The Last Post

My two year Foundation Degree has come to its end. I am happy with my Grade, a 2:1, although I missed out on a First by three points which is a little disappointing. I am always striving to do better and am always hard on myself.  But I am proud of my achievements over the past two years. To achieve a 2:1 Degree at 52, I think is quite something. It is never too late to learn.


Returning to Education was the best decision I have ever made. I am in my element surrounded by books and learning, I will continue with my studies as long as I can. In September I start the BA (Hons) and I will strive to achieve a First! After that an MA ... Doctorate?... .... I say Go Girl!


It has been a wonderful two years. I have learned much and developed confidence, skills and ability. It has been a pleasure and a joy to fullfil a life long ambition.


This is The Last Post of my Art College Blog as it was my contribution to the Work Based Learning Module of the Foundation Degree. I will continue to write a blog on
http://penelope-davies.blogspot.co.uk/ Artist Identity. This will continue to be relevant to my studies for my BA (Hons) year.


Our Summer Show at College has been a great success. We have been offered a space in the City Centre Mall. 


A Big Thank You to everyone who has followed, stopped by and looked at, or read this Blog. I hope you will continue to take an interest in my work at http://penelope-davies.blogspot.co.uk/

Images from the Summer Show

Second Year Photography Students / Friends

My Summer Show Print

A Final Evaluation of my WBL

Exhibition at Cafe Latte, Plymouth

 Preview Evening 

The Second Year of my Degree has seen an astonishing development of my confidence in being able to contribute and take part in the professional world of Art and Photography. I am overwhelmed by the success I have achieved, and excited about my future prospects. I have worked hard on my projects and tried to ensure that I have taken up as many opportunities that have been open to me. It has been an excellent year for me on all levels, academically, professionally and personally.

At the end of the First Year I wanted to ensure that I did not waste the summer months of 2011, and loose the momentum that had begun to build up inside me in relation to my art and photographic ambitions. With this in mind I grasped at the opportunity to work with Fotonow who were looking for Volunteers to Invigilate at a Gallery in the City, and also seeking people to help out with Camper Obscura, demonstrating the wonders of its 360° panoramic visual delights and magical capabilities. During the time I volunteered with them, I also had the opportunity to spend a few hours scanning negatives of Robert Lenkiewicz work for Archive purposes. This was very exciting as there were so many of his works that I had never seen before. I am not a great fan of his portraits, but his work includes so much more than just portraits and these were fantastic to see. It is also important to recognise that every skill is an added bonus that can enhance a CV.

I began volunteering for Fotonow in June 2011, and continued with them until the Gallery closed in September 2011. It had been a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet people visiting the space, persuading the public to have their portrait taken, and also to photographically document passers-by as they strolled around the city.

This opening began the process for me of building my confidence. I held two exhibitions at the Gallery. At first this was stressful and nerve racking, but also wonderful for my self-esteem. I have not looked back; as a result of my work with Fotonow, I feel that I have grown so much in confidence, and it has enabled me to continue working towards establishing myself as an artist in the city.

During the Summer I also stewarded for half a day at the Port Elliott Festival for Martin Parr. This was a relatively small exhibition, and I was there just to stand with his work ensuring that no one ran away with any prints and to direct people to the print space if they were interested in buying any prints. It was not the best experience of the summer. I did not enjoy it very much. The exhibition was in a small corridor which was very cold and dark. I briefly met Martin Parr, but he was busy photographing shots of the festival for his next year’s exhibition. I was not very impressed with the work he had decided to exhibit here, and felt that maybe as he is so very well known in the photography field, the quality of his work is not as important as his name. This is my opinion. I would not Steward there again but everything that I do is an experience to learn from; in this particular event I realised that for me to enjoy a work experience, I also have a need to engage with that artist, and also I like to feel that I am making a contribution in some small way, not just playing a role. As for the Curating of the Martin Parr Exhibition, it was Martin Parr’s choice to Exhibit in a small, dark and damp space, but personally I felt that it could have been improved if he had some interaction with the public, and maybe a film showing of his Festival Photography. That would have given the viewer a better insight into his work. I know that his name alone sells his work, but I believe that even if you are a very successful artist, that you should make more effort to give your followers a little more consideration, and also have a little more time for the people who volunteer to work for you.

