One.

I think this is quite a powerful post – certainly for me, whilst I know that you have been flooded, I hadn’t really apprecated the extent. From an OCA point of view I wonder if it would be more relevant to have the Taylor paragraphs earlier (eg before your work – or even mid way). That way you can link how you have been influenced by him. I particularly liked the underwater sculpture he has done, and loved your comment about being about to see it from a boat. For me this seems very relevant to understanding your motivation for your dark and sinister pieces (which are fantastic) , especially the use of a negative filter. A sort of rift on ‘ looking the other way’! No idea if that makes any sense to you!

Two

In this project I really feel your strong, emotional connection to the subject and It is really interesting to see the photographs and environmental agency graphs to help put your work into context.

Your stone drawings exude the calmness of the water and, even before reading the text, it felt like the black drawings of the reeds were a more ‘violent’ depiction of the water and really represented your love/hate relationship.

I really feel like you have got something going here. Only because, as you know I don’t really do digital, have you thought of doing a physical dark drawing on black paper using white fine-liners or pencil?

Your work is lovely. xxx

Three

Background/Research – Gave me a much deeper understanding of what drives your practice – some of your own photographs feel significant (I wonder if you could experiment with combining these digitally with your drawings?).

Image 1 and 2 – Gives me a real sense of the movement and subtle shifts of water colour. 

Image 3 – This feels really large scale and I wonder if it is durational in process? A meditative drawing process allowing reflection on the flooding? A type of therapy perhaps? 

Images 4, 5 and 6 – Really enjoy the digital backgrounds of these which instantly remind me of glistening water. However, the darker colours also are suggestive of hidden secrets or something unknown under the surface. The lighter backgrounds of images 7, 8 and 9 are more suggestive of the summer months and gentle water for me. 4, 5 and 6 are maybe more ambiguous, suggestive of both the summer but the hidden risks that await? 

Images 10-13 – Really strong and personally my favourite. Delicate yet unsettling. The digital background enhances this I think. It would be interesting to see the original drawing without digital background. The outcome of these remind me of scratchboard drawings – is this something you have tried? 

Four

You have set the scene for your work very well. The regular flooding of your small village is clearly a subject very close to your heart. This ‘frustration’ with the authorities’ lack of action is juxtaposed with your obvious love for living by the river and all the blessing of summer activities that come with this. The flooding aerial shots you’ve included would look amazing as pen and ink drawings. You mention a sculptor Jason DeCaires Taylor. I was wondering whether perhaps you may make some plaster casts of river debris or even create a small temporary installation in the river yourself to reflect your interest in his work.

The drawings you have created really capture the two sides of your thoughts. As expressed on our padlet,  I love the delicacy/abruptness of your mark making. The smooth and rhythmical stones (meditative quality)  are polar opposite to the jagged structures of the debris under the water. The reeds/silt and rubbish set against the blackness of water is really effective. It has a foreboding about it that reminds me of flood devastation. It also makes me think of microbes under a microscope – perhaps indicative of pollution. I noticed that you add backgrounds digitally. What would the resulting work be like if you stained paper then drew with for example a Tippex marker or white pencil crayon? The negative spaces are really good on both stones and reed drawings. I also like that you have left blank areas to let the viewers’ eye breath. Your water drawings are really vibrant and have captured the movement of the water as the light reflects on it. They remind me of https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/green-river-1998/ . I saw a video where you can put biro ink on the edge of a leaf and then it makes the leaf move leaving a trail. I’m not suggesting you pollute the river but perhaps take some river water with debris in a large container, then play around with surface inks and photograph these. 

Five

It’s so great that you’ve really set the scene for your Stage 3 work, so that the reader can see where your passion for your subject matter comes from. You’ve brought the contrast between summer and winter out so strongly. Thanks for sharing – so interesting to see how you’ve explained your context, I always find that hard.

Six

Great work Viv.

I see this work as deeply traumatic for you and perhaps it is a way to reflect on or heal the scars left behind – either physical or pschological.

Your work is becoming deeper and more complex and I see the stone drawings as a meditative/healing exercise, however when translated into a digital format I am not sure if this changes the dynamic of a slow process becoming more split second (if you understand my meaning).

Your work reminds me of Tiffany Chung who has made many maps about man made and natural disasters – these two links are a really inspiring look into her work – her meditation work in these artworks are dots! A lot of dots!!:

Episodes

Your work is looking locally and reacting to the immediate area – have you considered the effect on flooding from a social/historic point of view?

Who else is making similar work?

Seven

Very clear breakdown of the context and why it matters to you personally. Your involvement in the subject is compelling. Also you know details that an outsider wouldn’t know, so don’t lose those points… the silt, the smell, the stopping of traffic to avoid wake trails, all that. No idea how those would play into the work but they’re a layer of authenticity in terms of your experience, so they lend authenticity.

Could you use the level graphs in some way? As part of a composition? the build up and falling away of flood levels over time? Dunno.

Is it worth getting in touch with Alison Churchill (@alisonchurchill4 ex-OCA) about her work with water?

It looks like you’re heading to having a contrasting pair of contexts: water as a pleasure and water as a proper danger. I think it might be worth trying to find material processes that support your aims rather than doping most of it digitally? If you do it that way I think you’ll need to justify the approach, particularly as someone could point to tech as a contributory factor in our increasing use of natural resources.

Alison might be helpful in terms of the “good” side of water!

