Critical reflection on own best practice:

My art practice:

My art journey started in 2022, I had finished my A levels the previous year and taken a gap year. during this year I took a couple of online painting courses as I wanted to discover something new, I found that I really enjoyed making art and my teacher at the time encouraged me to take some in person courses as well. To begin with I started a Wednesday afternoon mixed media art class at Nottingham College and then began the Access to Art, Design and fashion course at Nottingham College in September of 2022. Following on from this I then stayed at Nottingham College and began my Fine Art Foundation Degree in September of 2023. 

During this time I was able to try out a variety of different processes and although I began with acrylic painting I eventually found myself drifting more towards photography and photographic processes. As someone who, before 2022 had never explored art and never considered it a career choice this journey of self discovery has been exciting and eye opening for me. 

Themes and Inspiration:

I believe that themes of nature, family, health and mental health are prevalent throughout my work. I often use my own thoughts, feelings and experiences which I think allows my work to be personal and genuine. Throughout this course, while developing my practice I have found that implementing my own personal experiences within my work has allowed me to work through and process these situations in a healthy way. In terms of the themes of nature, as I've gotten older I've found that I appreciate and enjoy nature and the outdoors much more, I spent my teen years ill and depressed which caused me to shut myself in my room all day. Now that my health and mental health has improved I've found that I am able to appreciate the natural world and see it in a new light, the best part of my day is when I go out and walk within nature. 

In terms of my health and mental health, these are two things that I have to take care of and deal with on a daily basis. I have spent many years learning how to cope and take care of my body correctly, and I have to deal with chronic conditions such as IBS. I have found that these aspects of my life bleed into my art work and I am able to use my work as a way of expressing myself and working through these situations and feelings. 

I also believe that my family play a big role in my work and inspiration, especially my parents. My bonds with them have featured in previous projects and they're roles and presence in my life is often documented through photography.

Processes and materials:

When I first began taking art courses and lessons I primarily focused on painting and drawing, and sometimes exploring mediums such as chalk and charcoal. As I progressed through more courses I Gained the opportunity and resources to experiment with a wider variety of materials and  was able to explore many more processes than I had done previously. Throughout the years that I have spent at Nottingham College I've found that my favourite process to work with is photography. While experimenting, I have found that not only is photography versatile in its own right but also serves as a good base at the beginning of a process and project to then combine multimedia to create a finished piece. 

I have found that the use of photography allows me to be free and explore while also creating a piece of work, I am able to be flexible and travel without too much baggage. While exploring the different used of photography I believe that it a process that I am able to mould into what I need when I need it. For example, if I wanted to capture a quick down to earth, unfiltered shot of my family, the wildlife, or even something that's happening in public I would be able to with relative ease. And if I wanted a a more in depth image I could do a long exposure. There are also photographic processes such as cyanotypes, which is a process that I really enjoy. I think that this process in particular is quite versatile when it comes to the materials that are able to be used and I have often found myself drawn to sturdy fabrics such as calico and sometimes even lace. I find fabrics fun to work with when it comes to processes like cyanotypes or printing processes due to the different ways the inks and solutions can interact with the material, sometimes creating something unexpected. I also think that the way in which fabrics are able to be displayed is more diverse than images and prints on normal paper, there is more room to be creative and unconventional which is something that I really enjoy as an artist. 

Strengths and weaknesses:

I believe that one of my major strengths is perseverance, when something doesn't go the way I expected I am able to to keep going and keep developing my work to the best of my ability. One particular example of this is that I had a decline in health last year and was given the option by the college to defer for a year, but I chose to carry on and was able to create some beautiful work throughout the year. Another strength that I believe I have is a good eye for colour and composition. I am versed in colour theory and know when to challenge it to create something new and intriguing, and I believe that my ability to create and spot a pleasing and aesthetic composition elevates my photography and allows me to display my finished work in creative and inspiring ways. I also believe that one of my strengths is experimentation, I am always willing to try and learn something new and I enjoy practicing new processes. I have found that some of my favourite processes are ones that I have had no background in before I began at Nottingham College, such as cyanotypes and photographing and developing film. I find that exploring something new allows me to feel free creatively and take my work into new and uncharted directions. 

I think that one of my main weaknesses is planning and time management and this is something that I am always striving to improve. I find that having a solid start date and deadline to work to is very helpful and is something that prompts me to keep onto of my work. I believe that I have improved over the years In terms of time management and have found that setting small daily or weekly goals for me to get work done he's helped me greatly. 

Conclusion:

I believe that I have had a more unconventional begging to my art journey than others, with me discovering my love for art during adulthood rather than childhood. And in some ways I think that this has been a blessing, I have been able to cultivate my skills intentionally and personally and put the love and effort into my practice in a way that I couldn't have done when I was younger. I am constantly working on improving as an artist and expanding my practice, and taking the time to work through any blacks or insecurities that I might have as an artist.