Coventry University First Year

As a part of this year we were split into groups and given taster sessions in 2D and 3D arts, during the 3D session we were allowed to experiment with varying materials and try and and create relationships between them. I focused on Texture, mainly hard man-made metallics and organic-like balloons.

Display of Project Work

Detail of Texture Sculpture- Photography

I then spent six weeks undertaking aspects of the 2D arts, I chose to look at Painting. We had to create pieces of work based upon a subject we were interested in, I chose to look at the work of Giorgio Morandi after viewing his work at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. I studied the way he placed his paint on the canvas and tried to mimic this, learning as i went. I saw that in his work he tended to overlap his still life objects, so i created my own still life and painted it.

After discussing this painting with my parents and my tutors, I decided that I was creating too much of a solid outline around my still life objects- I needed to be more subtle so i created this painting which i was much happier with.

Detail of Morandi Style Painting.

Illustrative Work

During this year we were set various projects during my Illustration classes -as I was at this point taking the Fine Art and Illustration BA. On of the briefs was to create a storyboard. I chose to create a scene where a person was injured and needed help.

Module Work- First Year

I chose to follow painting and 2D arts and I started off by experimenting with the use of paint and mark making upon the canvas- building upon the Morandi- Style paintings previously done.

I felt this was a good start to try and get comfortable with paint as I had not really used it properly. So I started by working freely with the paint, trying to create patterns by dragging paint across the canvas with a ruler and dripping watered-down paint down the canvas. I didn't want to create anything physical within the canvas, just an abstracted effect.

Now I had acquainted myself with painting I wanted to try and create more literal paintings. I have always had an interest in War and War Art and went on a trip around the Battlefields of Belgium and France, I admired the craftsmanship of the Memorials so I decided to recreate my favourite- a memorial to Gas Attacks in WWI.

This then got me looking through my Photos from the Trip to Belgium so I created some paintings inspired by the pictures of the Trenches as they are today, I also tried a slightly different painting style after seeing the artwork of an airbrush artist who focuses on battlefield images.

I liked the clean and neat edges i created within these paintings and wanted to create lots of images, without the lenghtly process of painting so when I was given the opportunity to go on a Printmaking Workshop which inspired me to create many pieces of work based on my Photographs.

I liked the simplicity of these prints brilliant, I also found the smoothness of the paint on the paper very appealing, I feel that I may continue this to a certain extent during my Second Year.