Rendering, a sense of achievement

I have been editing some video footage I took whilst in Wales, on the beach. A few years ago now, I started to make video collages. When I looked at my previous videos, I couldn’t believe it had been so long! One of the ideas I had was to break down a walk to the sea edge. I have been visualising what this would look like, and thinking about the various ways I could document it for a while now.

desk

Today, I finally sat down at my tidy (ish) desk and began to remember how to use Adobe Premiere. It has been a real treat to play with it and see what comes out. The video I have made is the very start of thinking about how I will document the next beach I visit and other walks/adventures. There are a number of things I would change, like using a tripod for the video of the sea, to get the horizon straight.

Below is a screen print of the video in progress. There is the sky at the top, which is a video taken with the camera pointing upwards whilst walking on the beach. The middle section is a static shot of the sea moving in and out, and the sound used is what is captured whilst filming this. The finally, you have a slideshow of photos taken on the beach floor, whilst walking towards the sea.

Sky Sea Sand print screen

I am really interested in documenting these experiences and exploring different ways I see what’s around me. My next mission is to get an app on my photo that has a pause button, so I can make videos, like I used to, with short clips of parts of a walk/journey.

Thinking space

Today I have a meeting at 12.30pm so this morning I have had a good couple of hours thinking time. I sat in Pret for 2 hours and consumed two cups of tea. It was truly lovely! I witnessed one woman put 6 sachets of pepper into her soup with such speed, that you knew she had done this before. I wrote notes about my recent ideas and thought about what is wanted to do next. Finally, I visited Paperchase like it was an exhibition of pretty things and images.

image

My studio for a few hours

A space in my home

This weekend, me and Al have been working hard to turn our spare room (of doom) into a space that has the ultimate storage. This involved a after work Friday night trip to Ikea to buy shelves (fairly grim prospect but actually lots of fun!) and a lot of throwing away, moving and building on Saturday. It was worth it as there is now a space in my home where I can make mess and be creative, without inflicting it on the rest of the house. Yippeee!

First Wednesday in the Studio

Today has been my first Wednesday in my Studio after starting my new hours. I am hopefully going to have every other Wednesday off work to do with as I please. This is what I have been up to today:

  • Writing
  • Researching mechanisms that turn
  • Playing with cardboard boxes and tubes
  • Drinking huge amounts of tea
  • Reading about book making
  • Eating a halloumi and vegetable baguette from Greek restaurant Yiannis
  • Making a sketch book
  • Remembering ideas that I had forgotten about

Lettuce (one of my cats) is not happy at the idea of me cutting up her boxes so is having a sit in protest. The cardboard tube and two half boxes is the start of me making a turning mechanism. It is a lot more tricky than I thought but I am enjoying the challenge.

I am extremely pleased to work in a job that has this kind of flexibility and I’m glad I have finally found a way of using it to my benefit!

To start again

I have been finding it increasing harder to get put my art hat* on and have decided to start again. I am going to be starting a new work timetable which, all being well will allow me to have every other Wednesday off. Yippee!! I am under no delusions that every minute of this day will be used to its full potential but even if I spend the day hoovering (unlikely!) at least it will free up other time.

*If I had an art hat I would like it to look a bit like this; across between a satellite dish and a clock.

I have been tidying up my studio space today and I had done some before and after shots, which to my horror look very similar to one another. I am sitting in my studio as I type, and that would not have happened this morning. This bank holiday has been a pure crafty delight!

One half of knowing what you want, is knowing what you must give up before you get it.

This is an inspirational futuristic aeroplane picture left in the studio by previous tenants. I will miss it!

I have just looked up motivational sayings (I love the language and clichés used in quotes like these) but ‘One half of knowing what you want, is knowing what you must give up before you get it‘ seemed to make a lot of sense to me. We decided a few months ago that having a physical studio space wasn’t right for us and that we would have more time and space to think without it.


A change like this always makes you feel reflective and reassess what it is you would like to do. It was sad to say goodbye but I am looking forward to using the space available at home to make work (with bonus catties to distract me, as one is doing right now!).

On our last night we sat outside on cushions, drank red wine and miniature beers. We ordered pizza and had the company of a bold little black cat that I have named Alfred for confidentially reasons, who has the most mouse like meow in Carrington.

After been poorly and useless and having to pull in lots of favours (Thank you!!) it was so lovely to leave on such a high!

Shaving with Stanley

I had a very slow start to my Sunday. I went to the studio in hunt for string for a new idea. Once we’d opened the door it swelled up and became too big for the frame. We tried slamming it but no such luck. I phoned my Dad, Steve who came up with some cracking ideas but we had none of the necessary objects to help; hair dryer, extension cable, rope or appropriately sized piece of wood. I ended up having to use what we had, shaving the door with the aid of a Stanley knife. A laborious task but after some time it closed and we could go home to try out my new string idea!

I was having a cup of Earl grey with Phil and the topic of the Shroud of Turin came up. Phil was telling me about all the conspiracy, especially with particular reference to the ‘Analysis of optical perspective‘. This is the idea that the face would be distorted if the Shroud had been a result of the cloths contact with the face, because of the contours. This made me think about how my face would be represented if measured by string. I have had a first attempt today and you can see that the nose is particularly affected by the distortion.

Internet at the studio

I am currently sat at my laptop in the studio on the internet, which is extremely novel for me! Vodaphone phoned me up on Tuesday and offered me a dongle for no more money a month and I bit their hand off. Patience is a virtue when using it but I can access the basics, which is better than nothing.

We're published

LeftLion advert

We were asked alongside other studio groups to design a section of a page in LeftLion. We had a great time making a birds eye view of a map of sherwood with white tape and chalk on the courtyard floor. We then made a cardboard studio to demonstrate our location on the map.

Stu stu stu studio

I have put some shelving in my studio space and it’s helped me categorise all my things and have a place for my books.

New shelving

Cardboard collectionTape collection

I especially like looking at my cardboard and tape collections.