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Well this term is certainly one I will never forget!
This current module was always rather complicated with many elements to juggle all at the same time. I was branching out into 3 dimensions, working with clay and the potters wheel for the first time, and with this project being a site-specific focussed piece, I’ve also needed to consider which site would be suitable for sharing my art and how this would work in their space.
Yes things were complicated enough before Corona Virus reared it’s ugly head, meaning that art facilities, equipment and materials couldn’t be accessed, potential sites for sharing my art couldn’t be visited, teaching moved onto Zoom (not a great platform for group discussion amongst 20 people) and of course homeschooling began!
BUT I’ve adjusted and adapted and somehow managed to keep making progress.

Would you like to see what I’ve been up to this month?!

With this module being about site specificity my aim is to show it in a women’s centre for either those who’ve been in prison or those with a history of domestic abuse. It’s a piece about being more than the sum of our parts ‘celebrating the value and awesomeness of each unique individual. From the cellular building blocks and genetic makeup we’re made from to outside influence shaping us. There is only one wonderful you.’ I wanted to share it with those maybe struggling with their sense of self worth.

Inspired by the responses of my group in the crit, I have designed an installation space as my final piece, which I think could work well in a community space, and I’ve been making their dream of huge body cells a reality!

I started by creating a large fingerprint screen, which I used to print several sheets of material as well as various paper for collaging

Then I cut the shapes ready for sewing and had a lot of fun with my very old sewing machine.

I think it helped having a medic in the family as I could see how fast things were about to change with the Corona Virus and I prioritised accordingly - I knew I needed to get together what I needed before limitations struck. I crammed as many hours into my last few days of access as I could, and created 30+ prints in the print room. I was also thrilled to collect my ceramic pieces fresh from the kiln to bring home.

Sadly our college have decided we have to continue ‘as normal’, although we have been given a 2 week extension and everything has to be handed in digitally - which creates a lot more work (videos, photos, editing etc). However this does mean that once I have my completed work in a digital format it will be available to share with you guys.

(There's a little glitch on this 3rd image - if you click on it, you'll see the right picture!)

Once my fabric pieces were sewn, I collected large ball lights from my friend, I created a projection (using a projector I’d managed to borrow from my church before lockdown) and I found lots of soft stuff from around the house to bulk out the comfort of the space.
My intention had been to add a splash somehow to my ceramic tile to represent the personality and uniqueness - the ‘more’ bit of the phrase ‘more than the sum of our parts’. After playing with ideas in Photoshop I decided not to splat the actual ceramic piece as it would look too busy, but instead to make it look like it’s created a splash, by painting the wall behind it (this would be created from sticky vinyl sheet when I share the work in a gallery or one of the sites I’ve been researching).
I added a shelf of 5 separate pots each with different intricate things inside, as an interactive element. I used fishing wire to hang the smaller cells from the ceiling.
Here are some pictures.

It’s been quite a month but I won’t get much of a break until I get to my deadline in May. In my next monthly MA update I should be able to show you the conclusion to my work this term including a video of the installation.

Have a very happy Easter and stay safe.

I'm just finishing my 9th week of this term of my Masters Degree in Fine Art at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, so it’s time for an update. 

This was mainly a month of me jumping feet first into the medium of clay for the first time - now that conjures up an interesting mental image! It began on the potters wheel, not the easiest place to start!

I spent over 20 hours on the wheel in my first week, with 23 attempts at throwing a pot.  Day 1: one survived out of 8; day 2: four out of 8 survived (but I killed 3 of these the following day ‘turning’ the base!), day 3 I only killed 2 of the 7 and was able to go larger, round and taller. By the end of the 2nd week I had enough pieces to play with but was aware I was beginning to get sucked into the perfectionist’s need in me to master this - when I didn’t actually need to and had to force myself to “step away from the wheel”! I felt like the pieces I’d made were more about me stopping just before they collapsed, rather than being in control of what I was doing but they will do. I had thought I’d really enjoy this, I like getting messy and learning new things but I found the process a bit stressful, feeling on the brink of disaster all the time and the intensity is rather exhausting! Saying all that, I’m really glad I’ve given it a try, feel a great sense of achievement and am pleased with what I’ve made.
Here's a little movie of me in action.

