Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Buzzzzzzzzzzzz


New work done for my friend Sar's little girl Charlotte. This is the first of this kind of thing that I've done, and although the fairy looks like she's got something stuck up her nose, I'm not unhappy with the result.

My head is buzzing at the moment from too much information, it honestly feels like it is going to explode. I met with my supervisor yesterday to get my MA moving into reality. Starting with the resurgence of calligraphy in the late 19C early 20C, specifically around Edward Johnston, the focus on letterforms and legibilty. Looking forward to seeing some early 20C calligraphic pieces so that I can compare with 21C contemporary/abstract stuff.

The buzz includes a series of wants that are burning into my brain. It's a matter of working out what I want more. There's a new workshop I'm thinking of doing on colour in calligraphy. Colour theory is not something that I can seem to stick in my brain. Any work I do in colour is purely intuitive. My Dad has explained the difference between warm and cool colours so many times he's given up trying! This is a five month workshop done one Sunday a month. It would be good to use calligraphy within a workshop, without focusing purely on the letters, in fact I think it would free up my lettering. Often when I attend workshops I swear I forget everything I've ever learned. It would also be a way of practising without taking up too much more of the limited time I have.

Time is also buzzing around my brain, hence why I'm blogging at 11pm at night. Hubbie and boys are asleep and this sometimes seems like it's the only time I can actually hear myself think. You have no idea how much I crave the silence of the night. I've been trying to finish PS for the past week and it's taking an interminable time, so much fiddling between Word, PhotoShop and InDesign. Unfortunately I'm going to have to let it go, with the start of my Masters I can't spend that much time focusing on something that is purely voluntary, no matter how much I enjoy it and how much it keeps my skills up. If it doesn't go, there's a good chance I'll go mad!

Trying to simplify my artistic life, to get back to what I enjoy doing rather than trying to work out if something is potentially sellable. Time to give myself the opportunity to call myself a calligrapher and an artist, rather than someone who does calligraphy and draws a bit! Incorporating calligraphy into my art seems the most logical step, although sometimes I struggle with where to start. I spend so much time in my head that sometimes I forget to have a go in the real world.

Remember this year is the year of doing more and thinking less . . . .