Copic Mechanisms

Wow it has been way too long since I have been on here. I don't really have any excuses, sometimes life just goes a certain way and you get so caught up in it that things fall by the wayside. But here I am, and ready to get back into it.

Third Year in Fine Arts has been a really difficult year so far. So much has changed in the university environment, and my work doesn't seem to fit the current social and political context I find myself in. I've only made a handful of works this year and it just seems to be getting more and more difficult to keep on track.

But not all is lost. I found out earlier this month that I'm going to be featured in Strokes of Genius 9 - Creative Discoveries. For one of my works I made before I got into the University environment. I've been trying to come to terms with what will happen once I finish my undergrad, and pondering whether or not studying fine art was the best idea for me in the first place... But I know at the end of the day, even if things get incredibly difficult, the four years of blood, sweat and tears will be worth it,

In the mean time, I started working on some other artworks completely independent of my work at Wits... Just so that I can stay sane. I've also been getting in touch with my art supplies again, especially after increasing my Copic marker collection significantly since last year. I really do miss making what is considered more "traditional" artworks. I feel like a part of my soul just aches to make work that's beautiful, and makes someone happy to look at. So I started working on this drawing to prove to myself that I can still draw, and fairly decently (I would like to think)

This Copic marker drawing is still incomplete, but its the first large-scale drawing I have done entirely in Copics. The original plan was to use the Copics alongside Faber-Castelle Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils, but the bleed-proof paper I worked on wasn't very receptive to the texture of the pencils, so I just stuck to the Copics.

Here are some things I learnt about Copic markers while working on this drawing:

1. You can never have too many Copic marker colours. They are all useful for some part of a drawing.

2. Bleed-Proof paper, like all surfaces, can only take so much before it starts rejecting the ink of the Copics. You can tell when an area is getting over-worked if the ink dries to a shiny finish rather than a matte finish.

3. A good base drawing = a good final drawing

4. Take your time with learning to blend Copic markers and the results will make themselves clear.

5. It's easy to add darker colours to a drawing than it is to lighten an area afterwards.

Work in progress shot

Until we meet again

Talia

Processes and Transparencies

Hello there dear readers

I apologise for missing out on a post last weekend. It was a ...turbulent time to say the least. But here I am and it's time for a new post.

So dear readers, let me share with you what I've been up to since I've gone back to varsity this year. So in third year, the second last year of the Fine Arts degree I am studying, we are considered to be "senior" art students, and therefore capable of setting our own projects and briefs to work with. This is a huge jump from first and second year, where the lecturers would decide upon the topic and the artwork we created was thus a response to this topic.

So let me share with you my thought process behind the project I've been working.

I have been interested in typography since a happy accident with typography in First Year. As regular readers of my blog will know (and if you're new, welcome to my blog and have a look here to see my work), I've worked extensively with the medium of typography over the last two years, and of course given the freedom of subject matter and medium, now I have full reigns to work with typography.

So for this particular project, I decided to relate typography to the idea of access. So when is writing accessible to people, and when is it not? I wanted to play around with ideas of English being perhaps a more accessible language to understand (within a university context) than the language of the artwork. And how I could refuse the viewer access, or certainly make it intentionally more difficult for the viewer to relate to and actually access or understand the work.

How I decided to go about this was to use transparency sheets to write on:

These sheets were my own personal feelings, thoughts and emotions, as well as opinions about how I feel being an art student at an art school is quite inaccessible and the frustrations of being in art school. 

After this process, I then wanted to suspend these sheets from the ceiling of my studio space:

As you can see... this was somewhat untidy and well... the sort of baby steps towards an actual installation. So after this I decided the bulldog clips and looked terrible, so I refined it a bit using beading crimps to tie the transparency sheets:

This looks a LOT better, but something was still bothering me about this format. After speaking to my lecturer, we kind of concluded that it was because they were at eye-level. It was too easy to engage with them on an artistic level and not to mention that the lighting wasn't as effective... so to combat this I decided to hang them differently...

Now here I had caught onto something that really worked. I loved the way the light diffused the transparency sheets and the words themselves, and as you can see in the first picture, it was infinitely more successful than I would have guessed before. But alas it still needs a bit of tweaking, which I will share with you this coming weekend, dear readers.

