3Desk

I completed my profile on 3Desk ( a new contact social network site) this evening, and before the night was ended, I received a request from a Gallery Owner in Plymouth asking if I would like to show some of my work with her. What a lovely surprise ... its so wonderful when something like that happens.

Here is a link to my 3Desk network site


http://3desk.com/Penelope-tt

Working Portfolio of Images ....

These are a few of the images from my working portfolio that I will be showing to Jason from Millennium Images tomorrow afternoon. 

  

  Snow Flakes

 

Near the Boat House 

Andante

Ancients

 Dream Rain

Another Busy Day at Uni ....

Today was as it has been for a while now, another busy day. First there was a meeting about the London Free Range Exhibition. I am still undecided whether to go or not. Its the financial side of the venture that is making me indecisive. Can I afford to live in London for a whole week? I know it would be a good experience, and that I should go. It is a dilemma.

The meetings are structured professionally as an exercise to prepare students for the world outside of University. It is good practise for those who are setting out on their career. Discussed at the meeting were the financial position of the group, the fund raising events, the design of the posters and website and other matters.

After the meeting we had another meeting, this time with the group be(longing), our external project exhibition group. I am dealing with our postcards, I must admit that it is quite hard to get any enthusiasm from the group. Everyone is so very stressed at the moment due to there being one week until the deadline for the dissertation hand in. Our exhibition opens on the 13th March, so there isn't much time to get everything organised. Tomorrow I shall walk over to Prontaprint and order our postcards. We are having 50 cards each with names, email and websites on the back of the postcards.

I needed to continue printing for my portfolio that I will be showing to the visiting curator on Friday. Jason is coming from Millennium Images to discuss and critique our work. I am quite happy with the work I am producing now, and I don't mind showing the prints that I have. I have a tutorial with Gwyn Jones tomorrow to help me get the saturation and levels etc right on my pictures for printing. At the moment, a few of them are too dark and also a couple appeared to have a green cast on them. I have 12 images to show.

By the time I had done all of this I felt very tired. I hadn't slept much last night and needed to come home. I have a tutorial with Richard tomorrow at 12 noon to go over my Dissertation; I haven't looked at it since we last met up last Friday. I feel terrible about this, but I just haven't been able to put my mind to it this past week and in all honesty I am so fed up of it. However, I will have to focus on it at the weekend and the beginning of next week. It has to handed in next Friday, and before that it needs to be bound. so I have no choice but to finish it by next Wednesday.

Friday Professional Practice Seminar CV Writing

This afternoon we had a Professional Practise Seminar with Eva to discuss how to write an artist CV.

CV's are always a bit of a problem for me. I don't enjoy doing them and I never know how much information I should add. They constantly need to be updated which is annoying, and very time consuming. However, I must be more positive about my CV because after all, it is an important piece of information for securing work.

CV - Creating a good impression

• Include all relevant experience
• Qualifications and Training
• Exhibitions and Publications
• Target your audience ( i.e. work, gallery, exhibition)
• Include image for a visual CV (important for an artist) 
• Create a link on your website to your CV
• Update CV often
• Name it Penelope Davies CV 2013
• Keep a CV folder on your desk top so that you can file anything that is relevant
• Read other artist/photographers CV's 
• Who you are now is the most relevant to your CV
• Add Artist Statement
• Information about yourself - current work, where you are based, who you are, what's your passion
• Graduating from the University of Wales
• Control what information you have on your CV (do not need to add your address if CV being published on line
• Need Artist CV for my Portfolio
• Use good quality paper, looks more professional
• Good idea to read other artists CV as you can find competitions and sources for Grants

(Good example of CV Simon Roberts)

Penelope Davies Artist CV

Friday Dissertation Tutorial

Tutorial with Richard re Dissertation

Today Richard highlighted a few points that I need to think about with regard to improving my dissertation. I have misunderstood a little about the Cartesian theory.

Cartesian theory is a theoretical framework of the way we look at the landscape. It has influenced culture.

Further reading ....

"Landscape and Memory" by Simon Schama

"Landscape Theory" by James Elkins

"The Dark Side of the Landscape" by John Barrell

"Visual Culture" by Mirzeoff

Richard also gave me a Reading List of books that I should look at and add to my Bibliography. I have too many quotes from the same source. My Bibliography does not have many book on Landscape!

We discussed how the landscape can create anxieties or alleviate worries depending on the landscape and ourselves. (Calm = picturesque; Anxiety = dangerous precipice)

The landscape is a construct of ourselves. As Farmers, we are part of the land, moving into cities then it becomes an extension of ourselves (the picturesque)

Richard invited me to come along to his lectures on Thursday at 2pm. His lectures are related to my dissertation theme of landscape.