Other events that I attended and photographed, not for any particular professional reason except to network and meet people whom I would not normally meet, was a Kite Festival at Devils Point, and I helped with a few Beach Cleans with Blue Sound. I am interested in conserving the environment and enjoy participating in events that are worthwhile, and also fun. I also believe that it is a good idea to meet and relate to as many people as possible, to take my camera and be willing to contribute to their cause, as you never know when someone will need a photographer.  If you appear friendly, reliable, trusting and professional, there is always a chance that some opportunity will arise in the future. I think it is important to remember this.

I have purposefully registered on as many Internet sites as I can so that my work can be viewed by anyone anywhere in the world. The Internet is a great resource for networking. I have registered on sites such as the Saatchi Gallery, LinkedIn, Artists Wanted, Facebook, Twitter, flickr and the Lomography site. Over the past year I have also entered competitions and submitted work to Fujifilm, AOP, Artists Wanted, Exposure and Central Park Photo Competition and Wolferstans. In the future I intend to submit work to on-line Stock Photography Sites.

During the second year of the degree, I have gained confidence in approaching people to exhibit my work, applying for opportunities that will enhance my future prospects and establishing a network of friends and colleagues who have shown an interest in my art. This has all contributed to an increase in self-confidence, and being able to contribute in a positive and professional manner towards my future success. I feel that I have succeeded beyond my expectations, and I am proud of my achievements this far. It has been a journey of hard work, dedication and commitment that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I had never presumed at the beginning of my first year that I would have been able to achieve as much as I have.

Preview Evening at Cafe Latte

Preview Evening of Penny Davies Photography "Silence"

 and 

Anne Blackwell - Fox Woodland Landscape Paintings

The Evening went well with everyone enjoying a glass of wine and some lively conversation. Anne's paintings are scenes from Woodland areas around Plymouth, and my images are taken from my Final Major Project themed around the concept of "Silence." 

It is a thrill to have another exhibition in the city, and I intend to continue seeking venues to showcase my work. 

Red Ball UK Interview

My interview with Natasha was successful this morning. I will be participating as part of the Red Ball Uk Team on Friday, June 8th and Sunday, June 10th. On the Saturday 9th I intend to take my camera to the event and document the day. I am excited and happy that I will have the opportunity to work alongside the artist Kurt Perschke in an interactive Art Performance Installation. It has been touring around the world ...here is a link to the Red Ball Uk Site http://www.redballuk.co.uk/gallery/?id=8c61c20c-592a-4bce-83e6-e67760377f27&picture=29fdbdb9-c875-43e5-967e-15b88da8b921

I will be attending a Training Day in Torquay on June 1st with an Audience Participation Company, learning how to best interact with the public as they view and interact with the Ball. The artist will also be there to explain more about the Project.

A Picture in the Park Competition

The Friends of Central Park in Plymouth have announced a Photography Competition 'A Picture in the Park'. Entry is free and there will be an exhibition of the winning photographs at Central Park from Tuesday to Thursday 24th-26th July 2011.

This is the image I have submitted

Daisies at Central Park

Royal Academy of Arts Summer Show 2012

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/summer-exhibition-2012/

Salon Style!

Red Ball UK

http://www.redballuk.co.uk/

I have sent my CV and Covering Letter to Dartington Trust, to apply for the post of Evaluation and Visitor Assistant for Red Ball UK. I would love to participate in the Performance Art taking place here in Plymouth from 8th to 10th June 2012. It would be a great experience, and I am enthusiastic about art and photography being accessible to a wider audience. I would love the opportunity to be part of the Red Ball UK.


I am also thinking that  I would like to document the event photographically. I have received an email for a telephone interview and am considering volunteering for two days so that I can do this.

River Erme, Ivybridge Wood

Steph had wanted to spend a day at the river in Ivybridge to take some underwater shots. It was a good day for underwater photography as the water was forceful, running incredibly fast and the noise was incredible. 