Until we meet again
Talia

Exhibition Review: The Sound of Silence

Hello again dear readers.

So today I thought I would try something else new to help me to stay motivated to see exhibitions throughout the year. So to start off my own Exhibitions Review, I will talk about the newly opened The Sound Of Silence exhibition by New York based artist, Alfredo Jaar.

The Sound of Silence
2006
Wood structure, aluminum, fluorescent tubes, LED lights, flash lights, tripods, video projection
Software designed by Ravi Rajan
Installation view at école des Beaux Arts, Paris 2011
Photographer: Charles Duprat
Artist: Alfredo Jaar

On Tuesday night, in the heart of Braamfontein at Wits Art Museum (WAM), the much anticipated Sound of Silence exhibition was officially opened to the public. The curiosity in me for this exhibition definitely started when a prior visit to WAM revealed a massive black curtain concealing the sounds of machinery, an obviously large construction taking place behind the scenes but a secret to be kept until the opening of the exhibition.

As most exhibitions start off, there were speeches of thanks and gratitude to the museum and the artist and all the people involved in the organisation of the exhibition. There were free drinks and a surprisingly upbeat DJ present, and a large crowd of students, art-lovers, hipsters and the like hovering around the drinks tables. After the (thankfully) short speeches, we made our way into the gallery space.

We were met with a shockingly bright wall of light facing the entrance of the main gallery, made up of rows of vertical fluorescent light bulbs, Not only was this a shock to the senses of each visitor to the gallery, but it also heightened the intrigue surrounding this exhibition. This wall of light was part of a rectangular structure in the center of the gallery, and formed the exterior back wall of this room within a room. A queue was formed alongside the wall of the gallery for people to view this installation.

About 20 people were let into the room at once, and we were asked to switch off our cellphones.  We proceeded to walk around the room and walk in through a small entrance illuminated by a strip of green light. What was inside this room was essentially a small theatre, with both standing and room to sit. We positioned ourselves at the back corner. The lights, which were already dimmed, switched off completely as a small film began to play.

Now I am not going to ruin this artwork and explain every detail of the film, as it is best experienced within the artwork itself. But to simplify things, the film is about photographer Kevin Carter.

So now I will share with you some of my thoughts on this exhibition.

I felt like this was truly a remarkable piece and I would highly recommend that anyone who is able to get to the museum to view this work seizes the opportunity. While most of us are used to the shock appeal that most artworks generate, this installation is a refreshing depart from shock-appeal towards a more poignant need to create an impact on the audience. This impact is created from the moment the viewer enters the space and is affronted with this immediate bright, conflicting and intruding, wall of light. Viewers of the work are forced to face this light while waiting to view the artwork, and the light certainly creates an atmospheric tension surrounding the gallery.

The actual film is simple, poignant, tense and highly effective for the message it is trying to convey. I don't know about the other people who attended the exhibition, but I know that while watching this film I felt infuriated, and at the same time, hollowed by the content of the film. I left the exhibition with a profound sense of loss, and having experienced in the smallest of ways what it would have been like to be the "victim" of the photographer. This exhibition definitely made me consider photography as an act of violence and destruction, to both the photographed subject and the photographers themselves.

The exhibition closes on the 10th of April 2016 and the gallery hours are Wednesdays to Sundays from 10h00 until 16h00. The entrance to the gallery is free and the museum is situated on the corner of Jorissen Street and Jan Smuts.

Until we meet again
Talia

The Human Typewriter

So, it has been one official week since I have returned to university. As a third year, and studying Fine Art... Not to mention French as an additional major. Since my last post, it seems like me taking reigns of my own happiness has been a good strategy to approach life with. I haven't necessarily been getting a lot more done, but I feel like everyday that has passed has been one that was lived well, to the fullest. A day well spent everyday can only lead to happiness I think.

So now that I've caught you up on my emotional goals ,dear readers, I shall tell you a little bit about my first week back.

So its the first week, and I have already been dubbed "The Human Typewriter", by one of the lecturers who had been tutoring me this week. I quite like that. It has a nerdy/artsy/awesome ring to it. I think I shall keep that name around! And if you, dear reader, are wondering why on earth I would consider this to be an affectionate nickname, it is because I am in love with typography as a medium of expression.

