Demonstration of Technical and Visual skills

I have taken a similar approach to the ones I completed for Parts three and four. The review has been broken down into the four key assessment criteria and where appropriate into the key sections within these criteria.

Materials: 

Part Five differed from the previous Parts of the course in that there was less scope for creating artwork. The two exercises for which there was this opportunity were: Exercise 1.0 Cut up technique and Exercise 3.1. For Exercise 1.0 I responded with paper and scissors to complete the exercise and for Exercise 3.1 I used technology to create a triptych using paintings and words. Neither of these were particularly ground-breaking.

Techniques: 

I feel that it is worth documenting here that my approach tackling a painting has evolved. I have a methodology which can be applied to different types of painting. In essence the technique is not dissimilar to working from dark to light but with my own personal tweaks. Most, if not all, of my painting during this part of the course has been directed toward the Parallel project where I have completed a number of paintings which I feel meet my criteria for submission for Assessment.

Observational skills: 

This is the area where I believe that I have made the biggest improvements. This has been in two distinct areas. The first is in respect of how I am approaching my paintings where I am continuing to develop my own language which is informing how I respond to subjects. The second is with regard to my contextual capabilities where they have needed to improve in order to complete the first draft of my Critical review. A major factor in assisting my improvement has been reading ‘How to write about contemporary art by Gilda Williams’. The tips, do’s and don’ts contained in the book have assisted my ability to respond to a painting in writing. I’m aware that this is a skill that needs to be practiced.

Visual awareness: 

Not an area where I have made any significant steps forward over the duration of Part five other than those mentioned above.

Design and compositional skills: 

Similar to visual awareness this was not an area that was particularly addressed during Part five.

Quality of Outcome

The paintings that I have completed for my Parallel project are, I feel, amongst my most accomplished to date. There are aspects where I see areas for improvement and believe that these are within my reach.

Demonstration of Creativity

There has been less opportunity to be as creative in Part five than there has been in previous parts of the course. Therefore my main focus has been on the completion of the exercises, creating a first draft of my critical review and more work towards my Parallel project.

Context

The contextual focus was the most important aspect of Part five. In trying to write a brief artists statement I needed to reflect on my practice, what it is, what drives me and why it is important to me. Trying to get that into a short statement that made sense and was, I hope, interesting was a challenge. This was followed by my first draft of my critical review in which I have completed detailed research, pulled this research into an essay where I have reflected on the research and generated my own opinions.

Summary

At this stage of the course I need to reflect on the progress that I have made, the key learning points and how to pull these together so that I am successful at Assessment.

• Part 5