they are in a very early state of production but I thought I would throw them out there anyway. Work in progress is still work nonetheless!

This Is Your Life.

Les Miserables.

Indulge, Why Not?

Imprint.

How Do I Love Thee?

Linocut craft...

2010-12-20T11:53:00.007Z

So, I have been doing a few craft markets here and there with some of my linocut crafty pieces! Below are a few examples of the type of thing I have been making...you guys seem to like the text pieces especially (there are some words I won't print you know!). I take commissions on these style pieces, so if you have a design in mind or a name or word you would like in the text print please contact me on lucyart@hotmail.co.uk or via my website www.lucycarterartist.co.uk

Please see my website for pricing for these items (PayPal coming soon). I currently sell these unframed and unmounted but would be happy to discuss getting them mounted for you...just ask!

Sketchbook...

2010-08-20T14:48:00.007+01:00

Just a few sketchbook pages from a couple of months ago...

About town...

2010-08-19T14:39:00.006+01:00

There is nothing quite like a new sketchbook to really make you want to work. After a lovely walk into town this morning, to get some much needed milk, I popped into my favourite place, Pullingers art shop, on West Street, Farnham. It is like a little box, in which you must keep your arms tucked in at all times in order not to knock down displays and and up with a costly bill for damage...but I love, love, love it in there.

Leaving with two, simple A5 books, I wandered around to the New Ashgate Gallery to check out what is showing. Now, I know it isn't everybodies cup-of tea, but I find the place so relaxing to be in. Whether you are looking for a gift or wanting to purchase a bigger work of art, you are almost guarenteed to find something. Its also a great place to find all magazines arty! (Although I couldn't pick up A-N magazine this month so subscribed instead!). There is a new magazine in there that is only on its second issue. Costing just £4 (good for an arty mag I feel), 'Oh Comely' states its lack of interest in money and what it can buy, choosing instead to focus on creativity and its quirks. www.ohcomely.co.uk Check it out! They also have a blog covering all things art, craft, illustration and music...worth a look I think!

Too much pondering?

2010-08-18T15:57:00.005+01:00

It's a strange senario sometimes, art.

I am anxious to start new work...delve into new ventures and unpick ideas that are brewing, but I am faced with the same problem I always encounter at the beginning of any new piece...fear of failure!! It is truely crippling! I am sure that most artists have the same trouble, but I honestly drive myself crazy with the time it takes me to actually get going!

I have been revisiting images by other artists that have interested me for whatever reason and tried to think about how I can experiment with some of the techniques that catch my eye. The image below is a print by Howard Hodgkin called 'Indian Tree', from 1990/1. I love the bright red ink that has been placed first, creating an 'under-painting' that creates great vibrancy and depth to the piece.

I am once again leaning toward experimenting with oils. I tried this whilst studying and found myself frustrated with drying times and just learning how they work, but now I feel that they would suit they way my work is developing. When I look at artists like Peter Doig I am intrigued by the layering of the paint, the way the colours show through each other and the drips of thinly applied paint. With the watercolours and gouache that I am using at the moment I enjoy the water marks and puddling of the paint...the translucent nature of the medium is good for layering but I think the ability to rub away oils and leave just a trace of a colour will allow greater flexibility. Maybe its almost time to buy a few small tubes of oils and experimenting once again!

Changes are a foot...

2010-08-10T15:38:00.001+01:00

Many changes have been happening since I last posted on my blog, life has been busy and time appears to have swept me along with it once again.

This summer will bring with it new work and a new, updated website and blog, which I, once again, intend to maintain!

When I logged back on to this page I was in two minds whether to simply delete it completely in favour of totally re-starting my mumblings, however, like an old sketchbook, I could not just discard what I had written before (however simple it may have seemed).

So, here I am, sat once more infront of my screen, getting ready to challenge my work and try to discover something new about what I do.

This time things are somewhat different. I have moved towns, to Farnham, Surrey, close to the place I studied my Fine Art degree and right in the centre of some of my favourite places to be. New Ashgate Gallery is a mere 5 minutes stroll around the corner, my church (Pullingers art supplies), also a short walk away. It is wonderful to step foot outside your front door and see creativity all about, from the art students milling around town, to the little markets on a weekend at The Maltings. There is something to inspire around every corner. As much as I enjoy the 'Big Smoke' of London for mooching about a gallery or three, for me, Farnham is home.