To me, one of the most interesting things I have discovered since I have started studying art in university is the beautiful relationship that a love of writing and a love of art can share. They are not separate mediums in the discipline of humanities, but have so many similarities that draw the two (excuse the pun) together. I have always loved creating art, and I have always had somewhat of a secondary interest in writing.

Only once I discovered the art form known as typography, did I discover how words can be the vehicle to create art.

To put it simply,

I make art with words.

And this year I finally have the freedom to make as much art as I want in any way I want to. So I dub this year, 2016, the Year of the Human Typewriter. 

And hopefully dear readers, we will see some results soon. But for now, here is some of my older work, hopefully explaining why I have a catchy new nickname.

Until we meet again
Talia

Pondering Some Silver Linings

"Research Break". 

So my dear readers, these last few months have probably been the WORST track record so far of keeping my blog up to date and I apologise to everyone who makes the effort of reading my blog post each time I post.

So this week, from the 5th of September to the 13th of September, varsity gives us what is known as the research break, which is essentially the midterm break that divides a semester into two pieces. Logically, a research break could be considered as a... well... a Break from research! But guess what (this goes out to all you high schoolers who can't wait to start varsity, and even more so if you want to study ART), the research break has been designed to...

Make you take a break from class to research more stuff.

For example, this first half of the semester has been absolutely exhausting. There have been deadlines almost every single week that involve lots of hours to produce a work that actually ends up being mediocre as opposed to great. But we push on and get it done, because what else are we supposed to do? Seems like more research crammed into one week is a good idea...

But I'm an optimist at heart and I always like to believe that there is a good side to this situation. SO let me share with you my silver linings of things I've learnt how to do (that are of course art and varsity related) this block:

1. How to use the Adobe Premier Suite (and edit in a professional way)
2. How to make a 'zine (mini book or publication)
3. How to make organized study notes without wasting time on the organizing bits
4. How to make and use silkscreens....

And most excitingly...

    5. How to make a stop motion animation (which you can check out here)

I'm afraid to say I'm still busy as ever, but at least I can spend some quality time with the people I care about this week as well as getting stuff done. And at last I have time to share with the people who I will create memories with that I will cherish. Remember that success is nothing if you have no one left there to share it with.

Until we meet again
Talia

A 25 Hour Day

And so dear readers, yet another week has passed and we are now in mid-August already! Unfortunately I don't have any new work to post because varsity has been so busy lately! But that's okay, even when not much physical art is being made, there is still a lot that I am learning every day. I wish that sleep was not such a physical necessity, because just imagine the possibilities available with all those extra hours...

The truth is... You don't need to give up sleep to get those extra hours. My mom always tells me off with one of her favourite sayings: "Work smart, Not hard". While I think she makes an excellent point, I think that a perfect balance of the two is the way to get all your stuff done in a time-saving and performance-improving way. For me, sometimes I intentionally make my life more difficult by working hard and not smart. I tend to do these with the little things... Like being a little too thorough in my jewellery organization or socks drawer... Or especially with colour coding. Yes I'm that OCD person who can match colours like a pro... But when it comes to getting everything done in the most effective and least stressful way possible... I tend to fall short.

I find that a lot of time is wasted in what I like to call "The In-Between Vacuums"... These are the times in between all your scheduled or routine stuff, like the time in-between classes, wasted on Instagram whilst waiting for someone and especially travel time.

Obviously there's not much you can do whilst travelling, but you can find ways to minimise your travel time and stress levels from the urban decay of rush hour traffic. For me, it means waking up 15 minutes earlier than I would like to and taking a slightly longer route... that saves me 30-45 minutes travel time. It's definitely worth it!

Another time vacuum that really wastes a lot of time is spending that half an hour between lectures chatting when you can multitask. What I like to do is head straight to the next venue after my class, sit in the next classroom, work a little bit or revise the previous class's notes, eat something and be on time.

I find that a huge time vacuum is shoddy organizing (or a lack of organizing entirely!). I know that I get EXTREMELY frustrated when I can't find my notes for a subject or a reading because I forgot to file it. That's why I avoid the risk altogether. I keep a handy-dandy pocket punch in my bag, date any pieces of paper I receive that day and file it immediately. It is really annoying trying to stay on top of things when you can't find your assignment brief or the notes you've made that could really REALLY help you in your essay. I think keeping your life organised is probably one of the best time savers out there. You don't even need a calendar or a diary, there are so many apps out there that there really isn't an excuse to not know what's going on.

