Chasing towards assessments on Monday and Tuesday

I've been busy the last couple of days.  On Friday I spent a very happy day at uni.  First I was in tutorial where we were anticipating potential questions in our Historical Issues in Art and Designs.  We have had 6 lectures so far, and after each lecture, the tutor has a list of pages to read in the set text - usually about 20 pages.  And it turns out I'm the only one who has actually read the set reading each week!  None of it is difficult, but we are covering such a wide range of art, that it is difficult to remember all the different artistic styles and the artists who used them, and what they created. 

The rest of the day, I spent in the textile workshop, printing repeat designs on two different fabrics. one black, one white. I managed to get a naff print right in the middle of the black fabric.  So I decided to overprint another layer of grey outlines on the black, then used my old honkey nuts screen to do a half drop repeat print over the whole length of fabric, and foiled this print.  The outcome was quite an interesting combination print.  But unfortunately the heat press was out of order, and I had to use the iron to do the foiling, and it is never as consistent.  But it demonstrated the principle

Then I worked on the white fabric with some grey binder and the repeats worked perfectly until I did the last one, when I made a smudged line right in the middle (when I was tired).  I said some rude words at this point.  But having said that, we were told to start scaling up the size of our samples, which I have done, and a large part of the skill, is to be able to repeat print correctly.  And you don't gain this skill without boo-boos.  We need to produce two 1m x 1m pieces for assessment in 2 weeks.  So far I'm working at 1m x 50cm repeats.  So far, so good.

On Saturday my plan was to get on my Visual Inquiry homework - working with text in pattern on a social or political issue that interests us.  I am unexcited by this.   So when my priority for the day was to spend the morning with my husband, doing something together, we decided to try a new route to Fremantle and have a walk around town.  We took the 30 and changed at Canning Bridge to the 106 and got to Fremantle in about an hour.  We had a lovely browse round town, and I took about 60 shots of different text on buildings and signs.  I excluded all advertising and shop names and had a lovely range of text, that clearly showed we had been tourists in Fremantle.  I printed them 9 to a page, and arranged them from light to dark tonally on a A1 page.  A day out with my husband, became an important social issue. 

Definitely a numberplate for someone unconcerned about their weight

Rather beautiful lettering with shadows (and this is mid-winter here!)

This morning I have been working on my mid semester assessment for Visual Inquiry. Jim went on a 36 mile bike ride, to take in the marathon at Kings Park - City to Surf. At home I've printed lots of artist research.  I've also used text to create a tonal head and shoulders shot of a man, and a darker background also done in text.  My plan is to photocopy the head 5 times, going one shade lighter each time, and copy the background 5 times going lighter each time.  Then put the lighter heads onto the darker backgrounds, to demonstrate how you lose the person with the deterioration of Alzheimers disease.  So that will be a second piece of social artwork for my homework. 

Jim and I took another walk along the riverside at Salter Point and spent some time looking at the waterskiers and boats, before we returned home and I cooked dinner.

Jim - " My friend Maurice would think this a great place for a run"

"A boardwalk, leading to steps, rocks, sand, tree roots and all on the river's edge!"

1. 

   The motorboat stopped to collect its water skier