Week two...

Such an overwhelming week!  Lurching from inspiration and excitement to frustration at my technical abilities.

I was excited to see some of the images in class.  I have a brooch that I really identify with as a sort of self portrait.  It's by Jubly Umph and she hand draws them all here in Melbourne before they are turned into brooches and necklaces.

Woolmia brooch by Jubly Umph

I have collection of her pieces but this one really speaks to me
as a part of who I am.  She's blonde with a giant ball of wool
in her hair. I love to create things with wool, I'm part of a Yarn Bombing group and have installed things all over Melbourne... sometimes it's sponsored and official and sometimes it's done quietly when no one is looking.   Anyway, it's one of the creative things I like to do as is making giant things to go in my hair so little Woolmia here.

Two of my most recent projects...

Sneaky yarn bomb

Leather and tulle
watermelon in my hair

So when I saw the examples in class of art created with Illustrator I was super excited.  I would make a Stanley Chow inspired version of myself with a bow on my head...  Easy right?  Maybe like his Debbie Harry?

Debbie Harry by Stanley Chow

But after struggling for two hours to trace curved lines I may need to rethink.  We will see, perhaps week three leads to a breakthrough...

Week one....

My experience in art.....
I don't consider myself experiences in traditional art forms but there is art in many of the things I enjoy doing.  I create art with textiles, I certainly see myself more of a crafter than an artist.  I enjoy using them in ways that are unexpected.  Instead of weaving into a frame I've taken wool and woven it into a squash racket I've found inspired by dream catchers.  Or I might cut up some old sheets and turn them into a brooch to wear.  My yarn bombing could be seen as a form of installation art.


What digital art means to me....
I think this medium is exciting, I think it gives opportunity to create art works outside of what could be achieved with traditional materials.  Having a digital camera in your pocket everyday as part of your phone means there is constant opportunity to create art, anything can become digital art.  Physical art you have created can be manipulated by the digital process into a new project.


What I hope to get from this course....
I'm an education student rather than a budding artist.   I come to the course excited about possibilities and outcomes.  I hope to gain technical skills to create things that are interesting to me and to others.  I value aesthetically pleasing things myself and feel excited about making my own while learning new techniques.


Early thoughts on my choice of topic....
If I am unhampered by having a low base of technical skills I would like to consider the topics "Is This Me?"  As a mature age student turning my life upside down to study while being a mother was a decision  I came to after I realised the life I was living wasn't what I wanted for myself.  So the last few years have been focused on that question.  As a parent it's easy to question if you are still yourself. Am I more than what I am to the children who depend on me?
If it turns out that isn't possible I will look to abstract projects!
My own 'art' lends itself to the topic of Lost and Found so I'm excited to go away and think of