My next job was building pieces by hand, which I’ve not done for 30 years since I was at school and all I remember was “do it properly otherwise it will blow up in the kiln and may destroy other peoples work as well as your own”! However, I found this much more relaxing and therapeutic as an activity and it suited the results that I wanted.
I decided to make 2 main pieces - the original plan being a square plaque with the body cells arranged in an orderly way to represent the amazing order and design inside of us, with the other I wanted to try something more organic looking, so created a bowl in which I could group them more randomly. I also had a handful of slightly larger pots from the wheel to experiment with later.

I knew that there was going to be a kiln firing while I was away in Madrid for the week (see previous blog post about my trip) and I used this as a helpful deadline to bring my pieces to a conclusion ready for their first bisque firing. On my return from Spain I was utterly thrilled that nothing had indeed blown up in the kiln, so I then set to work to prepare them for their earthenware firing the following week. I used an underglaze to add colour before dipping them in a transparent glaze which I used as a glue to stick them all together.

I worked out that up until this point I have spent over 100 hours on these pieces of ceramics. On Tuesday I got to collect them from the kiln room and the technician was really excited to show them to me - which was lovely!

They are still not completely done. I want to add some yellow to them, as I feel that’s needed - I’ve been told enamel (airfix) paint would be good for this. Then I want to experiment with adding a large ‘splat’ to some of the work to represent our uniqueness/personality/spirit - I will explore using plaster and paint for this. Katy the technician was really reluctant to sell me the bag of plaster as she doesn’t want me to mess up what I’ve done! But I have a concept to deliver!

If you want to hear more about the module I'm working on and my inspiration or if you haven’t seen my other monthly MA updates since I started in September and would like to find out more about what I've been doing, follow this link and you can scroll back through them.

The world has turned upside down with Corona virus and this week has been escalating for us here in the UK, which of course impacts everyone and everything, my MA included. But let me save that story for next time - then I can tell you about what actually happens rather than pondering on what might be around the corner!

It's nearly week 4 of the 2nd term of my Masters Degree in Fine Art at Cambridge School of Art, and I thought it was time to check in with you guys and share what I’ve been up to.

After a much needed break over Christmas I started the year feeling quite nervous about going back to college. I guess it’s quite normal feeling daunted at the start of a 2nd term, when the adrenalin and newness of being a beginner gets replaced with an awareness of the work and challenges that lie ahead - I’m much happier when I’m busy ‘doing’, rather than contemplating something from a distance.

I have decided to fully embrace milking this opportunity for all it’s worth, and for me that means I’m seeking to make full use of the facilities and expertise, rather than sticking with what I know. Of course this makes things more scary and is a risky strategy when at the end of each 12 week block I have to hand in a ‘final piece’ at postgrad level, when working in a medium I’ve never tried, but it means I’m learning a lot! I spent my 1st term printmaking for the 1st time, this term I’m diving into sculpture, ceramics and maybe textiles!

Module 2 is called ‘Acts and discourses’ - I have to admit I have no idea what that means! But the brief I've been given is to “develop a body of work intended for a place/site in particular of your own choosing.” Basically to create any work for a specific space, anywhere (as long as it’s not a gallery) - so extremely open ended again! Site-specific is the buzz word - work that relates to a space by theme and also physically to it’s locality.

I’ve just completed my written proposal - here’s a link (3rd one down) if you fancy a read, including my reading list, for those who like that sort of thing!

Let me try to summarise - my work will be a celebration of what makes us who we are (the physical & psychological etc that makes up each unique individual). I've called it 'More than the sum of our parts - you matter'. I’m going to focus on body matter for inspiration for the pattern element of my work and contrast that with an expressive gestural part representing our personality. I’ve decided to choose a site for display, where people need their sense of worth and identity boosting, and am hoping to link with ‘Women in Prison’ charity and particularly their women’s centre in Lambeth, London, to share my work.

My bibliography is centred on things like human genetics, art & science, rehabilitation, site-specific art, sculpture, ceramics and textiles. For someone with dyslexia, who hates books and reading, I’m actually quite excited about the reading list I’ve created for myself!

I plan to create 3D versions of body cells in clay (on the potters wheel and by hand), in screen printed fabric and in plastic, to explore which materials work best. I then intend to represent fingerprints and DNA with stripes on one side of the piece and splash the other half with something (?) to provide the pattern and gestural elements.
It feels like quite a bit of this project is beyond my control. The kiln is only fired when there is enough work to fill it, and  each piece needs 2 firings. Also I can contact places I'm interested in as sites for displaying my work, but how they respond and how soon they respond is out of my hands.

