As you probably know, I completed my Master Degree in Fine Art four weeks ago, and I thought it was about time I checked in with you about what I’ve been up to since.

As soon as my final write up was handed in I headed for the seaside! August and the summer kind of came and went this year without my noticing, and my family had to holiday without me. I stayed in a gorgeous Airbnb in Southwold, a stones through from the sandy beach, the ice cream parlour and the chippy. I booked a massage and manicure, I slept, I lazed about in my PJs watching films, I enjoyed a well earned rest.

I worked harder and pushed beyond anything I’ve ever done before to complete my MA and now I’ve stopped I’m realising how much it’s taken out of me! To be honest it’s felt almost like recovering from a trauma. Once I’d finally managed to achieve the task of creating everything to go in my installation, the final week of installing turned out to be more challenging than ideal for reasons I won’t go into, and then once the exhibition was up and running, when I felt I had nothing left to give, I had to create 12 elements for the digital hand in (including a 100+ research logbook). All this was happening on top of preparing one daughter for secondary school, one starting uni up north and one leaving home.

One of the main things I’ve been doing to rest and refresh is take my dog on lots of lovely long walks, and one day I came across this field. Empty, laid bare, churned up, exposed - it was exactly how I felt! Reflecting on this I realised of course that this bare earth time is just part of the farming process, its doing what it’s meant to and waiting for what’s next. I saw the same field just one week later and it had turned green! 3 inch shoots had pushed their way through in just 7 days reminding me that we may feel empty but we’re not, we’re just waiting for the right time - this was a big encouragement to see.

Well I’ve decided to take a break from pushing forward until Christmas. I deserve a proper change of pace and to enjoy some time off.

• I’m sorting out our house and family stuff a bit, which I’ve neglected for quite a while. We’re adjusting to being a family of 3 rather than 5 (and counting the days till Christmas when they all come home again).
  
• I’ve been making good on my promises of rewards for those who generously gave towards my crowdfunding campaign for the MA show - designing T-shirts, bags, printing copies of sketchbooks etc etc.
• I’ve signed up for Karen Stamper’s ‘Free Up your Sketchbook’ online course, which I’m very excited about - I wanted something very different to the type of art I’ve been creating recently, and someone to provide a bit of guidance and structure. To play and have fun without having to write essays about the critical theory of it!!
• I have a few other ideas up my sleeve that I may or may not follow through on as well, but this is a time for flexibility and grace, so we’ll just have to see!

Anyway, I’ll sign off for now by celebrating with you that I was thrilled to find out this week I’ve been awarded a ‘Distinction’ for my final project and for my MA as a whole! HUGE thanks for all your amazing support on this journey… (which is just getting started!!)

Last week my MA show came down and Friday I handed in my final write up - it’s done! So it’s time to share it all with you!
I have way more to share than anyone could cope with, so I’ll give you links and let you choose! Some of you would love to watch a video or 2, some of you would love to see behind the scenes and browse my research sketchbook/logbook, others a flip through my portfolio, I know some of you mad folk would love to pour over my essay and bibliography! Im not sure anyone wants to see my risk assessment or month by month diary but even that is available to peruse if you so wish! That’s the thing with handing everything in digitally - it’s super easy to share it all with my lovely friends, however far away you are!
Click on each image below and it will take you to what you want to see.

Links to all the other bits - proposals, risk assessment, diary, professional practice file etc - CLICK HERE

This has been a labour of love and a dream come true. Every inch of this rather large installation has a story to tell from its 1000 hours of creation. Whether it be of sewing into the early hours of the night, of polystyrene foam dust all over my garden, of the 7 stitches in my arm, the missed family summer holiday or of the generous expertise shared in each media, or the paint party of 11 year olds to whitewash the papermache. A multitude of new techniques and materials discovered. A passion for sculpture and installation environments ignited.

I am more than ready for a holiday but already missing making art!

The support you guys have given me through all this has genuinely helped keep me strong, kept me smiling and kept me going. THANK YOU!