Being organised isn't a bad thing, if it saves YOU time and stress, then why not make the change?  Ditch those time vacuums and you will have enough "extra" time to get all those pesky things on your Perpetual To Do list done!

Until we meet again
Talia

Don't Tip Those Scales

So it's currently 12;11am, and it's Sunday. I am sitting in bed... contemplating life as I type away on my tablet. It's been a busy long weekend so far, and technically it hasn't even gotten to the "long" part yet... And tomorrow is going to be even busier, but that's a good thing I think.

The thing about being busy is that you have to learn to plan your time really well so that you get around to doing everything... without spreading yourself too thin and ending up doing everything to a poor standard. This is a very tricky balance to maintain, especially when the nature of the work done is so time-consuming. I've mentioned her before in my blog, but my friend and fellow blogger Dominique Gaydon, has a very productive plan that "the sooner it's done, the sooner it's done". I like that philosophy I feel like it can relate to a lot more than just class or lectures.

If you're a sort of regular reader of this blog you would know that I don't tend to enjoy it when very little new work is being made by me because of university. I feel like this year of Fine Art at university has involved lots of time consuming effort to create very little of a tangible outcome. So on top of all the University work (and homework and assignments etc.), I've been trying to balance a healthy social life with getting good marks, good health and good relationships and vibes overall... But I've realised something...

BALANCING THINGS IS REALLY HARD... It is really easy to say you're going to do something to sort out some aspect of your life, but acting on it and sticking to it are what actually matter. So I thought I would share some of the little nuggets of wisdom I've figured out:

1. Figure out what you want in life. There's no point making a plan to sort out stuff if you don't even want it. If it's important to you, make a plan to get it done.
2. Keep short-term goals. These can be up to a day or even a a few months, try and compartmentalise your time so that you can set up realistic goals.
3. As always... Write it down. I am telling you that you will forget SOMETHING unless you keep everything noted. And it's really satisfying ticking something off that list!
4. Make time for you...Don't forget to look after yourself, you can't accomplish anything if you're not able to try
5. Have a plan B... And C if you have a penchant for accidents, like me.

And with those midnight thoughts dear readers, I shall say goodnight

Until we meet again
Talia

P.S Check out this little blog's pearls of wisdom if you get the chance:  http://amagicalmusiciansthoughts.blogspot.com/

And So It Begins... Again

Day 1. Semester 2, 2015

Current Inventory:

• 2 packs of 3-ply tissues
• 1 throat spray
• 1 water bottle
• miscelanious books and textbooks
• lots of stationery

So dear readers, seems I have gotten sick again and just in time for varsity. Which is quite unfortunate seeing as second year parking is so far away from the School of Arts. But that's okay, I will survive this week one way or another, hopefully whilst recovering in the process.

Anyway, back to varsity vexes. I've survived semester one with fairly decent marks and have made it through to the next half. It's quite exhausting being back, and not just because of the runny nose. I guess just the state of mind you have to be in to do well at varsity is quite exhausting, as well as the amount of concentration and focus you need to have to get through one lecture.

So today I decided to write a handy dandy list of varsity hacks that will maybe make your life a little easier!

HOW TO BE A GOOD UNIVERSITY STUDENT 101

1. Go to all of your classes if you can. Last semester I went to every single Art History lecture and the lectures helped me more in the exam than all of the reading packs could have. It might be a pain, but you're paying tuition fees to make a career,
2. Take Notes! Whether you like to type them out or write them in a notebook (like me), taking down  notes will benefit you so much when it comes down to exams and assignments.
3. Now on that note (sorry I cannot resist a cheesy pun), keep your class notes organized! It doesn't really help you if you take all the handouts and making notes without being able to make head or tale of it afterwards. Thanks to Pinterest, I've found a few little note-taking hacks that really worked for me! One of the most useful things I've learnt is making an index on the first page of your notebook or document. Number your pages and add them to the index after each lecture. It helps so much knowing what page to find certain topics on!
4. Colour Coding: Ok I know this one isn't for everyone, but I've found that colour coding my subjects and study notes makes them far more appealing to look at. Not only that, it also makes it a lot easier to organize all your information.
5. Pack your stuff the night before. Check your timetable and make sure you pack all your material the night before to avoid the early morning rush! Getting to university is stressful enough without realising you forgot your assignment on your desk this morning. 
6. Keep a diary (Or at least a calendar app), take down deadlines and mark them as soon as you know them so you don't end up forgetting to submit assignments.
7. Always check your student email. Seriously.
8. Arial. Size 12. 1,5 spacing.
9. Good grammar will get you far, always use spellcheck and proofread before submitting anything!
10. Procrastination has led to the failure of many a promising student. As a good friend of mine once said "The sooner it's done the sooner it's done"

