In my final piece I chose to continue to
explore the darkroom as a tool for artistic expression and production. My
decision was based, not only on my desire to fulfill my vision of the assignment
as an artist, but also in the desire to take advantage of the experience in
order to increase my knowledge and skills as an educator. In the past I have had the opportunity to
explore Photoshop and other photo-editing software as part of my own artistic
practice and feel confident in my ability to pass on the basics to my students.
I could not say the same of the darkroom, thus as an educator, I felt compelled
to take advantage of the opportunity to continue in the darkroom.
As I mentioned, I felt that the aesthetic
of film and darkroom processing also influenced my decision. This series of
photographs is related to my previous assignment which explored the revisiting
of memories through the eyes of a child.
In this second series, I am exploring how artistic and technical skills
and interests are passed on to, and subsequently honoured by, the next
generation. The content explores the
ideas of memory, identity and narrative and encourages viewers to reflect upon
those who inspired, introduced, and instructed them in the arts and beyond. I feel
that the work also speaks to the re-interpretation that occurs between
generations. New generations may not continue to pursue the same artistic practices
as their elders, and that is fine, it is the appreciation of, and valuing of,
the act of creation that is essential. On a more personal level, these photo
also shows the priceless interactions between my son and my mother, and
addresses my keen awareness that these moments are, in reality, fleeting. He will never be this young again and she will
not always be present to share in his, and my, life. She will however, live on
in the art we make and the memories we share.
Technically, the use of photograms, paper
negatives, and double exposures paired with the straight prints helped to
develop the narrative in the work by visually presenting the contrast of old
and new, traditional and modern. Although I experimented with additional
techniques such as solarisation, the results did nothing to enhance the meaning
behind the piece, and although technically proficient, they were not included
in the final series. The film was shot
with my initial vision of the series in mind, and I am definitely happy with my
aesthetic and conceptual planning when I view the final prints. I used the same
setting as my first roll of film but framed the subjects more tightly to reduce
the busy details of the surrounding area ( tile floor, picture frames,
additional chairs etc…) which I realized after initial tests, made my first roll difficult to work with in
terms of double exposures and negative sandwiches.
Artist, Teacher… and many others….
Thornton (2005) points out that teaching in
the high school sector often exemplifies the difficulties of maintaining an
Artist-Teacher practice because of the responsibilities, obligations, and
challenges which go along with the career.
As a practicing teacher I can understand, and even commiserate with this
view point; however, I feel that so many other factors play a role that it is far
from a one-size fits all scenario. I
know people who balance the roles successfully, and others who have to
sacrifice one for the other. Personally, juggling university, teaching, work-related
extracurricular responsibilities, and family responsibilities, have resulted in
a shift in my artistic practices. I will
admit that art for art’s sake has taken a back seat to seizing opportunities to
flex my creative muscles within my other roles, searching out opportunities for
authentic artistic expression when they arise.
At work I often do headshots of our student actors for productions; I design
sets, programs, award certificates, and displays that are used in the school. In
university classes such as this, I welcome the opportunities that are provided
to engage in more authentic artistic practice even if the activities are often
proposed as pedagogical learning experiences.
In terms of reflective practice, I find it serves a
multitude of purposes. In terms of my pedagogy, reflecting on the things that I
create helps me to see how they can fit into my professional practice.
Artistically, reflecting on the process, progress, experimentation and final
results of the pieces I create help me develop new directions for my work and
challenge me to continue to build the technical aspects of the work as well as
to push the conceptual content. Most of
all though, I find the act of reflecting on my artistic practice, whatever it
happens to be at the time, to be essential to my mental well-being, and sense
of self, and artistic fulfillment. It
reaffirms my identity as an artist at times when I feel that all the other hats
I wear - teacher, mother, spouse, coach,
student - eclipse it.
All in all I feel that this class has reignited my long standing love affair with photography. It has re-introduced me to film, shown me that my thrift store find Minolta is a gem, and given me a kick in the ass to find, no make, more time for photography and my other artistic pursuits.
References:
Thornton, Alan. (2005) The Artist Teacher
as Reflective Practitioner. JADE 24.2. Blackwell Publishing ltd.
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