2. ART FOUNDATION

It looks like things have been quiet here, but that is not the case. Unfortunately ‘Shinrin’ isn’t through to the ‘Landscape prize exhibition’ but, in truth, it doesn’t really speak of ‘British’ landscape so I am not surprised. I think Hubby is more disappointed than I am. My main task in recent weeks, has been completing my M.A. application and producing a portfolio. I am working on updating the Lowforce website and …. just for a sense of completeness – now that Foundation assessment has been done – I have been mounting projects other than FMP on this blog. It has been an interesting reflective exercise but, I have tried to keep the posting true to the thoughts, experiences and feelings that prevailed at the time the work was done rather than to compose with an ‘editorial’ hindsight. Mainly, I have just posted images from sketchbooks and added extra bits here or there from my written journals and notes. I can now use this ‘back story’ to compile a blog index for my portfolio which, as soon as I got the prints back, I immediately wanted to do again ….. BETTER! I am happy with it as a first ‘edition’ though. I used ‘Newspaper Club’ …..

https://www.newspaperclub.com/

and was very happy with the service – REALLY QUICK- even though there have been mixed reviews from other people who have recent experience of using the platform ie doing ‘zines’ for FMP. Speak as you find! Anyway, I ordered bright and newsprint versions to compare (preferring the former, now that they have arrived). …. too expensive to amend and order new ‘brights’ right now so my second edition can evolve over time. (Polite way of remarking upon the fact Hubby is now (again!!!) 2 months behind in getting paid!) I chose this format – newspaper with a sort of journalistic thread throughout the text – as an alternative to a traditional A1/2 portfolio with work in, mainly because my practice has become a thing of three dimensional proportions and I think a book of pictures of those things looks, in itself, like an attempt at a photographic portfolio and that is not what I am trying to present – I am not a photographer! It is a really interesting expressive exercise I am finding. The newspaper format, I hope, suggests ‘this is about Christine’s practice’ rather than ‘this is Christine’s work’????

One improvement would be such an index as I mentioned above! While I am working out exactly how do make that a useful tool, I have made some category and blog tag suggestions about where to access posts relating to the portfolio spreads pictured below ……. it is a work in progress! The first edition can be downloaded/viewed from the link at the bottom NB it’s in a tabloid format.