 Until we meet again

Talia

A Print For Your Thoughts?

Dear Readers, I apologise for my sudden AWOL, I have had exams and crazy deadlines for the last few weeks and as a result I haven't had much time to dedicate to a set blog post. But I have returned now... And I actually have some new work to share!

So, at the University of Witwatersrand (In Johannesburg, South Africa, for those of you abroad), I am currently doing a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts as a second year student. For the practical elements of the course (where you should hypothetically make stuff), we have two "classes". The first one is FINE ARTS and the second one is DESIGN AND DRAWING.  So for the second half of this semester, we did Printmaking and Sculpture,,, Let's just say it was a messy and time consuming... And exhausting...

But now at the end of it I have new skills and new work to share... So enjoy dear readers!

PRINTMAKING

INTAGLIO ETCHING

So this was the first technique we learnt: Drypoint etching
In a nutshell, you use a sharp metal instrument, like a nail, to scratch lines into a metal sheet like copper or zinc, you then put ink on the plate so it goes into all the lines you've carved into the metal, and you wipe off the rest of the ink. You print the plate and voila! 

Hardground Etching
So this is a technique I preferred to drypoint. So basically, you put a layer of this stuff called Hardground onto your metal plate. It is acid-resistant and water-proof. Using a sharp metal implement, you draw your image into the plate. The areas where you scratch the hardground reveal the metal underneath. Once you're done drawing, you submerge the plate into a bath of acid, which etches (or digs) into the metal plate. You take off the hardground layer, clean your plate and ink up.

Aquatint 
This was by far my favourite technique and is quite like painting in its final effect. You put a light layer of aquatint, which is made up of either rosin particles (or spray-paint for us art students) onto your metal plate. This layer resists the acid for an amount of time and allows you to work in layers. Using what is called stop-out, you cover up areas of tone on your plate, one tone at a time. For example, all the areas you want to stay white will be covered first. Then you etch the plate. Then you put another layer of stop-out, then you etch again... building up the tones with each layer. 

Combination Print: Aquatint and hardground
By far the most successful print, this was completed mostly in aquatint with some refined detail added in hardground.

So dear readers, those were the outcomes of my printmaking course. I will share my sculpture work soon, I just need to sort out all of the imagery.

Until we meet again

Talia

A Little Guide to Art School

How Not To Make Art 101

During the last few weeks of varsity, I've learnt a lot about how not to make art, and how not to be an artist. It's surprisingly easy to fall into this trap in Art School, so I thought I'd share a little bit of naive wisdom that I've figured out.

Apparently no lecturer can tell you "how to make art", but there are a lot of unwritten laws about things you shouldn't do when you're making art: Here is the technically-unwritten-but-typed list of things you shouldn't do.... Unless you're an avant-garde artist who's already made a name for themselves. 

1. Compose your image or work centrally. Seriously, apparently its "too perfect".
2. Use anything cliched... so butterflies, wolves, arrows, the globe, watches, hourglasses, dogs, cats, dream catchers, skeletons, naked people.... the list goes on
3. Leave a lot of empty spaces... Unless you are really good at understanding negative spaces.
4. Paint from photographs... draw from photographs... referencing photographs unless you're doing photography
5. Only use grey tones or mid tones. This one I do agree with, having a deep dark tone and an almost white tone is a good way to create depth and contrast in an image. 
6. Forget about preparatory work... This one varies from artist to artist, because people see planning in different ways. For me, writing and thumbnail sketches in ink are a perfect means of organising an image, for other people full scale perfect sketches work for them. It all depends on what works for you.
7. Comparing your work to other artists work, This is a sure fire way to stop feeling inspired and to give up art entirely. Rather all yourself to be inspired and learn from others instead of putting yourself down.
8. Leave all your prep work and current work in a mess. Trust me after two weeks of working in a messy pile of papers, trying to find one prep drawing is a bit of a nightmare.
9. Take criticism badly. Yes some people are honestly just rude and unhelpful, but most of the time criticism, both positive and negative can be really useful and help you to see your work in a slightly more neutral way.
10. Give up. No matter what happens, never ever give up on what you love to make. That's a good way to never become an artist

