This post is a collection of tutorial and chats I had with Kim S. who is officially my 3D tutor and has supported me in my practice since the beginning.
We started talking about the FMP even before the beginning of this year: we had a couple of discussions re. the concept and ideas of Beauty, etc. She has always felt enthusiastic but also academic and able to ground me.
I feel I am understood, supported, and acknowledged when I am with her.
She pushed me to try to change dimension – hence I went larger on wood; she suggested I tried wire and I did (even if I hated every second of it); she read the beginning of the first draft and came back to me saying that the whole approach I had for me FMP was “wrong”, meaning that I had to be [to allow myself to be] more subtle, poetic, and abstract. She is the one who suggested for me to go and see Rothko when in London. And so I did: I went and sat for about a couple of hours in front of Rothko until something moved within me and said that I could leave.
She is lately supporting me also with the background work for this FMP as in blog, schedules, proposal, etc. And she is the one who suggested that I apply for University and in London. She is also supervising me in my UCAS application and process.
I cannot say that we are having a proper tutorial every week, but we take the time to check-in, for me to tell her where I am at and what I am trying; and for her to double-check I am in the right direction. Also, we had an interesting conversation the other week about the importance of space and volume re. the installation for the FMP and it only when talking that I realised that I am not the kind of artist who creates something, takes pictures and then exhibit the pictures. I need to know the space and volume and then my installation is informed by the location. Today, instead, she asked me if my pieces come first, or it’s the title that comes first. They are organic, but the mark-making is very much informed by the music I am listening to. But even that is not 100% correct. Today, for example, I was in the mood for tango and French music: basically, the soundtrack of Amélie. Then, once the music was on, I started my process of flowing and then, towards the end, a title might come up. But the drawing is finished only when I draw my own symbol, never before.
I like these kinds of tutorial because they allow me to reflect, think, jot down notes, etc. And one thing that we mentioned was the possibility of taping the sessions so that to have a memory of everything that is being said.