Yikes, first week is done and I have only now figured out how I will present this journal. Forgive me if I lump the first week into one very long bloggette.
Week one in this class began with many of us starting to bring in supplies to the studio. Even then I was apprehensive. I had brought everything I thought I might want to work in, clay, acrylics, watercolour, metal and scratch board. I arrived with no idea what I was going to want to make or what to make it in! I think the anxiety was a little alleviated when I discovered that many of us felt the same way.

I started by taking some pictures of the studio space before moving in. Then I took pictures of everything in and ready to go. ( The pictures are on my phone and I cant seem to get them off at the moment). Thankfully I had sent many original paintings as part of my part of my portfolio during the application process. It has been a blessing to be able to put some of them up. Now I know where I want to begin. Where I left off....
One of the more recent paintings I did at home was of my daughter. This painting was inspired by a truly amazing day that we had spent near Scotch Creek during the salmon run. The day had been beautiful and sunny but as we were out there the clouds rolled in and the sky began to change. The light and colours became somewhat surreal and everything seemed to pop and turn a blue purple colour. My daughter was laughing at her cousin and the moment seemed full of life and energy. The light, colour and energy of that moment in time felt spiritual in many ways and the moment the camera captured this image I felt the resonance of its importance in my soul. There is only a part of her image here in the composition but her personality fills in the empty spaces without issue.
This became the first fully finished portrait that I have painted since I started teaching. I tried to paint by doing a sepia under painting first and then experimenting with glazes over top. It seemed to work! I think glazing with oils would work better but I am too impatient. Even with acrylics my blow dryer was going every 20 minutes.
After reading "A Research Design for Studio-Based Research in Art"(Marshall) I knew that I had to start this process by reflecting on what I had already done. I am hereby entering the aesthetico-action research cycle in the reflection stage.

While working on this piece I felt a connection to Sarah and to myself. I felt the push to get her spirit on this canvas as a gift to her, a reminder how much she means to me. Now its time to connect in the same way with my son.
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