So dear readers, a little advice for those of you studying art or know someone who is.... Make what you love doing and you should be okay. 

Until we meet again

Talia

And So The June Countdown Begins...

Happy Mother's Day dear readers! If you forgot it was Mother's day then shame on you! Yes, I know it's only been 35 minutes (in South African time) but that's no excuse. Today is the day you take a moment to appreciate all the things your mother does for you everyday, not to mention the nine months she had to haul you around before that.

Now... I know it's late and yes I should probably be in bed by now... But unfortunately my workload seemed to magically pile itself up in one week to have all the time consuming elements take place in uncomfortably close proximity to one another. There always seems to be a million things to do when you seem to get one huge deadline out of the way... The list is constantly growing and changing... Kind of like life I guess. If things stopped changing and we didn't have to adapt, I think we would all get bored eventually.

But the frustrating thing about the workload now... especially for sculpture and printmaking, is that it takes so long to produce a single piece of work. After so many weeks of being back, I only have two final etching prints, a sculpture drying in the sculpture studio and a complete set of photos that still need to be made into a book. That's not much considering how much work and time has gone into everything...

I'm just itching to draw or paint something that I can look at when I'm done... But the saddest thing is that time won't allow me to do that until June... and that's still another month away before I can breathe normally again. But the show must go on, and no mental breakdowns can be allowed near the etching equipment. For now I don't have many pictures of work to share, but I promise I will post them all as soon as I can.

Happy Mothers Day dear readers!

Until we meet again
Talia

A Page a Day

So dear readers, 1/4 of 2015 is already over! And it went by so quickly... Seems like each year I add to my tally seems to speed up. I know some people who like to use the analogy of a year being a book in the story of your life, with each day representing a page. But I have to admit, art wise, my book seems to have a lot of blank spaces...

This is quite disappointing for me, I thought that once I'd be back at varsity all the deadlines would make me a lean mean creative machine... but it's like a machine that hasn't yet warmed up properly. 1/4 of the year is already over, the creative machines in my class can't STILL be warming up. I think the worst part is that it feels like its not just my art class, it feels like everyone I know is struggling to stay productive... Or worse still get productive in the first place.

I can actually tally how much art I've made since the beginning of this year:

• 7 and a 1/2 typographic drawings (The 1/2 is for the one I still haven't finished)
• 1 actual drawing for varsity of a mielie (or corn for those of you overseas)
• 3 different photographic series
• 2 admittedly cool light box art pieces
• 1 journal of daily writing

And the 7 and a 1/2 drawings may sound like a lot, but I did all of those BEFORE the semester started. But I think I should also just try drawing little things anyway, regardless of whether they are for varsity or not. Especially the typography. I think this might be a sign that the work I do for myself is more important than just waiting for it to happen at varsity. I also have a couple of drawings I want to do for some special people in my life, drawings that I've had in my mind that have yet to materialise onto paper.

So hopefully with the start of the new term I'll have lots more new work to share with you soon dear readers.

Until we meet again

Talia

The Secrecy Of Seclusion

So dear readers, I have survived the first quarter of Second Year relatively unscathed! Before I post an actual post, I thought I would share the final (work-in-progress) documentary I produced for my Digital Photography Course:

This was my explanation of the project to go along with the photographs:

The Secrecy of Seclusion

secret [skrət] adjective 1. not widely known: known by only a few people and intentionally withheld from general knowledge 2. undercover: working or operating without the knowledge of the general public 3. unadmitted: acting or feeling in a particular way without admitting to it   a secret admirer

When was the last time you kept your own secret? Sometimes secrets don’t have to be things you’ve done or decisions you’ve made. A secret can be a memory. A secret can be a person. But for me, a secret can even be a place.