It’s been a LOONNNGG time coming but I’ve done it! Totalling about 980 hours making in the studio and around 60 hours installing it this week, and I’m so thrilled to see my plans become a reality, what I imagined and dreamt of become an actual thing in an actual room!

AND I filmed it all, cos I know you guys would love to see it coming alive.
Firstly here is my studio visit video from last Tuesday… right in the middle of the work.

And here is a timelapse movie of the installation from beginning to end.

I give you a little glimpse of the final result here but of course I’ve taken copious video footage and stills, plus have some professionals lined up to get some quality imagery in the next few days, so I’ll keep you waiting, do some organising and editing and promise to share them with you as soon as they’re ready.

Put my feet up? catch up on sleep? go on holiday? oh I wish!! Not quite yet. The work is being examined this week before the exhibition opens to the public on Thursday, so I have fliers to hand out, meetings, the Private View and invigilating, BUT on top of that I now have to write up all the documentation to hand in to complete my MA. The problem with having made so much work is that there is a LOT that needs writing about! (I didn’t think this through did I?!) I’ve got to write an essay, create a digital portfolio of supporting work, put together a professional development file and compile a digital logbook sharing all the research, thoughts and conclusions. I really tried to get all this going alongside my art making but it soon got engulfed as the work got so full on and so much fun!

• Emerge Art Installation is complete - 34 pods & about 210 seeds
  
• Private View 1st September 6-8pm no need to book
• Show open 2-8th Sept 10-5 (see invitation fro details)
  
• 9th September show comes down (and try to find places to put all this artwork!!
• 16th supporting documentation is handed in
• 3 weeks until my holiday - whoohooo!

To find out more about my project/installation I’ve created a page on my website click HERE

AND please join my NEWSLETTER LIST so you don’t miss out on my news.

See you next week for more!

I’ve been finding it hard to find time to write this but am really keen to document this final chapter for you. Well it’s finally arrived - installation week!

Last Monday I started the week installing the biggest element of my exhibition, my tent pod. I was asked to do this ahead of the official install to allow for discussion and adjustment in our final group critique on Tuesday. It was scary and exhilerating in equal measures - would it actually work? What would other people think of it? Would I be asked to make changes? It was also rather surreal having made sketches, done mock ups and prototypes to actually see it come to life, filling the space like some evil twin of the Haahoos from the Night Garden!

To answer my questions above - it did work (with a bit of trial and error), it has certainly sparked interest from anyone passing through the gallery, and yes I did need to make some adaptions. My design was originally widthways across the gallery but is now lengthways to allow for viewing of a beautiful gigantic print on the far wall, once in the space several parts needed moving around to avoid restricting traffic through the gallery or from blocking the view through doorways - this meant the left hand spike of my tent was sacrificed, and instead will be inverted serving as a pocket with a seed popping out.

The rest of my week was a production line of finishing off pieces in time for transporting on Sunday ready for install week, and not very much sleep! This included creating a felt hanging pod reminiscent of a christmas decoration, splatting a walking stick (for added stability for those who need it when climbing into my pod) and constructing a frame for suspending seeds from the ceiling in my tent pod.

I also had fun painting some false walls for my tent pod with spray paint and splatted fluorescent paint that glows in the dark.

• Installation has begun and must be finished by midnight 29th Aug ready for examination.
• 33 pods finished (just 1 still to do) & 180 seeds finished (just 30 still to do)!
• 1st September my show opens - 8th
  
• 9th September show comes down + supporting documentation is handed in 16th
  
• 4 weeks until my holiday - whoohooo!

To find out more about my project/installation I’ve created a new page on my website click HERE to view,

AND please join my NEWSLETTER LIST so you don’t miss out on my news.

See you next week as things draw towards completion!

I’m now heading into the FINAL week before I install my MA show (eek!). Things are getting exciting and SUPER busy. Let me fill you in on what I’ve been up to.

I then moved onto much smaller versions - there’s 60 of these to do, and they're all gettings covered in spots too!

I’ve also made a little progress on covering some conker spikes with Lycra, lots of these to complete next week.