Also, if you do find a way to continue the digital media, you probably need to think about how a viewer would encounter the works. Is it printouts on paper? On a screen? On a mobile phone? On a massive projection? They’ll start pushing you to think about curation and presentation in a show ready for the final course when you have to make a public show.

The contrast between the black drawings and the earlier ones is striking! Image 12 with just a teeny hint of colour is quite evil looking! The little bits of colour in those other black drawings is also a really interesting texture.

Eight

 Well done! I did really understand your push/pull relationship to water due to your experiences with flooding.

Couple of minor things:

No link in references showing up for artist (Jason deCaires Taylor)

In your reflection you talk about the black drawings first but your images show the light drawings first – I know it’s really nit-picky but you might want to either swap those images around to end with the lighter ones and have it match up to your reflection, or start with the ‘lighter’ paragraph first. It might just flow better when viewing and reading, and I guess it depends on whether you want to leave us with foreboding imagery or on a more hopeful note?

You bring in a new thought at the end of reflection about how the flooding has changed the landscape of your area, yet your drawings are more truncated (one of my new favourite words ), maybe it’s something you want to further explore so perhaps note that is why you have mentioned that there?

Nine

I think it’s really interesting the way you have taken a situation which is personally very traumatic and also has a wider environmental/political leaning as your focus.  I like also the duality of the softer love of water and the more foreboding element from the flood.  I especially like the black works as they really give a sense of the negative aspects of water in your life.  They have a delicacy and a beauty but also a feeling of the sinister. 

Ten

I  was very interested to read and look at your project Viv. It is truly awful what you and your neighbours have to live with. Do you have an action group ? I don’t suppose it would do much and maybe would add to the stress  of living with this. I think your predicament needs to be highlighted by something like OneShow/Watchdog after all you are paying for services and should be protected.

I like your drawings very much but feel the dark ones are too polite. They are beautiful drawings but I think you could do some very beautiful drawings that give some idea of the true horror of the situation like the photographs do, but in a non photographic way. I am thinking of drawings and collage maybe with blackened varnish / pva or thick acrylic paint choking and masking the drawings. If you don’t like doing that to the actual drawings you could use copies. Just a suggestion so please ignore,I just think you could make a stunning horrific statement.

Eleven

I think your assignment is well written, well researched and well balanced whilst being intensely personal. The work taken as a whole has a powerful impact, the artwork is delicate, almost ethereal  but packs punch. I think you should be proud of yourself.

Twelve

1. Your deep connection with your hometown, especially regarding issues like flooding, truly reflects your passion. Sharing the impact of such a disaster can be an emotional experience, showcasing the devastation and the remarkable strength of the community. It’s understandable to feel frustrated with authorities when their response seems insufficient during difficult times. As an artist, finding topics that resonate deeply with you is essential. When you engage with what matters to you, your creativity flourishes. Pouring your heart into your work adds depth and meaning, allowing you to create pieces that resonate with others facing similar challenges. Embracing your journey can lead to artwork that communicates far beyond your story. When it comes to the practice:Image 1. A3 Water, oil, coarse salt and watercolour inks. This artwork is incredibly effective; the contrast created by your watercolour gives the impression that it’s placed in the middle of a shallow sea rather than near the shore. The water shimmers with a translucent turquoise glow, beautifully reflecting the sunlight. It captures a serene and enchanting atmosphere that draws the viewer in overall i think is your successful work, It doesn’t feel like painting it feels like real. Image two. A3 Water, oil, coarse salt and watercolour inks. Likewise, I had to show this to my son as my son has a fascination with space and the social system. When I showed him this, he found it felt like “Nebula, “and he found it fascinating. Image three. A3 Hand-drawn stones, black fine liner on white paper, and a digital background were added. This artwork resonates with your frustration, though I might not interpret it perfectly. It gives off a vibe of many stubborn stones. Drawing pebbles can be a technical challenge requiring precision and attention to detail. I think it’s interesting how you’re incorporating digital elements; however, I feel that it doesn’t enhance the beauty of this painting. Image ten. A3 Black fine liner on white paper with a digital background and a digital negative filter. This artwork seems similar to the previous one, and it feels like you have drawn your frustration in the form of art, and I still think the digital background is not enhancing its beauty. When it comes to the research The striking sculpture of “The Banker” by Jason Deciare’s Taylor, created in 2012 with environmental awareness, is the best material to research and is more related to your circumstances. Although it’s a bigger-scale installation, you could try incorporating something like that in Canvas.Reply

My thoughts

This has been such an inspiring process, from friends and colleagues who know me a little, and who know me a lot. I am full of new ideas to move forward.

A little of what I have taken from this.

Dark and sinister, a rift on looking the other way. Strong emotional connection to the subject, this shows, stay true.

Calm/violent. An opportunity to combine photographs and graphs with the artwork. Movement in subtle shifts, meditative therapy. Darker drawings hiding, sinister.

Delicate and unsettling. Ariel shots would be great as pen and ink drawings. Maybe a small installation in the river and use the river water for something, microbes, pollution.

Delicacy, abruptness. The blackness is really effective. Stained paper, draw with white pen. Negative spaces work in both sets of drawings. Good contrast between summer and winter, the work is becoming deeper and more complex. A healing process.

Don’t loose the points that the outsider wouldn’t know, silt, smell, wake trail. Use the graphs. Flooding changes the shape of the landscape. Try making a horrific stunning statement.

Pouring your heart into your work adds depth and meaning. The water, salt, oil textures, most successful. This is interesting as I love working like this.