Albert’s Farm is the second largest park in Johannesburg, yet even the residents who live around out seem to keep it a secret from the rest of the city, maybe even themselves. That is why the park has an air of privacy, of seclusion, of hidden secrets waiting to be found.

But secrets are easier to uncover when you look for traces of them, and the best way to do that is when the park is almost completely empty. Seclusion and Secrecy seem to go hand in hand.

I shall return soon again dear readers, with a proper post and lots of words.

Until we meet again

Talia

An Enlightening Experiment

So dear readers... Today is Monday... I am a day late and a dollar short with this post... and for that I cannot apologise enough. But alas life goes on, and so does this blog. And what's been on my mind this week is the idea of Experimenting. No, not with substances of a questionable nature but rather with regards to Art.

Do you ever get those times when someone gives you free reign with an assignment and you have so many ideas that you don't actually know where to start? That happened to me with a particular Fine Arts Assignment that I have due this week. This is basically how this assignment worked: Each person in the class was given a specific topic, which we have freedom to respond to in any way we choose. Mine was the following piece of photocopied text:

"All the forms of auxiliary apparatus which we have invented for the improvement or intensification of our sensory functions are built on the same model as the sensory organs themselves or portions of them: For instance, spectacles, photographic cameras or ear-trumpets. Measured by this standard devices to aid the memory seem imperfect since our mental apparatus accomplishes precisely what they cannot: it as an unlimited receptive capacity for new perceptions and lays down permanent - though not unalterable - memory-traces of them." 

So, that was my topic. Quite a mouthful isn't it?

All the words that are in blue are the words that stuck out to me when I read this topic the first time... And I wanted to work around the ways in which I've learnt to memorise something... And the first thing I thought of was writing things, because that is my distinct way of memorising something and also having a memory-trace of it...

So I decided to experiment with layering pieces of writing and displaying it on a light box... And here is the final result:

Home made light box sans light

Text layers with lights on

Text Close-Up

If you want to know the relevance of the writing. I wrote the above passage of text repeatedly in progressively smaller text until I was able to recite the passage word for word. Thus a tangible outcome of a memory aiding device became my work for this project... And I have to say, I think this experiment turned out quite successfully.

And this is the week where every assignment is due, so I am off to get more stuff done dear readers.

Until we meet again
Talia

You Reap What You Sow

Hello There Dear Readers!

No this isn't an entirely proper post, but I thought I'd just share some of my work that was completed this week! For Art History, we are currently studying Landscapes In Art, with our main focus this being The Mined Landscape. As part of our lectures, we went on an excursion to the Krugersdorp Mine Fields (In Gauteng, South Africa). Our assignment is based on our interpretation of this landscape.

What stood out for me the most, was that the impoverished people in the area are trying to grow mielies (or corn for those abroad) didn't know that the soil and underground water beneath them had been contaminated by Acid Mine Drainage. In essence, the very thing that was keeping them alive was also killing them. This struck me quite profoundly, and this is the work I produced as a result of this realisation:

 You Reap What You Sow

Watercolour and Red Ink on Paper

21cm x 29,7cm

2015

That's all for now dear readers, I'm off to get some creative things done!

Until We Meet Again

Talia

Time Waits For No Artist

Today is the First of March...That means that 1/6th of the year has already passed, and so quickly it seems too. I'm not sure if it's just me, but it seems like every year seems to move faster than the one before it. Time can be quite terrifying, it feels as if there is never enough but at the same time it can be overwhelming... how quickly a long space of time will actually pass.

Perspective wise, I have spent 12 years of my life in school. That is more than a decade of time that seemed to go so quickly... and now I'm already in my second year of my degree, another two years and I would have completed my undergrad.

So as you can plainly see, dear readers, Time has been breathing down my neck as of late... But that's alright. It's what you make of your time that counts more than anything else. And I have to say, I guess that's why productivity matters so much to me. During the 3 month holiday, I did feel like so much potential got wasted. So now I guess I'm trying to make up for it by being productive.

And I have to say, I am liking being back at varsity. Yes it means crazy traffic in the morning and unspeakably bad admin, but the truth is, I thrive on working and making things, I am starting to feel like an artist in the making. Even keeping this blog going is in some bizarre way helping me to stay sane!