Richard is an incredibly helpful and knowledgeable lecturer. I am very glad that he is my dissertation supervisor.  He is very thorough, he reads through my work with a fine tooth comb. He is a great help in advising on books to read, how to write sentences clearly and concisely and most of all in encouraging and motivating me to try to improve on my dissertation.

PRONTAPRINT Visit for Estimate of Costs

I needed a break from scanning my negatives so I walked to ProntaPrint on St Helen's Rd to find out the costs of postcards etc.

750 Postcards (50 of each image) £75.00 (£5.00 each)

A3 Posters 50p each
... A4 Posters 40p each

500 Flyers/Posters A5 Size £69.00
1000 Flyers/Posters A5 Size £99.00
 
The cost of the postcards is very reasonable and I think we should probably go with this one. I have been researching other printing services on line, and none of them are as reasonable as this.
 

Some Images I developed and scanned today

The following images were an experiment with the Ilford XP2 Black and White films that are C41 process. I'm not sure about them .... there is something organic in the feel of them but I am unable to decide as yet if they work or not. With my images it is often the case that I need to study them, leave them for a day or so, and then return to them. It is after viewing them a few time that I decide if they do work or not.

       Llangwm Cemetery, 

Denied access to a field

Tomb Fence

Dark Stream Wood

Opposite Side

Wall of Mud

Twilight Twig

My personal project image are a painterly abstract expressionistic style .... the final image Twilight Twig may fit into the series but as I said, I will make a decision at a later date .....

Visit to Oriel Bach Gallery, The Mumbles

Today was my first visit to the Oriel Bach Gallery. Abbie and I went along to deliver the contract and our payment, and to measure the space. We needed to work out how much space we each have. Although it seems small when you first walk in, there is enough room for the 15 members of the group to have a 3 - 4 ft of space for their images.

I have not yet decided which image I will use, or what kind of size I will print them. I think I will probably have two images, approx sizes either 24 x 24, or 30 x 30. I feel my images need to be quite big as they are influenced by a painterly expressionistic style so the bigger the better.

It was a little disappointing today that only two of us from the be(longing) group attended the gallery today. I know that people have other commitments, but so do Abbie and I, and this was work, work for the External Project. However, it is up to the individual how much time and effort they put into this exhibition but personally I want it to have energy and enthusiasm to ensure a successful event.

Exhibition Poster.....

Dissertation Writing 11th - 15th Feb 2013

I have been working on my Dissertation this week and it has been hard work. My topic is The Role of Vision in Traditional and Contemporary Painting and Photography.

I am looking at the theories of Descartes' Meditations on Linear Perspective, Martin Jay's essay on "Scopic Regimes of Modernity,"  Liz Wells "Land Matters", WJ Mitchell "Power and Landscape" and Peter Osborne's "Travelling Light."

Writing an 8000 word dissertation is probably the hardest task I have ever tried to complete. It has taken weeks, months even, of reading and researching, and then trying to write a coherent piece of work that is structured and that flows. I have a tutorial with my lecturer on Wednesday 20th Feb to discuss how my three chapters are working, or not, as the case may be. I know that my third chapter has more work to be done on it before it is near finishing; but I am hoping that my first and second chapters are at least heading in the right direction and are making sense to him.

A dissertation is meant to have introductions and conclusions to every paragraph, which have to include a quote or a reference to a theory. I haven't been able to do this consistently. It is very difficult. I am also finding it difficult to find the right quotes to add in the appropriate places.

Since I emailed my three chapters to my lecturer last Friday, I haven't thought about it. I needed to clear my head of the mish mash of information I have been trying to digest. But after my tutorial tomorrow, I will have to put my mind to it again. The final deadline is less than three weeks away. I for one, will be very happy when all 8000 words are completed and handed in to reception. But I have a way to go yet.

Artist Statment

Penelope Davies

COMING HOME (2013)

 Dream Rain

                                                  

Music in the Wind

           

As a landscape photographic artist, I use nature to create work that conveys a sense of the spiritual, and is a silent instrument I use to listen to nature’s heartbeat. My work has developed into an abstract expressionistic style of photography, influenced by painters from the Renaissance to the post-modern periods, and by contemporary photographers such as Uta Barth and Sally Mann. My aim is to encourage the viewer to use their imagination to see what lies hidden.

“Coming Home” is a series of images relating to my connection with the land of my ancestral home of Wales. It is a quest to find the emotive beauty of the landscape I see and feel, as I explore my relationship with it.  For this series, I am relinquishing control of the picture making process using a Diana F plastic camera to allow my intuition to capture the spirit of the land. I have chosen to use Black and White film as I feel it conveys a sense of the land’s ancient history.