So, this is the first of the ramblings...I feel settled in again. Now to sort out my new 'studio' (small office space), and explore and undo the latest images filling my head...

PRINT PROJECT

2010-01-02T09:26:00.001Z

Blinking into the christmas lights...

2009-12-22T19:15:00.000Z

So, its officially Christmas and the world has gone mad, and as usual I have decided to join them! I am not even going to attempt to catch you up with everything that has happened since...ummm...July (!!). Slapped wrist for my laziness, no excuses.

In all seriousness I have been busy working on a new project, based around the landscape, experimenting with gouache/watercolour/water soluble graphite etc... I have also been out and about, armed with my camera, hooked, once again, by the seasons effect upon the trees...I just cannot let that go!! I am in a good art place right now, ideas coming at me from every possible angle...lino cuts, drypoints and mixed media. I will expand on these pieces in the future!

I have also started up a PRINT PROJECT, see www.lucycarterartist.co.uk for details! I still have to put further designs and details onto my site BUT its on the way. I have lots going on and am very excited about 2010...watch this space for updates...I promise there will be updates!!!

Work....mmm, really?

2009-07-30T19:11:00.000+01:00

So here I am creating work for the London show (as mentioned below!), and at the same time I am throwing ink about trying to recreate and develop work I made from my very first year of my degree...funny how that goes isn't it. When the tutor told me 'this is interesting, I like the way you are approaching this...', I thought, ok, I am putting ink on paper, for fun, simple. Three years down the line and one degree later I have learned to think a little more about what it is I am doing and now feel the time is right to try and work on these dark little inky landscapes of mine...

When I first started producing these landscapes in my first year all I was really interested in was laying down some water and placing a line of indian ink at the bottom of the page and watching it 'bleed' out on the paper. This fascinated me for quite some time, 2 terms infact! But I really had no other thoughts about what or why...it was more about just seeing what the ink could do. After a little while I noticed that I was seeing in the pictures little trees, hills, valleys etc (note that the ones I have put on here are my new, more detailed ones, I will try and find my old ones and get them on here so there is something to compare them to). Looking back it is easy to think why didn't I work on tone, or layering the ink? but maybe I didn't have enough thought process or knowledge to progress my ideas, so, I guess, in a way I am back at the beginning, but with renewed vigour and a passion for exploration of the medium and subject matter combined.

Above:

Indian ink on Somerset and Heritage printing paper.

I have not yet decided if these are anywhere near finished, they have had about 5 to 6 layers of ink, they are work in progress, it is hard to see the tonal differences and layers on here but I feel like they have good depth to them which may benefit from slightly more washes of ink.

See my website for a few more of these!

www.lucycarterartist.co.uk

Time...

2009-07-28T17:17:00.000+01:00

Above: Pictures of macquettes.

I truely do not know where time has gone. One minute I have weeks before my next show and the next it is less than one week away! Everything always happens at once...why is that!?! So this time next week I will be part of a group show at the Portman Village Galleries in London (W1H 5BF). It came about pretty quickly after a couple of uni friends submitted a propsal to the space and it got accepted. The exhibition is based on a piece of writing, originally written by Paul Thek and appropriated by the editor of Freize magazine, Tom Morton, titled 'Revised Teaching Notes or Remember I'm Going To Mark You'.

Check out this link for the writing:

http://www.rememberimgoingtomarkyou.mfbiz.com/

I am working on the line 'make a paper aeroplane, and write your greatest fear on its left wing'. My concerns around this theme stem from the current economic situation and the materialism and selfishness behind today's society. My idea of creating a paper plane in the traditional sense but with its left wing crafted from genuine bank notes seems a simple one, but one I hope will be effective. I have also worked out a way that I can 'fold' in the notes without damaging them, therefore making me 100% legal!!

Creating work like this is new and exciting for me as it is so much more conceptual then work I usually make, it is also allowing me to start a slow steady progression into 3D....I know, I know, paper aeroplanes hardly count!!

Scrambled Eggs in Brick Lane!

2009-07-08T14:42:00.000+01:00

Me, sorting through my prints for the show...

View of the amazing space we were exhibiting in: The Boiler House.