Another part of this module is that we are given the task of organising our own group exhibition, and altering our work to fit with the group and this alternative site! I'm actually really looking forward to this as it will give more chance for overlap with others on my course.


So there you have it. My hand in day is 7th May, although there is no timetabled lectures, we’re expected to work through Easter). My plan is to continue a monthly update for you, so you can follow my MA journey with me. Click here to see my past blogs about it, or on the 3 images below.

By the way, I got my results for my last module, a couple of weeks ago, and got 65% (equivalent to 2:1, with ‘good’ written in each box) - not bad for a medium I’ve not tried before, and to hear that my research and writing were matching up to post grad level, despite my dyslexia, was a real encouragement!
Thank you for your interest and support!

On Tuesday I handed in my portfolio, sketchbook, final piece and summary essay for my first module: Critical Practice in Fine Art, at Cambridge School of Art. This was meant to be the product of 300 hours of research but I managed to tot up 510 hours (with 158 of those being work in the studio)!
I thought you’d like to take a little look at what I’ve produced. I’ll also seek to answer your questions of why I’m doing a Masters Degree at all, and whether it’s living up to expectations!

Read back through my previous 2 blogs (month 1 & month 2) to see the outline of what my course entails and what my project has been about. But basically I’ve been seeking to transfer what I do with paint as an artist into printmaking, aiming to produce prints with impact that feel alive.

The theme I’ve worked towards is ‘What Matters’ and is concerned with giving our attention to the things that matter in the midst of a busy life full of distraction and demands. I’ve looked to use vibrant pattern to symbolise busyness and detail, and expressive gesture to represent focus and attention to the moment.

To conclude my body of work I first created a triptych, each piece on 70x100cm paper and tissue, collaged screen print & lithography.

My final piece was A0 (84 × 119cm) - paper, drafting film and plastic, collaged screen print & lithography.

Here is the summary report of my project, for those of you who like all the details!

To finish I handed in a portfolio of my body of work, showing all that has led up to my concluding pieces. Here’s a little video to take you through it.

Seeing as this is my first module I feel rather clueless as to what type of grade and feedback I will receive. I know I’ve worked hard and I’ve handed in a lot. But whether it ticks the right boxes for the examiners still waits to be seen! I’ve not had a massive amount of feedback but think I’ve got the general feeling that they would say if I wasn’t heading in the right direction!

I have reached a stage in my fledgling art business and career where I feel, before I go any further, I want to go deeper. The entrepreneurial side of being an artist can overwhelm and I was finding the admin of the business was consuming the creating side, with me spending less and less time in my studio. Some areas of my career have snowballed, especially the live art side, and I felt I needed time to catch up a little, realising I was painting more in front of an audience, than I was in private where I could experiment and develop. I was hungry to learn and hungry to play and desperate to set some clearer boundaries to my life. I see this as a rest of my life thing and want to establish some good patterns of behaviour.
I had originally looked at doing an art degree but because I’ve done a teaching degree I wouldn’t receive any funding. I’d never considered an MA as I thought it would be too academic, although I didn’t officially know I had dyslexia back then, I knew I found it hard to read and write and hated that side of education, but after investigation I discovered that the course at Cambridge School of Art was practice based and that the leader thought my work of the appropriate standard, the government were ‘happy’ to fund a postgraduate degree and it actually would fit much better with family life.

I would like to receive good grades that reflect all the work I’ve put in this term BUT actually I already feel that this MA has ticked all the boxes for me and as long as I’m allowed to keep going for the full 2 years, then that’s what really matters.
I started the term with practically no experience of printmaking or collage and, although I’m just getting started, I have learnt and grown so much in these areas, and in a way that compliments and enhances my current art practice.
My past experience of art history had completely put me off any type of proper research but being forced to consider theories within the art world and artists relevant to my practice has expanded my mind and developed in me a new passion to learn.
I’ve established some boundaries to studio, research, business and family life that feel a lot healthier and much more fulfilling. To be honest I feel like I’ve finally burst out of the housewife/‘stay at home mum’ bubble I’ve uneasily inhabited for the past 18 years and I’m feeling more alive than I’ve felt in a long time!!
As an aside I’ve been diagnosed with dyslexia (discovered I share a super power with some seriously impressive individuals!) - which is providing me with support and technology and insight into myself that can only serve to enhance my life.


I’m happy to have reached the Christmas holidays, I’ve been working really hard and need a break. But I’m already looking forward to starting the next module and scheming of what things I can get my teeth into next!

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.