It is important to me that my images are beautiful, because it is beauty that I see everywhere, and it is the beauty that helps me to convey my love of the land, and of nature. Nature constantly surprises me, and is an infinite source of inspiration.  

Professional Practice led by Holly Davey

Today's session was the creation of a Professional Portfolio and how it should look and feel. It should be a visual delight, simple, easy to read, clear and professional. Some examples were brought in to show us. The best ones in my opinion were the most simple examples. A thick card cover, a business card with only essential information, a CD of images and a short but concise Artist Statement. Some of the examples were too wordy, did not have a visual impact on the receiver, had too much information, or was not professional to look at.

We had been set a task last week to write our Artists Statements. I had written a short summary of my current work, but it was suggested that I should be more confident in my approach, be more bold with my font use, and write about my photographic background  and style. The best examples were artist statements that had good quality images, and explain in a concise manner what you and your work are about. Background information is useful for someone who is looking at your work, the concept is important, the development is also important, as is the way your portfolio looks to a curator of a gallery ,or a business client. Simple and concise was the message I think.

We were set into groups of 4 or 5 students, the artist statements were handed to the groups to give feedback. I felt this was a very useful exercise. We all knew after Holly had spoken to us about how an artist statement should look, that our own efforts could be improved. I had not typed my website on my artist statement, and to my dismay I realised after emailing Holly my amended and completed artist statement, that I had indeed forgotten once again to type my website at the top of the page.

The exercise was for the purpose of sending to the Curator of Mission Gallery in Swansea, and a spokesperson for Millennium Images who will be visiting the University on the 23rd Feb and 1st March 2013. They will lead seminars with groups of students and discuss their work and their ambitions.

I am scheduled to meet a visiting curator on March 1st. For this I need to get my Visual Journal up do date, choose and print 15 images for my portfolio to show the curator, and be ready to answer any questions about my work that are asked of me.

http://creativecardiff.org.uk/whats-on/diffusion-cardiff-international-festival-of-photography/

Diffusion Photographic Festival, Cardiff, May 1st to 31st 2013.

I have completed the form to Volunteer to work with Diffusion in May. However, they have now sent me an email to ask me to send them my CV. I need to update mine, and fortunately we have a workshop on Friday to give us some useful information and tips on how to write a professional CV. I need the help!

I'm not sure I will be able to volunteer to work with them as I may just visit the Festival in May ... but it would be another tick in the box for my External Project. But I will think about the practicalities of travelling etc.

London Exhibition Meeting

Today the whole cohort met for the first time to discuss the preparations for the BA London Exhibition. The meeting was not well organised today, and the lecturers suggested that in future the Chair Person should have more control of the meeting, and that it should feel more professional.

Matters discussed were

• fund raising activities
• Finding Sponsorship and who from the group was going to take responsibility for this
• car boot sales were discussed as an option to raise funds
• an equipment sale had taken place raising £300 
• quiz nghts
• Valentine Photo Shoot at a venue in Swansea on Feb15th
• various other matters 
• A Facebook Event page creation was allocated to a student

The meeting went on quite a long time, and it was obvious that the group were losing concentration. It was a little frustrating.

I had made a decision not to take part in the London exhibition due to financial constraints, but I am still in two minds about it. It would be a good experience to exhibit my work in London, it would look good on my CV, and one never knows if some offer or opportunity may be forthcoming. But I am still unsure. When I spoke to Paul, the Financial Representative, he said that I should be part of  the group exhibit in London, and that I might regret it if I decided not to attend. I will consider carefully again,  but I must admit that I am not overawed by the prospect of setting up a big exhibition far away from home. Am I being unwise?

External Project - Group Meeting re Exhibition at Oriel Bach

Thursday 14th Feb 2013

We had a meeting today to discuss the contract Oriel Bach had given Abbie on her visit on Tuesday. It is quite straight forward and we all signed it. There was a page that we were not able to complete, that was the titles and prices of the work we will be exhibiting. None of us have yet decided on our images or the sizes we will be printing. I have an idea of the two images I will use, but as yet I am not a 100% certain.

We paid £7.00 each towards the cost of the venue. A very reasonable amount for a two week period. Our other expenses will be the cost of posters, flyers, postcards, food and drink for the Opening Night on the 13th March and other sundries not yet accounted for.

Tessa and I are arranging the ordering of the postcards. We will have 50 each with one image. These will be put in packs of 15 and sold at the Gallery. I am not sure if we intend to sell any small prints or other items, We have yet to decide.