So, the shows over...The Boiler House inside The Trueman Brewery in Brick Lane, London, was the home to our final show as Fine Art Graduates...in my opinion the show was a great success. We had a whale of a time installing the exhibition and the private view was certainly one of the busiest I have been too! Hopefully something will come of it, but if it doesn't I can at least say that it was an awesome experience and one of the best shows I have seen a university produce.

Where is the time going?

2009-06-25T18:06:00.001+01:00

It's been a while since I had much time to sit and think to myself for 5 minutes, so here we go! The art work has slowed...not for long though as next week the wheels will, once again, be in motion. Our Brick Lane show at The Old Trewman Brewery starts on the 2nd July. Let the mayhem begin...24 short hours to run in, put up walls, paint, tidy, install and have a private view...nervous breakdown heaven!!!!

I am still not sure of what I am actually putting into the show...need to see the space and then decide what will work best, my portfolio will be crammed (!) with prints just waiting for their turn to be shown! Yipee!!

After the craziness of next week I am determined to take myself outside, armed with camera, for a few long walks...sketching, snapping and just taking in the scenery that I have long wanted to explore and work with. Think I will also benefit from taking some small sheets of acetate out too and produce some marks using my small etching tool, printing them up just for some ideas to work with.

Inspirations...

2009-06-10T16:06:00.000+01:00

Funny how variety can inspire. When I do a mental run-through of the artists that I follow they really couldn't be more different, yet in my head it all comes down to the same thing, but line their work up and you get a mismatch of fine art verses 'commercial' art. For example, as mentioned in a previous blog, I greatly admire Tracey Emin...perhaps she's too obvious, I mean, who doesn't know who Tracey Emin is!?! Even my Dad has an opinion on her '...she did that stupid bed thing...' (yes, that is the full opinion!) Emin is not only fantastically educated and informed but poetically brilliant. Her writings, whether its her book Strangeland (a must read by the way), or her column in The Independent, are beautiful. She is the whole package, with an aura of raw honesty and a fingers-up to the world attitude which has got her far. I adore her monoprints specifically; they are produced quickly and their tactile marks capture the delicate nature of the subject matter. Also, more recently, Emin has produce some intricate little bronze sculptures, such as a pair of babies shoes and a little bird...fantastic. Hand in hand with Emin, for me that is, is Louise Bourgeois. I spent a great deal of time reading on these artists for my dissertation and still feel like I want more. Bourgeois is diverse in her work, having produced pieces in varieties of mediums including: print, drawing, painting and, of course, sculpture. I have particular interest in her prints and drawings eg 'He disappeared into complete silence'.

Lets swing this around slightly...
Looking forwards, as mentioned, to new beginnings, new work, work that may take me onto my MA Fine Art this September...I look at nature...landscape. The place I love more than anywhere else is Cornwall (infact, if I had somewhere to stay I would get into my little car right now and head that very direction!). Cornish artist Kurt Jackson produces some of the most vibrant, beautifully expressive landscapes I have seen, much replicated his work speaks about the spirituality and romance of the landscape he lives in (Landsend...St Just). If you haven't heard of him google him now. As I write this I look to my left and see three of his works upon postcards I purchased from Newlyn Gallery in Cornwall last year somtime. Jackson takes himself outside his studio, armed with giant canvases, on which he walks over, throws sand, splats paint and scratches with his nails. His work is about the precious places we live and you can feel his experiences on close examination of his work in the flesh (I was lucky enough to attend a private view fairly recently at Lymington House Gallery in the New Forest).

He is someone to take inspiration from, he gets out there...rain or shine, producing anything from a single line to a fully detail landscape....no sense of fear, just work.

Sewing the seeds...

2009-06-09T19:32:00.000+01:00

...Parsley, Rosemary and Basil to be precise, as well as re-potting plants around the flat. You know what this all means don't you, other than fresh herbs and a nicer tasting meal? Avoidance. In the same way that I had a permanently empty laundry basket and a fabulously defrosted freezer whilst I was writing my dissertation. Pathetic isn't it?! What I actually should be doing (other than searching for a job) is taking my weary body (and newly swollen foot) off, armed with my sketchbook, to draw some studies for new prints. I feel free and more than inspired; I am kind of scared that what is in my head is not going to be what comes out on paper. How many times do I have to be told '...you need to make 100 mistakes to get 1 workable idea'?