• 1 week until I install my show
  
• 23 pods finished (11 still to do) & 117 seeds finished (108 still to do)!
• 1st September my show opens
• 16th September show comes down + supporting documentation is handed in
• 5 weeks until my holiday!

To find out more about my project/installation I’ve created a new page on my website click HERE to view.

AND please join my NEWSLETTER LIST so you don’t miss out on my news.
See you next week for the next instalment!

Exciting things are happening - let me fill you in on this weeks progress.

I had a really helpful meeting with the gallery technical officer fine tuning my plans for the construction of my art installation.

• 2 weeks until I install my show
• 22 pods finished (12 still to do) & 59 seeds finished (166 still to do)!
• 1st September my show opens
• 16th September show comes down + supporting documentation is handed in
• 6 weeks until my holiday!

To find out more about my project/installation I’ve created a new page on my website click HERE to view.

AND please join my NEWSLETTER LIST so you don’t miss out on my news.

See you next week for the next instalment!

I’m heading into the last 4 weeks before I install my MA degree show and thought you’d like to see what I’ve been doing this week.

• 1 week until my exhibition space is confirmed
  
• 4 weeks until I install my show
• 16 pods finished (21 still to do) & 1 seed finished (194 still to do)!
• 1st September my show opens
• 16th September show comes down + supporting documentation is handed in
• 8 weeks until my holiday!

To find out more about my project click HERE where you’ll also discover some lovely merch I’ve designed especially for the show! You could even order your very own bespoke seedpod sculpture from the show

AND please join my NEWSLETTER LIST so you don’t miss out on my news.

See you next week for the next instalment!

Just about to head into the last 5 weeks before I install my MA degree show and thought I’d share what I’ve been up to this week.

To find out more about my project click HERE where you’ll also discover some lovely merch I’ve designed especially for the show! You could even order your very own bespoke seedpod sculpture from the show

AND please join my NEWSLETTER LIST so you don’t miss out on my news.

See you next week for the next instalment!

Just about to head into the last 6 weeks before I install my MA degree show and thought you’d like to hear what I’ve been upto this week.

• 3 weeks until my exhibition space is confirmed
  
• 6 weeks until I install my show
• 1st September my show opens
• 16th September show comes down + supporting documentation is handed in
• 10 weeks until my holiday

To find out more about my project click HERE where you’ll also discover some lovely merch I’ve designed especially for the show! You could even order your very own bespoke seedpod sculpture from the show

AND please join my NEWSLETTER LIST so you don’t miss out on my news.

See you next week for the next instalment!

I know you guys have been enjoying accompanying me and cheering me on through my MA journey (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) So I thought for the final couple of months I’ll attempt to share developments on a weekly basis, as things are really beginning to hot up in this final stretch.

I’m in a constant state of trying to hold my nerve on multiple levels at the moment and living in the tension between realism and fulfilling a dream.

1. It's so hard to quantify how much I can make in the time I have left & what other unexpected interuptions might come.
2. I'm still experimenting and creating things I've never done before (which really needs to stop soon!!) this provides me with equal measures of excitement and frustration.
3. I won't find out what space I'm being given to exhibit in until 2.5 weeks before install, so all my ideas and plans have to held lightly and ready for adjustment.
4. I've been attempting to find some voluntary studio assistants to help me create the huge quantity of elements this installation needs (even before I cut my arm) but had no success yet. It’s also not just been confirmed whether I'm allowed to bring in a friend to help me install this giant installation.
5. The windows at Cambridge School of Art are being replaced throughout the summer causing limitation on facilities, room availability and a question mark over the impact on our show.
6. And as well as July being all 3 daughters birthdays I'm also helping one transition to high school, one transition to uni and learn to drive, and one to transition out the other end of uni - so being a mum is demanding quite a bit of me at the moment too!

Despite all these things most of the time I am remembering to have fun and make the most of this fantastic opportunity!

Please consider joining my NEWSLETTER LIST so you don’t miss out on my news.
AND please consider contributing to my fundraising campaign HERE (where you can get a good overview of the story behind this project and bag yourself some treats I’ve designed especially for my supporters)
See you next week for the next instalment!