Degree Show set up & take down

Thankfully, I had a good idea of how I wanted my paintings set out for my area of the Degree Show, it really helped making a model (see it here) and planning what I wanted to get done at the end of each day.

I decided to hang first in an attempt to minimise any footprints that might have appeared. As people were busy sorting their own spaces out, I decided to do it all by eye and it didn't turn out horrendously. The floor edges were next and then all I had to do was simply fill it in with a roller. It was a lot of work, made worse by the fact the studios always get too hot!

My fellow budding artists seemed to like the orange. Although, one of my tutors had doubts - I proved him wrong! It was suggested to me at the beginning of the week that I should rearrange my paintings. I wasn't so keen on the idea, I wanted the space to be filled up and I was worried that the pieces may not work together as well. Apparently it was a unanimous decision of the marking team and I felt I had to.

The large grey painting was moved down the corridor and on the morning of the Private View, I finished moving what was left to make them all on a single level. I was definitely feeling the stress by then!

After the show was open to the public and finished, I had to get on with painting the floor back to grey before I returned home for a few weeks. Seeing it returned to the normal state of the rest of the studios, the orange was most definitely the right decision. Don't you think?

The final part was taking back to my room the paintings I decided not to put forward for the Truman Show in July. Then with the rest I covered the front in bubble wrap and put them downstairs in storage.

Deceased Fly.

All in the name of art...

Not only did I have the new experience of working with oil paint, I also worked with a dear little dead fly. This came about after moving my work from my studio space to the area I wanted to exhibit it in. I held the piece by the top as high as I could and walked along with it, not being the tallest person, the bottom dragged along the floor. I didn't realise the fly was there until stepping back from it after it had been stapled up.

I grew to love it over night and thought he was a welcomed addition. The next day was the time for setting up for the end of the warm up project exhibition (even though I had already set up - thanks to Uncle Clive). After helping to clear the spaces and we all started arranging where people would go, I had to move it again and unfortunately my new friend fell off. I had to have him as a part of my work, after all I have never worked with dead flies before, so I got some pva and covered the little fellow with it. I had to rest it up on the table because the fly would slip down and I didn't want him to fall off again. Eventually the glue dried and the deceased was securely in place.