We had a good day even though I did fall into the water, bang my head on a rock and came home with a massive bruise on my hip! 

I haven't photographed the river enough to get the ideal shots, but I'm happy with a few that I did shoot. I don't carry a Tripod with me, but for water shots I am going to have to take one in future as it is not possible to use a very slow shutter speed without one. 

Ivybridge Wood

Erme River

penelopedavies@4ormat.com

Return to Ham Wood

I decided to return to Ham Wood today to see the changes in the landscape. Its been two months since I first visited with Andy Blackwell, but this time I wanted to explore the wood further

I found it to be a desolate landscape on this occassion, it felt a very lonely place. Ham Wood can be quite dark atmospherically I find. Usually there are a few people walking their dogs in the wood, but today it was completely devoid of any human presence and I must admit it felt a little scary. I decided to walk down a new path, it seemed very long, and as I walked I felt increasingly uneasy. It was a relief when I finally came to the road and decided to hop on a bus home. Unfortunately the images I shot today with my 35mm Pentax are not very impressive, but I think the uneasiness I felt, hindered my creative spark!

Artists Wanted

I have entered a competition on line with "Artists Wanted." I need people to "Collect Me" to have an opportunity of showing my work in New York. So please go to the site and "Collect Me"
Here is the link

http://pensheart.artistswanted.org/atts2012#.T5p5WgB9g4J.facebook

Thank You

Tim Gundry

Tim had been the main Lecturer during my first year at Art College in 2009. I l always enjoyed his lectures, he has a real passion for photography and is a very good teacher.

Today he gave us a lecture about his own practise, as opposed to his teaching practise. I was very glad to see that he has been developing his landscape work, with a view to completing an MA in the future. The work he showed us was stunning. I absolutely loved his new images.

He has taken up Kayaking so that he can get a different view and perspective of the river. He seemed a little apprehensive about showing us his new work, but he need not  have been because it really was stunning, and I wished that I could Kayak, but I'm not keen on the water!

He hasn't published his new work so unfortunately I am unable to show any here.

Cafe Latte (New Sprouts)

Today I delivered some new art to the new Sprouts Cafe. Garry had originally requested that I fill the wall completely; I had managed to do this in the little time I had before the Easter break, however now that I had more time to add to the wall, I wanted to put larger images to replace the smaller ones.  I spent the past few days resizing and printing the images, searching for frames in various places around the city, and once I got them home, I got on with the task of cleaning all the glass, this time avoiding too many cut fingers, framing the images and delivering them and hanging them on the wall today.

I now have to consider how much I will charge for my work and do this in the near future. My exhibition is going to remain at the Cafe for the duration of the Summer months, and I am hoping that I will sell at least some.

Ann Blackwell - Fox, a landscape painter, will also be exhibiting her work at the Cafe, she will be hanging her work tomorrow. We have been discussing having a Preview Evening but have not yet decided when this will take place.

Solo Exhibition

I have been visiting Cafe Latte (New Sprouts) on West Hoe Road in Plymouth, Devon frequently these past two weeks. Today I met two of my friends there for lunch. Anne is a painter. I suggested she talk to Garry about exhibiting her work. He agreed that she could do this from the 1st May on the opposite wall to my work. As I did not have an Opening Night for my Solo Exhibition, Anne and I are going to have a joint celebratory evening. Her paintings are landscapes, and I think that together our work should compliment each other well.

I have placed an Artist Statement next to my images, but today Garry said that my portrait should be much bigger, as people like to see clearly who the artist is. Although I have typed up a Price List, this is still not adequate. I need to put prices on all the work individually. I will do this soon as the tourist season is nearing and I don't want to miss the opportunity to sell my work. I have also been shooting more photographs on my Medium Format Cameras for my Final Major Project, I am going to go into college tomorrow to get some more large images printed. I searched and found a few more Frames today so that I can prepare these and add them to my exhibition. The larger images are attracting more attention than the smaller ones, so again I want to maximise my chances of selling.

