Producing & presenting my FMP

One of my inspirations

This is an installation by the installation artist Leonor Attunes (1972) that I saw displayed at Tate Modern Gallery during a recent visit for my FMP research. She has used banners & other hanging items in a cube-shaped frame, which is similar to my idea although I want my audience to be able to walk into the area and I will be using at least 8 banners.

One of my key ideas

During one of my one2one discussions with my course tutor about my FMP ideas he showed me this 2.4m x 2.4m x 2.4m timber frame that is available for my FMP exhibition in the public gallery area at Reigate School of Art. It is similar in size to that used by Leonor Attunes (LHS) and can be relocated to a more accessible position at the front of the gallery are in the college foyer. I plan to hang about 8 banners subject to accessibility and locate a large TV monitor as a centre-piece.

Week Seven (31/03/2025): End of planning phase review

Sense of Place: How can I use my creative practice to help people engage with the natural world and support local communities to develop a 'sense of place' for their unique landscapes?

Taking stock of my progress so far

So as we finish Week 8 and approach the Easter Holiday I've actually completed the planning stage of my UAL Unit 4: Final Major Project - Sense of Place. I've comprehensively researched my project and considered the whole body of work relevant to my narrative about connecting people to the natural world and their local landscapes. I studied relevant artists, the practicalities of turning my ideas into reality and considering theory behind connecting art and nature through my creative practice.

In light of this personal review and looking back over feedback from tutors and peers I made a final change to my personal FMP Project Plan (see above) before embarking on the next phase of producing and presenting my creative practice for Stage 3 and FMP. I recorded my journey on a weekly basis and comprehensively in both my FMP Workbook (sketchbook) and on this WIX website on previous page. I have shared my ideas with fellow students at Peer Group Crit sessions, as well as my tutors in one2ones, during my FMP Presentation and through my FMP Contextual Essay.

I captured my self-evaluation and reflections about progress each week and again recorded this process in my workbook and on my website (see following Evaluation & Reflection page) as I progressed through planning stage. This week I've completed the final aspect of the previous planning stage by sourcing materials to make my banners as after Easter I will start screen printing my bark pattern design onto the banners, which will be an exciting prospect to see my ideas take form.

Looking forward over the next couple of weeks and the Easter Holiday I shall be working from home in our art room to deliver another key component of my planned creative practice - to make the nature journal pages about trees for my hand-made book. I will also be making the hazel poles for the banners and cutting material into strips of various sizes to make some banners for screenprinting next term. I've just ordered some fabric paints (dark grey & white) so that I can hand paint the Celtic runes onto the banners.

Wednesday 02 April 2025

Week Eight (21/04/2025) - Interpreting my Celtic heritage

Celtic Tree Journal 1

A key aspect of my FMP is based on my own cultural heritage from Scotland & Ireland so as a practising woodman I was fascinated to learn that the ancient Celts has a real affinity with trees basing their calendar and alphabet on trees from their local landscape

One2One Review with Course Tutor

Over the last fortnight I have been trying to cope with a family medical emergency that resulted in me staying at East Surrey Hospital with my son 24/7 as his NHS Health Advocate. I have been able to complete some work in my FMP Workbook and preparing materials during downtime at hospital but I've been unable to attend all the studio sessions at college. I therefore had a one2one session with course tutor David Tinn to review progress, take stock of what creative practice I've achieved since breaking up for the Easter holiday and revise my plans for both the FMP assessment and final exhibition.

We have agreed that Week 8 of my FMP should in fact cover a two-week period because I've only been able to attend half the studio sessions during that time. So my Week 8 has become Thursday 24th & Tuesday 29th April, as well as Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd May with some working from home delivered from my son's hospital ward. In the first half of that period I created my own Celtic Tree of Life and Celtic Dara Knot designs for inclusion on my tree banners, which inhance the cultural heritage aspect of my project. I also started and delivered some of my creative practice making a nature journal book that helps interpret the tree banners.

In the second half of Week 8 I collated and reviewed all my experimentation with regard to the bark effect for screen printing the tree banners, which has now been used to create a UV stencil for screen printing during this period. I've managed to attend two session in the print-making studio with tutor Monica. I've managed to print onto a variety of different materials and sizes, which are currently drying for my to inspect next week. I also took time working from hospital to review my plans for delivering work for the FMP and still planning to produce some banners, a nature journal, a hazel-pole portable display frame, cards, an FMP Workbook & WIX site.

