Playing with Fire.

So today myself and a few other fellow DoJ Jewellers experienced  glass bead making which involved lots of glass, fire and a steady hand.

   It is something I never truly understood the complexitys of,the process in which one must follow in order to create really exciting glass work is magical to watch and learn. Helen, who in my eyes seems a Master of this skill managed to casually show us a multitude of bead making skills in her very own little 'glasswork workshop'.

   She also ever so kindly let us all have a go behind the flames (risky Helen, risky) teaching us new glass work skills, explaining how differing colours have different melting points and discussing how some glass has traces of silver and copper and therefore need to be used in a different manner from others. It was almost like the most colourful science lesson I have ever experienced.

Me trying to make tiny beads

   Learning and seeing new skillls like this will always excite an aspiring jeweller....although this may mean that we may all  head to Helens glass workshop more often now. Sorry Helen, we will get lost trying to find you again so you probably don't need to worry about that. haha.

   Helen currently has a little etsy shop set up selling glass beads and Jewellery that shes seems to be making more of daily. Also, Helen has an exciting blog which constantly teaches us all that little bit more about the possibilities of glass. You can find her blog here.

Thanks again Helen,

....oh and the Cocktails the night before weren't too bad either.  

Snow Days....

So  apparently people have been 'panic buying' in our local shop...leaving the shop now milk-less and bread-less and basically quite empty.Oh no. Disaster. So off dad and I venture into the snow on this ever so cold snow day.

He drove. I took pictures.

p.s I never left the car to do this. It is cold outside don't you know. 

Kincaple

Land Rover Days

Tayport Harbour,slightly snow covered.

Strathkinness.

1410 Still Frames.

So when I was a small, naive, first year, beginning the general course straight from school and right into the depths Duncan of Jordanstone I was adamant that Animation was for me.

 When I was much smaller I would somehow make Mother Connolly take her little daughter to university with her every now and again (this being DoJ-her being a fine art printmaker.)  She would sometimes manage to work her magic and there I would find myself in the animation studio watching little stop motion animation sets working away,  in miniature. It was magic and the only thing I wanted to do from a young age. So here 10-14years on from those days,I am a 4th year jeweller? Huh? I absolutely love my degree and was instantly sold into becoming a jeweller after seeing the jewellery workshop but the longing for animation/illustration still beckons. In a lecture recently we were asked to explain what our perfect day would be, say in 10 years-where do I expect/want to be? Truthfully  if all went to plan I would be an illustrator of children books, stories which  would then become adorable little childrens TV shows in Stop Motion Animation.I would make jewellery in my workshop by day and go out and take photographs by night, I would have an AGA cooker in a little cottage just out of town with a dog( a springer) and I would be happy happy happy. I want to be able to see programmes on the TV like The Clangers or Parsley the Lion and the Herbs?

...and this is why I am am going to try and attempt to use some stop motion animation as a way of both exploring and explaining my Degree show work. A digital sketchbook, but a piece of art/narrative in its' own right...almost.................................................... Travels


So here I am practising away on different stop motion sites playing about having a jolly good time, using my own personal tiny clanger as a prop (knitted by Audrey).


Fun Stuff.



Hello Tiny Clanger

 I am almost sure I will have blogs in the future talking of the disasterous time I am having and I admit now it may work or it may not but I am sure going to give a go.

3rd year,coming to a close.

Well it's almost the end of 3rd year, all we have left is grading and grading and more ...grading.But what a year it has been.

None of our work at this point has been officially assessed yet, so as assessment day is looming here we find all the lovely 3rd years in superdrive mode, well most of us anyway(haha). One of our presentations will be based in the corridor, this work will be assessed on both use of presentation skills and the actual work we have created;this can be any project of our choice. The rest of our work is meant to be presented, simply, but effectively with all our work accessible for our tutors to look through, with ease inside our studio space. As space is limited within the studio this can still be quite a task.

Dissertation feedback and my assessment both fall on Wednesday the 5th of May. Stressful times, but one must keep on going.

Thankfully my presentation work is almost finished...*breathe a sigh of relief* but there can never be enough sketchbook work so onwards with sketch booking. That is a never ending task, therefore never will I be able to say I am finished when it comes to the work within these little artist booklets.

The project I chose to put out in the corridor space, is the narrative project.

'tea for two.'

the narrative continues.

Vanity fades once we fall in Love.

Research talks are done.

So today was presentation day, its been and gone. I don't think I have ever felt more stresssed over a project than I have throughout this one. There have been tears, moments were I had to just take a time out before I would end up melting my brass into a mess.I had to research someone who initially baffled me and daunted me a little...But now, we have come to the end, can it really be over?My presentation was....truthfully I don't know actually, words came out my mouth and the powerpoint went through the slides but other than that it's a slight blur to me. I felt extrememly nervous about this presentation so there is such a sigh of relief to have come to the end.it challenged me greatly and even though it also stressed me I wouldnt have had it any other way. I feel the memory box is just a first draft of something that may be firther developed in the future.