A bee visits an aged but still fragrant hebe.
*
‘Creative People and their Practice – Whatever the Day Brings‘
These pages are being put together as a visual jotter to map various elements of my PhD candidature in Fine Art at
Ysgol Gelf, Prifysgol Aberystwyth – School of Art, Aberystwyth University
This research has arisen from recognising the importance of embracing our creativity throughout our lives.
*” … science keeps us alive, but what keeps us living is art … “
The research covers aspects of how creatives (those who practice in the visual, sound, voice, material, conceptual, written and performance arts), access, maintain and sustain their practice through different phases of their lives – whatever the day brings.
At the School of Art I have grown to accept that I am a ‘noticer’, a ‘placer’, a gatherer and maker who enjoys exploring and refining processes which arise from working with different natural materials. My inspiration and enthusiasm arise mostly from plants, in particular in the garden, local woods and coast. Interests include investigating constraints presented by the materials themselves, different contexts and the limitations imposed by our changing capabilities, especially during the later stages of life. Sound, texture, taste, smell as well as time and visual aspects all have roles to play.
A section of the website charts my response to the kinetic and ephemeral nature of my living workspace (the garden), through a period of a year. The balance between the desires and needs of human inhabitants (three generations of family), flora and other fauna and the elements is ever changing. Life in its various stages is never wholly static, it is always of interest and a challenge to my ingenuity.
Exhibition practice pieces (the exhibition will be at the above venue , July/August 2021), are not included in this website, as the exhibition will be an installation. To see separate elements could unbalance viewing the final piece as a whole.
Whilst a theme may be serious at its core, I aim to discover playful attributes to trigger an observer’s curiosity. There is little more satisfying than seeing a questioning frown grow into a smile.
*The Guardian – Letters; 13.03.19; ‘Art is a Medicine that Helps us Live’; Dr C Coggins.
