Reflective Statement

During this unit I have learned a lot of things about my art work and the way I work. I have looked at illustrators and novelists for my main research body this term. I have started to figure out my practice, taking a lot of pressure off myself; stopped trying to fit in to my idea of a 'fine artist'.

I feel that because my research was not so limited, I have started to see how I fit in as a whole. I feel as though I have really worked out a lot of the kinks in my reasoning, by not worrying so much about why I've put a certain pencil mark in a certain place. I have been worried about my illustrative nature for a while, but now feel I am able to use that in any upcoming projects. It seems increasingly easier to talk about my work, with the introduction of terms like 'Utopia' and looking at the form of artists like Mondrian, who I would not have previously considered.

These realisations and the work I put into making them, come at the cost of my work with various processes though, I believe I got too bogged down with the 'why?' aspect and it held me back, especially at the beginning. Although there is normally a lot of confusion at the start of a project, I feel as though my momentum only appeared half way through, and I could have experimented a lot more. While I did work with 3D to an extent, I would love to go further with it next year.

I am choosing to see this unit as a base. It was needed, successful in most ways, and has helped me to figure pout a lot of things. Next year I will apply all that I have learned, will attend workshops for the techniques which I find interesting and relate to my style. I want to go further into screen printing as i find the process fascinating and am already starting to picture the work I could create. In regards to 3D work, I wish to apply my illustrations to the cold hard materials I enjoy working with; plastics, metal, glass etc... How exactly this will happen though, I am not yet sure. I will begin further research over Christmas to have a more set idea for when I get back, perhaps printing onto different materials would be a good way to start?

So, in terms of developing my practice, I believe I have been as successful as possible so far. My practical work and skills have, if not suffered, been on pause; yet my head seems more sorted than ever. I certainly feel more confident about being here and am definitely excited to use more processes next year.