Chatsworth

The trip to Chatsworth was... in a word... desultory. Not to say that it wasn't enjoyable or interesting because it was, but spending six hours soaking up culture and history, navigating a small but challenging maze, roaming through woodland after an elusive tower that never seemed any closer, attempting to return a lost sheep to its pastures, and being besieged by 1^st yrs with an intent to aggravate certainly does take its toll.

To be entirely honest I found the Barry Flanagan sculptures a little disturbing when studying them in person. I found the obsidian black combined with the exaggerated proportions gave them a sort of oppressive look that I didn't like. They are sculpted in a way that makes them appear as if they are in motion and it is easy to imagine them coming to life as you look at them, not unlike something that might feature in a Lewis Carroll story.

The sculptures within and around the vicinity of the house, however typical of historical sculpture they may be, are much more to my liking. The most impressive to me were saved until the very last as you exit the house. Those being the enormous lions on either side of the doors leading out through the shop into the gardens.

I feel that I may not have gained exactly what was expected or intended from this trip. I have learned one or two things that may help me progress through the course, but I feel the trip, more importantly to me, enriched the relationship between me and my classmates. This isn't a soppy thank you to those that have made/accepted me as part of the team, but it is a firm nod of gratitude and appreciation. 

Lino Print

I attempted to create a somewhat elaborate design for a repeat pattern lino print. I didn't manage to get to the printing stage because I failed to complete the cutting process in lesson time, but my intrigue got the better of me and I recreated my design digitally to get an idea of what the finished print could look like. I ‘repeated’ the design to get the ‘repeat’ effect and tried it with different coloured patterns and backgrounds. I like the way it looks and can only hope that the actual print looks something like this example.

Life/Observational Drawing

I like the way these two turned out, but I think I need to worry less about the little details and get on with the overall form to achieve a more finished appearance to my drawings. The skeleton took me at least twice as long as the drapery, but saying that I think I prefer the latter. I have always spent far too long working on one drawing and I want to push myself into working quicker and spending less time on details so I can produce more work in a session. I know I’m questioning the quality vs. quantity theory, but I’m aiming for some sort of a balance between the two.