Tuesday 29 April 2025

Week Nine (06/05/2025) - Producing my Celtic Tree Journal

Hand-made Book 1

The front cover is made from an unwanted cardboard back of an art paper pad covered with scrunched paper print of my bark effect & Celtic Knot designs

Week Nine - a mixed bag of website & printing

So at this late stage in my FMP I had a funny week because I've been staying 24/7 in a East Surrey Hospital ward with my youngest son following a medical emergency so my original plans are not quite out the window! But I did use free time on ward at night reviewing this WIX website, checking that all criteria for UAL assessment were covered and that I had uploaded all the evidence available to me in the form of scanned PDF copies of my FMP Workbook and photo galleries. It was a useful process that highlighted some action points for me.

I spent the rest of the week creating my Celtic Tree Journal, which has risen in it's importance to my body of work and final show installation. During my limited time in college I spent all my time in the print-making studio screen printing my dara knot and typographic designs onto various papers as well as the fabric banners so that I had home-made materials for covering the book. This was actually unforeseen opportunity as previously I would have spent all my time finishing eight banners rather than the three sample ones I created for FMP.

Friday 09 May 2025

My Sense of Place in print?

My whole FAD course has involved 'happy accidents' and unexpected outcomes from creating a significant body of work in an experimental way... it is one feature that I really love about print-making whatever method am using for creative practice. One such event is the home-made book constructed from waste or unwanted art materials and pieces of work, which I've 'branded' with my terracotta coloured Celtic knot design, green bark effect pattern and typographic design using chosen mystical words from the Celtic Tree Calendar. The PDF box below shares some images from this enjoyable piece of work in progress that finally put to rest self-imposed conflict between illustration and fine art.

Monday 12 May 2025

Week Ten (12/05/2025) - Producing & presenting my Celtic Tree Banners

Screen Printing 1

I created all my designs for screen printing bark effect, dara knot & typography by making a B&W image that was oiled and placed in UV machine to 'burn' stencil on frame for printing

Producing my FMP body of work at last!

So Week Ten was a full on week of activity in the college print studio that saw me completing the printing of the green bark-effect pattern, dara knot design and typography on ALL the banners. However, the time restrictions resulting from my need to be in hospital most of the time meant that I had to be realistic and after discussions with David my FAD course and Monica the printing studio tutor, I decided to focus on finishing three banners at this late stage in the FMP. I've outlined my screen-printing process in the storyboard above. The full detail of the process is also explained in the scanned PDF copy of my FMP Workbook below.

Tuesday 13 May 2025

Printing Tree Banners 1

This image shows how I laid out the banners on the print tables for screen printing the terracotta coloured Celtic Dara Knot design whereby a single image print enabled me to lay out 5 banners for printing at once

Consolidating the body of work for my FMP

This final week of my FMP has turned out to be the busiest by far on the FAD course, which is to some extent to be expected but for me was exasperated by the family medical crisis that fell right in the middle of scheduled screen printing period. So the photo-story above shows my screen printing onto all of my fabric banners with the green bark effect pattern, dark & light grey typographic design and terracotta Celtic knot were completed during Weeks 8 & 9, as well as similar designs printed onto cartridge, wrapping and newsprint paper. These printed papers proved to be really useful for covering my home-made book containing my Celtic Tree Journal and I intend to use some printed papers for making a poster suitable for promoting my work.

The photo-story below explains the process I then used to hand-paint the different Celtic runes that symbolise each of my eight chosen trees, which I did free hand with a stiff flat artists brush and Fabricoat furniture repair dye in dark grey and white for mixing lighter greys. As it transpired the grey straight from the bottle worked best being a midtone between the two greys used to screenprint my typographic design. I applied the fabric dye dry to some fabric banners, which resulted in a strong image that painted over existing letters and bark. When I applied the dye to an area previously dampened with a wet sponge the effect was more natural in form and the dye soaked into the fabric but not covering the letters... I prefer this latter effect for my finished work.

Wednesday 14 May 2025

Hand-painting Runes 1

Here are my basic tools and materials for last stage of creating printed banners that include masking tape, knife, paint brushes, bottles of fabric dye, sponge & pot of water

Presenting my Celtic Tree Banners

So at last, and with some sadness, I've reached the last phase of my Final Major Project: A Sense of Place, which is presenting my finished pieces in an appropriate setting for my premise and narrative. I set out to discover and develop a way to present an entertaining or enthralling visual narrative that would engage my audience and encourage them to learn more about nature, culture and art. I wanted to create a portable installation that could be adapted to hang in a wide variety of outdoor and indoor locations as part of a display that would share important messages about connecting with the natural world and conserving our unique local landscapes. I've chosen to present my final pieces not at Nower Wood but in my other 'sense of place' which is our wildlife garden at home...

Friday 16 May 2025