Maybe I need to be less worried about themes/outcomes and just enjoy making the work...without pressure; be experimental with the mediums, enjoy making the marks and putting new things together.

Reflection...

2009-06-07T11:01:00.000+01:00

Having spent what feels like about 2 weeks 'sorting' through all my university crap...sorry, I mean 'paperwork', I have realised how much I am ready to begin a new chapter of work. The themes and subject matter I was working to are still relevant to me but I was really working in a head-space that was very dark and lonely, making work about negative feelings and worrying times for me that existed a few years ago. Don't get me wrong, I feel I have been totally true to myself by making the work I have over the last, probably two years realistically (I try to pretend my first year 'work' doesn't exsist, despite the fact I had marks as high as 78%...????). I think to continue producing work under the same ideas would prove weak and transparent in feeling; where I am now is much more reflective, a million times stronger and more positive within my self and I think my work should show that. The only other option is to allow myself the honesty...allow myself to produce work along the same lines that hides nothing. That was a remark from my latest assessment actually. I agree really, despite sulking for a few days afterwards, that to really capture your audience you need to pull them in with something...whether it is something shocking or just something that is pure heart-felt honesty. Tutors made comments about people like Tracey Emin and Louise Bourgeois, both artists who I admire immensly... they leave no stone unturned, nothing hidden, yet you want to know more...

So, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. Reflecting back to my tree work I find myself drawn (excuse the punn) to nature; this is the work that most people have 'liked' (Paul Vivian would hate that comment), this is the work that I am proud of, that I could sell, that I can get myself out in the elements, where I am happiest, to make... I need to somehow work out what is best...

Strange times...

2009-06-04T14:45:00.000+01:00

Time has flown by this week...I cannot believe it was a week ago that I was getting in a state over the private view! Last Thursday...day of last minute cleaning, painting and hanging/re-hanging work (good old white tack!). I feel like my feet have not touched the ground since...well, about 4 years ago actually! I have (rather geekishly...is that a word???) written myself a 'to-do' list...it is about as long as my arm though but I have been painfully working my way down it...you know, the usual...CV, covering letters, competitions, bla bla bla! I guess I am worried that now uni is done I may just fall into doing something that uses none of what I have been working for all these years, not my style! Having said that the CV and letter I wrote is for a gym in Farnborough...slightly different though as its only for teaching-not for a full time position!

Will be joining Ochre Print Studio in Guildford in the next couple of weeks...have NO work to print yet but figure that I need the motivation to do some and parting with the money and becoming a member will provide said motivation! (fingers crossed!!)

Lastly, I have a place on next years London Marathon...yikes! Confimed that today....scared already!! As soon as I finish writing this I am entering a 10K run at the beginning of next month...xx

New beginnings...

2009-05-30T15:50:00.000+01:00

So, I guess this is it. The private view, the scary event that 3 years has been building up to, has come and gone. On the night I thought I would feel overcome with emotion at having finished something that was all possible experiences rolled in to one, but instead I felt sort of...well, numb. Everything around me was a hive of energy and I was stood still, watching. I had an awesome time at university, something that I wasn't sure I would fit into; school leaver at 14, no formal qualifications or any clue how to structure academic essays etc. I heard the usual cliched stories that the friends you make at university '...feel like family', cheesy, but true. I now need to become very good at keeping in contact! (something that should not be difficult given the technology we have access to!).

Now my fellow uni friends and I wait patiently for out over-all grade, the big one. Not sure how this is going to go...I think I stand, slightly wobbly, on the border of a high 2:2 (boo!) and a low 2:1 (yes please Mr Vivian). I could have done better with my practice this term, this is the first time I can honestly say that I didn't work hard enough, not through lack of effort, I simply allowed myself to be bullied by tutors wants and ended up being the loser. Next time it will be fingers up to them and get on with it, but hey, we learn from our mistakes in the end, I will remain positive and ever the optimist! (2:1 pllleeeeaaasssseee!!!!).

This coming week, apart from invigilating the show and visiting the Hop Blossom to catch up with friends, must be focused upon competitions and job applications...no excuses, I need money now!! Back to searching for classes (if anyone knows a local gym in need of a spin instructor let me know!) and reassessing my next move...