So, this blog will be a sketchbook of sorts, recording my thoughts, contemplations and comments as well as artwork, research, works in progress during my time in the MFA programme at Edinburgh College of Art.
Temporally, I am starting it two weeks into the program, but so it goes. My recollections of the first week are rather blurred. Fourteen of us came together in C19, a large, empty studio space, in order to carve out our own, personal studios. We were fortunate to have Erin as a studio-mate, since as a part of Relay, she helped put together the studio-building program.

Surprisingly, we all worked remarkably well together. We discussed our needs and wants and decided to divide the space up as evenly as possible, with the caveat that down the line we might consider re-dividing spaces if people either needed more or were using less.
There is a mix of years one and two in our studio, something which I appreciate coming so recently from undergrad. I am used to a mixed skill/age group and it is good to have someone around to ask how the uni functions– where to get supplies, what to expect, etc. Likewise, as a new resident from the US, it is nice to be able to ask about general things that the second years have already been through, like signing up for a doctor or banking.

Tobias Sternberg was our visiting artist and technical director, helping us learn how to construct and secure walls, design spaces and generally making sure we weren’t going to kill ourselves. His understanding of construction and use of space was invaluable.

The second week began the actual classes. Monday we met our tutors; mine is Kenny Hunter, a sculptor from Glasgow. We discussed my work and possible directions to take and he suggested some possible research avenues.
Tuesday we began our Methods seminar,mine with Ruth Pelzer. We are currently looking at teaching methods that were devised in the sixties, and Chandam, Tim and I had to present a summary of the Groundcourse, a programme developed by Roy Ascott. The reading for it was dense, but the presentation went off pretty well.
Wednesday was a meeting with Neil and discussions of the upcoming workshops. Thursday was the blog workshop where Sian showed us the basics of using WordPress. Since I wanted to host my blog on my own webpage, I installed the WordPress program and here we are!
Of course, during this week we also were to begin working. I found this quite difficult. One of the things that was presented in seminar was John Baldessari’s “I Will Make No More Boring Art” and that phrase haunts me.
I do not want to make boring art, so every idea I come up with I tear apart. I fear that I am my own worst critic at this point. I spent most of the week coming up with concepts and tearing them apart, until I finally came up with something I think will be workable. Monday we have our crits, so I suppose that will be the deciding factor. But I have a concept for a series, I have ideas for multiple pieces and I have some drawings and maquettes. We’ll see what happens.
More abut this next week.