I don’t know how to start…

I need to write a three or four thousand word essay/research project in the next few weeks. I have known about this project since the beginning of the year and up until now I haven’t really given it much more than the occassional passing thought.

My initial idea was to research a specific type of glaze and then write about various tests etc. that I had done with that glaze, as well as put together a glossary of glaze terms. But with this year being what it has been, I have only had unbroken blocks of time in the studio since the middle of July. The kilns aren’t firing properly and so any sort of glaze testing on my part has been cursory to say the least.

So with only a few weeks to go before my assessment I had no idea at all of what I was going to do, until a fellow student said she was in the same situation as me (phew). We brainstormed with our tutors and I think that I have a sort of an idea of what I am going to do.

I am going to… and here I stop. My brain just shuts down with the ernormity of the possibilities in front of me. I want to explore  the use of text in art and why text isn’t valued as an artform in itself. I want to try and express the impact that the destruction of Tasmania’s ancient forests has on me and why it is important that my art work expresses my despair.

So yesterday, instead of continuing on with this post I emailed my tutors and asked for their help again. My slipcast tutor Dawn Oakford replied and spun me off into yet another wonderful tangent with this idea.

Example 2: Create several ceramic objects (functional or non-functional) and place them along a forest track where they can be readily seen,handled and most importantly their “anti-destruction of forests messages read.

whatever occassion you decide to create, you could photograph people engaging with your ceramics and reacting to your messages – the documentation could then be your research/work

With this suggestion of Dawn’s all thought of my research project happily flew right out of my head and I was left mentally organising an outdoor exhibition and bushwalk. I started to squee with excitement as the possibilities coalesced in my mind. I need to get in touch with the trustees of a local wildlife sanctuary and see if Dawn’s idea would be possible.The images of future work are tumbling through my mind at a rate of knots and and and…

I will keep you posted.

You might remember I made a small sculpture called ‘Silence’  I have been wanting to make her some sisters for a long time now but I have always had the excuse, that I don’t have anywhere to make larger sculptures stopping me from starting. Now I know that I don’t need to make large sculptures at all. Silence’s sisters can be now be made because they only need to be about  tweve inches or so high. YAY.

Could you imagine just walking along and finding Silence and her sister “The despair of the Goddess” just sitting there underneath a tree. When you walk further along the bush track there is a bowl with the words useless residue inscribed into it. Or a shell covered with graffiti. Squeeee!

I still need to write my research project but I will think about that tomorrow. Right now I am off to make some phonecalls.