For now I don't have much new work to post, mostly because it's still being made, but you shall be the first to see anything new my dear readers. Remember, being busy doesn't necessarily mean being productive!

Until we meet again
Talia

Parks and Recreation

I have survived week one of Second Year dear readers! And I have returned with a revelation... Balance in varsity life might just, JUST, be possible this year!

Last year I didn't have much of a social life to speak of (More like none at all), and I used to spend almost all my time at varsity. And when I wasn't in class or staying late, I was working like a machine at home. I'd gotten to the point where a social life just felt like a triviality: Good for occasional fun but not necessary for survival.

After this week, I can say that I was being stubborn and just plain anti-social. Yes, not having a social life meant that I could get all the work done and to a pretty high standard... But here's the thing. Interacting with other people is so integral to the way we function and grow. Other people are so important, your family, your friends, your neighbour (who may also be your best friend), even your dog, cat and rabbit are important!

This week, I consciously made a point of working productively during the hours I was at class and more importantly the hours in-between (I'm sure the people working at the library must recognise me by now!). This productivity isn't just good for the mind and not to mention the work, the productivity also means I get things done before they're due. I show up at class prepared with the readings and research. I have a good idea of all the deadlines and when to start... But most importantly, I have my weekend back.

This weekend, I actually had the time to spend with the people that matter to me. And I enjoyed that time so much. I think it was the most enjoyable weekend I've had in a long time, the perfect balance between work and play, productivity and relaxation.

Now that I've given myself enough time to get assignments done, I also have the opportunity to enjoy the assignments. At the moment, we're learning how to use DSLR cameras on manual, giving us full control of the image. I still have a lot of practising to do, but I think my first attempts didn't come out too horrendously... This is probably my favourite photo from the park.

Hopefully by the next post I'll be able to share some more experienced photographs and maybe even some secrets to productivity.

Until we meet again
Talia

Back To Basics

And so at last the final week of university holidays has ended... Tomorrow is the official start of my 2nd year of Fine Arts! Now the night before all the lectures start again, I can't help feeling that Beginning-Of-Year-Esque desire to make a good start to university and classes... but also with all the other aspects of my life. Yes I know it's already February 15th but its never too early or too late to start something.

For me, these are my major university-orientated changes:

1. Thou shalt continue to post on this blog ONCE A WEEK!
2. Thou shalt become a minimalist with thy bag. I've always had a bad habit of carrying too much stuff in my backpack and wondering why my shoulders always feel so strained. This year, I've opted for a small hiking backpack with better shoulder support instead of my previously "trendy" bag.                                                                                                                   I've also opted for a tiny diary and fewer notebooks... (now the Modernists will call me out for not losing all the books and getting a tablet instead, to which I say quite proudly that I'm old-fashioned that way).
3. Thou shalt do thy work during the breaks between classes. Now I did do this to a certain extent last year, but me being an idiot meant that I did all the work I could do anywhere whilst I was at University and the all the work that needed to be done in a University space... well let's just say I went in on the weekends a lot.
4.  Thou shalt keep thy papers organised THE WHOLE YEAR. Now for this I am quite proud to let my OCD tendencies take a hold of me and subdivide the divisions within my file. I've also found some clever "hacks" online when looking up productivity and organisation (Really can we give all of these marvellous people awards for making life simpler?).
5. Thou shalt make time to do thy own art. As I'm sure you may have noticed in the works I've been sharing on the various pages lately (see links to other pages on the right hand side of this blog), I've started working on a smaller scale to get more works done. Varsity work is not enough to make a name, my own work will always be unique to me.
6. Thou shalt do the readings and preparations BEFORE classes. And I don't mean just skimming over things, I mean actually taking the time to prepare work and also review the things taught in class.
7. Thou shalt go to the extra stuff! There is so much more to University life than just lectures, this year I will MAKE the time to go to the extra things.
8. And most importantly, THOU SHALT MAKE TIME FOR THE PEOPLE THAT MATTER. Now I will manage time better so that I can spend relaxed time with my family, and actually have a bit of a social life. I am not going to be a social hermit this year. The people in my life matter so much to me because when the work is done, they're the ones I come back to in the end.

And now dear readers, I must pack the last of my things for varsity and tragically resign from my life as a night owl.

Until we meet again

Talia