Some members of the group have been allocated certain tasks to carry out. Lee and James are making a website, Marie is designing the posters, Abbie is our project leader as she set up and organised the group. I am not sure of other roles the group members are playing, there has not yet been an official role given to each person. I think that it would be a good idea to delegate roles to each member of the group as then it would be more clear who was doing what.

But at the moment we seem to be pulling together to make the event a successful one.

Feedback for Presentation and External Project

I was completely taken aback today when I discovered that the tutorials were feedback for our presentations, and thrilled to discover that I had been given positive comments, and a 2:1 grade. I'm so pleased. I really wasn't expecting that. Presentations are so stressful but although I am shaking inside, I seem to have the ability to appear confident! Isn't it strange how that happens, but good for my self esteem!

As for the External Project, my folder hardly has anything in it and so my feedback reflected that. I need to enter competitions, find some voluntary work, exhibit somewhere other than with our Group be(longing), and contact various people about opportunities. I have contacted Origin Co - Operative to apply for a place with them, but have not heard back from them yet. There is also a place in Haverfordwest called The Spirit of Enterprise whom I intend to visit in the next week or so when I have time. They help people start businesses and may be able to give me some contacts for my work. Another avenue I could try would be to contact magazines who may be interested in my style of work. I need to research this, find a list of magazines who cover landscape and other environmental, cultural or even gardening issues and stories. It is something to think about. I need to time manage my work so that I can do all the things I need to do. There is so much work to do for Uni now but I have to stay motivated and get it done.

Origin Gallery

I visited a couple of galleries in Carmarthen, I want to find places where I can exhibit my work in the future. I called in at the Origin Gallery, a Co-Operative of Artists and Craft Makers ...to my delight they have a space available. So I've just emailed Amanda whom I was told was the person to get in touch with. I've sent her some of my work and an artist statement so hopefully I will hear from her soon.

I received an email back from Amanda, she has forwarded my email and images to the Board to discuss whether my work is suitable to join their Co-Operative.

A day just me and my Camera...

My day was full of beauty and connections. I drove along the coast from Saundersfoot to Pendine where the sky was a most glorious yellow… I stopped everywhere I saw a photo opportunity, walking along all the beaches, thanking the universe for sharing such wonders with me and feeling happy and peaceful inside.

 I had intended to drive to Llanfallteg when I left Pendine but I forgot about Laurghne … I hadn’t been there for many years and felt Dylan Thomas’ spirit calling me. I parked and spent a few hours there. The boat house was empty but for me, and was lovely and warm. I took my time looking at everything and sat and watched the film of his life, but I was a bit disappointed that there was nothing of his voice in the film. So I mentioned this to the man at the desk and he said “oh … I’ll put his poems on for you ..go and make yourself comfortable in the sitting room.” So I sat in DT’s chair, closed my eyes, listened to his Welsh Preacher Style Rendition of some of his poems, and almost fell asleep in the comfort and warmth. What a treat that was. I felt a real connection with him then.

Sadly, his writing shack was locked, they’re making repairs to it as the wood is rotting and unsafe … but I shot some pictures through the window and hope I get something.

After shooting some more film of the surrounding area, I did head for Llanfallteg and stopped at my old school in Henllan … by this time I was very much in the zone and could see even more photo opportunities … I passed through Rhyd Y Wrach where as a child I always raced through for fear of being caught and kidnapped by the witch that my mother convinced me was always on the look out for little girls….hehe!

When I arrived in Carmarthen I found that my connecting train had been cancelled … so the hour turned into almost two hours … its only 8 mins from Carmarthen to Ferryside!

But no matter …nothing was going to spoil my day …fortunately I had my knitting with me.. haha yes I knit! Sitting in the waiting room I listened to people on their mobile phones moaning about their day at work, or shushing boyfriends on the other end, telling them they couldn’t talk as they were in the station waiting room … there was one young woman who totally bamboozled me … she had the fastest speaking voice I have ever heard in my life .. I was intrigued, no matter how hard I tried to attune to her words, I couldn't understand a thing… her boyfriend seemed to understand perfectly! It was most peculiar.

After a while I had to succumb to the delights of the Coracle Buffet… I was so hungry, I hadn’t had anything except a biscuit since my tea cake … the cafe assistant was gleefully telling us all why SHE never catches trains but has a lovely little car. There was a wry smile on many a face in the cafe.

I feel there must have been a reason for spending so much time in the company of strangers today …. It came to mind that Dylan Thaomas'  "Under Milk Wood" was playing a scene for me ….. or maybe he was talking to me telling me that there are many diverse characters out there and that I should spend more time listening to them.

It was a perfect day, a magical day.