Would you like to hear what I’ve been up to this month at Cambridge School of Art?
My 1st month was full of inductions, demonstrations, generally finding my way round (not an easy task!), getting to know my lovely fellow course members a little and finding out what was expected of me. Pop back and see my last blog if you’ve not done so already (for a little tour and more).
My second month has been all about getting really stuck in! My work is pretty much all self directed, so I’ve set myself the challenge of seeing how well my art translates into printmaking (a brand new medium for me). Aiming to create ‘prints with impact, that feel alive’.

I’ve dabbled a little in mono print and risograph but have now honed in mostly on screen print and lithography.
With screen I love the variety of colour I can use (basically any acrylic paint mixed with screenprinting medium), the precision possible, that I can reproduce messy marks as well as neat ones and that I can work big. What I don’t like is that I have to clean up thoroughly every time I want to change colour (I’ve done more cleaning than printing!) And I keep finding new ways of messing up my screen preparation. I over cleaned one screen last week until it split, in addition to blowing all the electrical equipment in the studio due to the excess moisture I’d created!

With lithography I love that it picks up tonal qualities of an image and the more subtle details, and it’s fun to use the equipment! What I don’t enjoy is that it uses oil based ink - 1. It limits my colour choices (unless I mix and it’s really hard getting the right turquoise, although there is a fluorescent pink!) 2. It takes more than a day to dry between layers 3. It’s horrible to clean up (which again has to be done between every colour)

I’m really enjoying printmaking but it’s definitely utilising the more organised side of my personality! It’s the opposite experience to how I paint, being anything but immediate and needing intricate planning and preparation.

This month included some tutorials and a mid point ‘silent crit’ where we displayed our work so far, for our tutor and peers to critique while we stood in silence, not allowed to make comment, response or explanation! Here is a little video of my display.

I actually found it a really helpful opportunity to stop and reflect on things and consider where to take things next. It was a little daunting to realise that my 2nd ever go at printmaking would need to be my ‘final piece’ to hand in at Christmas, due to time constraints. It certainly helps to bring focus and pushes you to aim further than you might otherwise go. I’m learning (I think I’m right in this!) that they are more interested in you experimenting and taking risks and learning through error and changing your plans, than they are in you having a good idea at the start that you complete with perfection and ease. This is pretty releasing really, as long as I leave behind my perfectionism and my need to see things through to completion. I’m needing to make a mental note every so often of things I would like to have more of a play with when I have more time once my MA has finished!

Dyslexia - I have an official diagnosis now and have been granted a disabled student allowance. This feels a really positive thing on so many levels after all these years of academic struggle.

Charlotte Cornish - I had the amazing privilege of interviewing my artist hero last week. She was so generous in sharing her story, process and studio with me, and I came away feeling really encouraged and inspired. Check out her work it is utterly stunning: www.CharlotteCornish.co.uk

Let me finish by sharing some of my most recent pieces. I’m now taking my current prints into a collage direction, which is fun, and a stepping stone towards my plans to take them proper 3 dimensional after Christmas! Click on each image to see properly.

A few weeks ago I travelled to North Carolina. I was about to meet face to face with some extremely special friends who I’ve only met so far via Skype - through my mentoring programme. I was going to explore the beautiful Black Mountains before attending a fabulous conference, where I was excited to be teaching 3 days of workshops. It’s something I’ve dreamt about and been working towards for a couple of years and had finally arrived.
However, annoyingly this dream didn’t become a reality and actually quickly turned into a bit of a nightmare. On arriving at the airport my passport was confiscated, I was ushered into the immigration department, interrogated, several fingerprints and mug shots taken, searched rather invasively by a scary lady, held in custody and sent back to the UK on the next flight home. I wasn’t allowed my passport until I was on UK soil and its now stamped with ‘refused entry to the USA’.

I had enquired about visas before making plans and booking my flight, way back in February. Following all the advice I was given I applied for an ESTA Visa Waiver. I stated that I was going to America on business as an artist. My application was ACCEPTED and I thought I’d done all I needed to do.
It was only on arriving in America that I was informed that this wasn’t the right visa requirement.

Then why was my application accepted in the first place? Why didn’t they reject it and tell me the right type of visa I needed, while I had enough time to do something about it? Why is this in any way my fault or fair?

A baffling, traumatic & exhausting experience. 17hrs flying in a 22hr window. 40hr traveling with a diversion to the American embassy who wouldn’t let me in the door to plead my case. Gutted doesn’t cover it!

Since returning I have heard of a multitude of other creatives that this has happened to and here is an article explaining something of the issue: 'Why are artists being denied entry into the US? How did it come to this and who do we blame?'

But the story does not, and must not, end there!
The amazing thing was that I was able to still teach 2 of my 3 workshops at this conference in America via Zoom, from my back garden in the UK! AND I was paid as planned, so my expenses were covered after all!

I learnt how to teach using Zoom and was thrilled that it actually worked - a new tool in my tool bag! I had a fantastic facilitator in the room to be my hands and feet for each session - they set everything up and reassured people, we dialogued through Facebook messenger with photos and ideas of alterations as the days when on. My face was beamed into the room larger than life on the big screen where I was able to share my powerpoint slides and videos and do demonstrations as planned. We were even able to have a roaming camera so I could be ‘taken’ close to people and art work and join in with group discussion, I was able to prophecy and encourage and pray for people as if I was there in the room. God is so good!
It was an interesting experience straddling 2 continents for the week - they are 5 hours behind us in the UK, so their 9-5 was my 2 - 10pm but it was fine. I’m still receiving feedback from my students on what they’ve learnt and are now putting into practice from what I taught them in those prophetic and worship art classes.

This was an ordeal that knocked the stuffing out of me, it was costly and I was robbed of the incredible week in America that I had planned, but this whole experience has actually put a fire in me to not accept this as a dead end. I’m more passionate than ever to travel the world as an artist - sharing my art and inspiring creativity in others.
Will I be nervous next time I have to walk through customs and immigration? - you bet I will! But will I let this stop me? No way!
Obviously me and God have had a few conversations about why he allowed this to happen and it still hurts, but bottom line is that I believe he is good and I trust his sovereignty. Through all of this I never felt alone or abandoned, I found his kindness around many corners along the way and I still got to impart most of what I felt he’d deposited in me for the people in my classes. I believe he has a bigger better plan that he is preparing me for and I am safe in his hands. He is faithful, he is the way maker, miracle worker and promise keeper, he is my God, that is who he is.