Exhibiting work is an ongoing task and my motivation for this is continuing to stay strong. Anne mentioned today that there is another cafe on the Barbican looking for images of Plymouth to hang on their walls. I will take a walk there this weekend with my portfolio of images to show them.

Here are some new images that I will be hanging at Cafe Latte ...

Tribe Magazine Editor

I had applied for the Editor Post that had become vacant at Tribe Magazine. I decided to apply as it would be an opportunity to use among other things, my organisational and writing skills. The Interview with Mark Doyle went very well. I had a one in three chance of being successful, but unfortunately on this occasion I was not offered the post. I am a little disappointed but not unduly so. After discussing the job description with Mark, and having thought about the extra work load, I began to wonder whether I would be taking on too much. I am coming to the end of my Foundation Degree, and I still have yet to complete my BA. I don't want to be put under too much pressure, or be stressed out during my studies, because I want to continue to enjoy the course, and also to achieve as good a Degree and as good a BA as I possibly can.

Mark made his decision very quickly and sent me an email that same night. He said that although I was not to be Editor, he asked if I would be interested in other opportunities with the magazine, as they would like to use in particular my teaching skills and experience. The magazine is intending on setting up workshops in the future. I think this will be a great opportunity as I had enjoyed my years of teaching, and I can utilise my skills in this area together with my art and photography skills.

West Wales Visit

A few images shot on my Lubitel 166B while visiting West Wales.

Saundersfoot

  

Tenby

   

Preseli

  

New Sprouts (Cafe Latte)

It was pouring down on Easter Monday but I decided to take a walk in the rain down to West Hoe Rd where my new Solo Exhibition had now been hung. Unfortunately the cafe was closed but I didn't mind, I just wanted to take a peek at my work in all its glory to be viewed by the world! I'm as excited about this exhibition, as indeed I was for our Eclectic Group Exhibition at Sprouts on Union Street. It is such a fantastic feeling to have my work exhibited with the prospect of selling some images. I am only allowing myself positive thoughts as I need to save some money so that I can go to Spain in the Autumn. I have decided that for my BA project I am going on the The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known as The Way of St James. (http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/). A pilgrimage walk through Spain.

Solo Exhibition on West Hoe Road, Plymouth

Camellias and Silence

My friend Kate was talking about this Pilgrimage as something that she had wanted to do for a long time. I began to think what a wonderful idea this would be for my BA. So now we are researching the practicalities of it, and as I need enough money to live on for at least a month, I do need to start saving.

Fashion Shoot, Mt Wise Images

Designer Shelly Pym,

 Girls Pink Wear

Designer Emma Hodgekiss,

Menswear

Designer Amy Shaw,

Tartan Red and Black

Visit to Bristol

It was Louie's last day with us today. We are all very sad and will miss her at the Art College. It has been a joy to be a student with her, she has always had time for me and always encouraged me in good and bad times.  I don't really know who I will turn to now, Louise was very easy to talk too.

It had been arranged to make a visit to the RWA Gallery in Bristol as a farewell to Louise and a pleasant way to spend the last day of the Easter Term. We were there to view the Selling Dreams Exhibition http://www.rwa.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/2012/02/exhibitions-selling-dreams/ It is a Victoria and Albert collection which is being toured around the country. It is wonderful to view original photographs by such greats as Irving Pen, David Bailey, Edward Steichen and Richard Avendon. There is nothing quite like seeing the real thing.

There was also an exhibition of the paintings of Eric Ravilious which reminded me of Van Gough's work.
http://www.rwa.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/2012/04/eric-ravilious-going-modern-being-british/

We had lunch together after we had viewed the exhibition and then went our separate ways. I was not returning to Plymouth, I had arranged to meet an old friend whom I had not seem for 31 years and then I was heading to Stroud to visit another friend and from there to Wales.

  

 Friends and Place

Fashion Shoot at Mt Wise

I added my name to the list of students taking part in the Fashion Shoot at the Mt Wise Pool today. It was good experience even though I do not consider myself to be in any way a Fashion Photographer. I wanted to go along to see how I would fare with the Models and if I could use enough imagination in how to compose both the model and the image. As neither David or I have any previous experience with this kind of photography, I think we did struggle a little, but did out best.

