Preliminary Work January - May 2020 (written 27.04.20 for my tutor Mike for an online tutorial)

Work is sort of, very slowly and sporadically continuing despite the lockdown. During my last tutorial with Kerry in December, we agreed that much of my work held a large amount of joy. So I have decided to take that idea of joy and make work that makes me joyful about things that fill me with joy! I have an allotment and this is one of the places that I love the most. The work I have been doing is loosely based on planting seeds; organic growth; joy; texture and colour. I have been experimenting with different materials and have returned to textiles. The materials I am using in my work are a combination of puff binder, stitch, beads and paint. I use 3d paint and acrylic mixed with a fabric medium. I like to sprinkle beads onto the surface and build up layers of texture and colour so that surface looks like the surface of the soil, albeit a very colourful one! Another tutor, Sally tells me that my work is full of joy and energy and it is like I am painting with hundreds and thousands – I love this idea. I like to make surfaces that are “juicy”, that would make the viewer feel a hunger for colour and texture, to want to touch it and become lost within it. My aim is to overwhelm the visual sense of the viewer.  
I would describe my process at the moment as organic and playful. I love to combine different techniques to provide an abundance of stimulation on the surface. The puff binder is exciting as it behaves in an unpredictable manner and provides me with an unknown terrain on which to work. Towards the end of this page are some pieces without the puff binder which I love too - I think for the final work I create for my MA I will work on paper using a combination of these processes. Considering the lockdown and lack of space and time I will aim to make 3 A2 pieces for the final work. I don't feel the need to defer for a year as I feel as though I am ready to continue by myself. The MA has given me so much to move forwards with and I feel as though I have already achieved what I had hoped which was to stir things up creatively and remind me how to be an artist again.