Sept 29th - Introduction to Contextualising Mark's Class

This blog post is an extra class we had at the beginning of the academic year when we didn't have a set teacher to teach us this module.

Class 1

For the first session it was an introductory to the module and what it will contain. This blog is a part of it along with a presentation and essay.

This module makes us take a look at artists, movements and art history so we can better understand how we got to where we are today. Furthermore to analyse, evaluate and respond to what we learn and see how or if any research effects or applies to our own work.

As an example in our online class we looked at an ancient piece of art of an outlined hand. We were given no information about this piece of art and we're left to think of questions and theories. A few we came up on were that the piece was very old and in a cave, but we were left with many questions such as how it was made? Who's hand was it? Where is this? and so on. Then we were given the information which led us to be able to understand the piece of art. This is one process of analysing and understanding a piece of art.

Homework - The Context Of The Individual.....

Who You Are- My name is Jessica Nadira Williams, i'm 20 years old and currently in my second year of Fda. I am half Welsh, half Guyanese but have lived in North Wales all my life. My main interest lies in Ceramics and I never shy away from colour in my work. I'm heavily inspired by my Indo-Guyanese heritage and culture so my work ranges from the tropics of the Caribbean to the patterns of India. I grew up with a mixture of culture, I watched Bollywood films, danced to Guyanese Chutney music all while also speaking Welsh.

Where You Are - Where I am in my life right now is i'm mostly stuck at home like everyone else, but I live in the beautiful village of Llanberis, which i'm very lucky to do so as the gorgeous landscape is one that I never get bored of.

I've grown a lot in the past 4 years, I went through a life altering experience a couple years ago and it was like starting my life again. Choosing the art route wasn't what I always planned but looking at where I am now i'm growing a lot in confidence in my art, I've found my source of inspiration in my culture and i'm no longer scared to try new things in art. I have a passion for ceramics, which came unexpected to me, but I know this is the path I want to take, but how I get there I'm don't know yet!

Social- Many Social areas influence my life. Social media is a great way to find inspiration and share work, it gives me confidence and motivation to improve and evolve my work. Being social with friends and family can also give me the motivation to continue or be proud of my art. My social bubble at Uni is also very important to me as family and friends not in the art scene don't always understand my choices, but I can always rely on my friends at college for advice and encouragement. Even in the times we live in being social can be hard but Facetime does save the day and friendships!

Observations & Experiences - I've been dabbling in Ceramics for two years now and i've learnt a lot from my own experiences and observations. Things like only firing my work once and learning which clay and glazes work best for me are things that took time and experimenting. I know two Ceramicists who I can go to for any advice. One of them I work a lot with, I've learnt so much from him from clays to glazes and even how to fire my own kiln. Gaining first hand experience like that had definitely been a privilege for me.

In other areas of my life, I've travelled a lot as a child, from my mums home of Guyana, South America to Canada and Europe I've experienced many environments. There are memories to every place and even though I haven't experienced much like it in 8 years, they do still influence my art.

When You Are - Even though the time we currently live in will definitely be a part of history, as a time in art history we are very fortunate in the technology we have. We have very easy access to everything. One thing the pandemic did push me to do was buy my own Kiln. Firing at college was hard enough and now with the looming threat of a second wave, having my own kiln gives me less stress and more control on when I can make my art. It also allows me to continue making work even if I do have to be stuck at home. Furthermore, working on creating a home studio is something that's a work in progress at the moment.