We worked in pairs with the Designers and Models.  David and I teamed up, I took more of an assistant role as David is more advanced in his knowledge of Lighting techniques, and had all the appropriate equipment with him. I took along my Pentax 35mm camera, and shot some images of the details of the clothes and body parts. It was a warm and sunny day, the experience was an enjoyable one.

I am not allowed to upload any of the actual fashion images yet. But these are a few of  the day.

David my fellow photographer ..... he is never serious by the way!

David took a shot of me trying to look "Modelly !!!"

Some of my Photographer Friends waiting for the models......

And Finally .... the Sun Sparkling on the Surface of the Sea



Printing for Sprouts, West Hoe Rd

I picked up my images from Creations today and I'm very happy with how they have printed. I have a selection of different sizes, twenty three in all. I had to size the images according to the frames I already have. Fortunately the frames can be of varying styles as the exhibit will be in the Salon Culture style, similar to the Eclectic Open Exhibition at the Restaurant at 104 Union St. I have not had time to measure the wall at the new Restaurant and hope that I have enough images to cover it. This is what Garry has stipulated that he wants. In the morning I will clean all of the frames and place my images in them ready to hang. As I don't own a car, Garry has said that he will collect the framed images and me, so that I can supervise the hanging.

I have already uploaded some of the images I am exhibiting, but here are a few more .....

 

 

Tribe Magazine Interview

This evening I was interviewed by Peter Davey of Tribe Magazine http://www.tribemagazine.org/  I had submitted my black and white images a couple of weeks ago for consideration.  The Tribe Team had liked my work and asked if they could interview me for a feature. This was very exciting for me, but I must admit I was a little nervous about talking about my work. However, Pete quickly put me at my ease and the interview was an enjoyable experience, the time went by very quickly.

My images and interview will be in Issue 4 (May 2012)

Here are three of the images I submitted .....

Searching for the Light

Watch this space!

Kevin Meredith

Kevin began his lecture by telling us a little about his background. He studied a Degree in Graphic Design but to earn an income he began photographing Raves where he was able to not only able to earn money, but to enjoy himself also. I admired his confidence. He as adamant that he was not going to work and not receive any recompense!

His life began to change in 2008 when he discovered Lomography. He entered competitions and was fortunate to in being able to compete with the best at the "Crazy Events" in Japan.  Much to his dismay, he came second place. But at this time he told us that his whole life was undergoing changes, both professional and personal. He made the decision to move from London to Brighton. This turned out to be very fortuitous. Everything now seemed to be falling into place for him.

One of the tasks he undertook was to photograph Wellington Boots at a Festival that he attended. He advised that when photographing, that it is wise to have a single subject and to show these on the Internet. He said that when you have a presence on the net, it is not a good idea to have lots of different themes but to stick to one. This is more likely to get noticed. His Wellington Boot images did get noticed, and he was commissioned to photograph for"Dr Martins" to create their manufacturer's catalogue.

Kevin has produced several books, one of which is A Photographic Project Book.

In the afternoon, Kevin was taking a workshop. We all headed out to the University Campus to ask people to pose for Fashion Style photographs. I find this incredibly difficult to do, approaching people is not my forte. I decided to head to the park. One of the photos I shot was of a group of young people who were guiding one of the group wearing an eye mask around the park. They were carrying out some experiments.

New Sprouts Restaurant Exhibition

Garry, the owner of Sprouts contacted me on Saturday to discuss my Solo Exhibition at their new restaurant. Both the Evening Herald and Tavistock Times telephoned him, they want to do a feature next weekend. This would give the restaurant publicity before Easter. Garry asked if I could prepare my images and have them framed and ready to be hung by the end of the week. He wants the exhibition to be in the same Salon style as the Eclectic Open Exhibition at the restaurant at 104 Union St.

I went into College today to choose and edit my chosen images. These are a few that I will be showing. They were shot on my Mamyiaflex Twin Lens Medium Format Camera using AGFA Colour film Expired November 2003.