Taking a step into the ordinary

10 thoughts on “Taking a step into the ordinary”

• Excellent and agree they have a certain importance of everyday areas, objects and like the analogy of the clostrophobic element of the interiors.

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• Nice work. Thanks for showing it. Sensitive, gentle and understated. I like the equally sensitive way in which Emma talks about students’ work.

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• Really nice work Paul. I agree that the work has a subtle, mysterious quality. It reminds me of Franz Kafka’s literature; whereby the meaningful and spiritual in everyday objects and interiors is expressed powerfully but also quietly, leading to a disconcerting yet intriguing experience for the audience.

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• Oh well done Noah – Kafka is perfect for this work!

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• Thank you Emma for showing us Paul’s work. I love the ordinariness of the subject, they are statements of our time in a style that appeals to me. I do like the ‘finished’ appearance and knowing the artist has genuine drawing and painting skills. They help me realise that I am short on composition and need more confidence to apply my own style.

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  • Hello Paul, as you are one of my students, I know your work and I can see a lot of similarities between you. I agree that enjoying composition and using the whole space effectively will really move your work forward.

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• Thanks loads Emma for putting my stuff up, and for the critical commentary. I like the way some have associated the work with Kafka. With the “expressionist” exercises; I found them easier to do, as they were closer to what I am more usually inclined to do with paint, while the observational painting was more of a different and quite difficult challenge to me. I like using paint, but I think the course confirmed to me I am still usually stronger in drawing. I feel I am still not fully confident/ matured with paint yet.

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• Hello Paul, and thankyou for letting me use the work. I picked it out at the assessment event as being something that other students would really enjoy looking at and could learn from. It sounds as if I got things the wrong way round in that you are more comfortable with a more expressive open style of painting but I think my point in general still stands that your work has a strong personal voice which you stay true to in the different areas. Paint is such a versatile and complex medium, it is bound to take a life time to really work out what you want to do with it.Luckily the journey is rewarding in itself. That assessment event was a while ago – are you on level 2 now?

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• Thanks again Emma. I’m still going to carry on experimenting and “journeying” as you put it with painting with my own projects. Also I have decided at this stage (successfully completed 3 OCA level 1 courses) to claim the Certificate of HE rather than struggle on to level 2 and 3. Paul.

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  • well I wish you every success Paul!

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