life after a PhD

Today I chucked my amended thesis in the DropBox and e-mailed a link to my supervisor at Curtin. It has taken me more than 3 weeks of solid work to climb the last bit of the PhD mountain. I thought after 8 years of gruelling study I would be too exhausted to even think about art. Instead, I am chaffing at the bit.

I had a few things left to do in relation to the PhD in the last few months - one of them was an artist's talk just over a week ago for my friends and interested folk who live on the south coast. There were 28 people there and I knew the majority of them quite well. It was a joy to share a condensed version of my journey with them and I was very moved by the support. From the feedback I got most people really enjoyed it and some even found it inspiring. The other task of course was to dive back into the thesis and make the 'minor' amendments recommended by both examiners, who said they really liked it. I'm very relieved they were only minor adjustments, because dealing with them was hard enough. I struggled to get my head back into it because I felt it was done - I'd had enough when I packed it off 6 months ago - but the changes have meant the whole document is very readable now, rather than just some parts of it. I had wanted to unify it as a piece of writing, but ran out of time and energy last September and just had to get it in so I could exhibit in December. Robin has read the amended thesis and agrees it is now very palatable.

So what's next? I have registered a business name Void Art & Design, in honour of the profound insights the PhD has given me on a few levels. I intend on doing some study next semester to learn more about Illustrator, InDesign and PhotoShop. These are all programs I should be able to use professionally if I am serious about doing some graphic design work. I am in the middle of doing a digital drawing for a promotional banner at work and I have finished another small job as well.

But best of all, I am excited about being able to move around in my art practice - between different media as well as subject matter, because I am no longer shackled to one massive idea. I am feeling so much lighter, as though some huge weight has been lifted from me. I am pretty pleased with myself for persevering, in fact I am even a little surprised because there was a time in my life when I didn't get to the finish line on anything. It's nice to know people can change. 

This morning after sending off the thesis for the last time I went for a surf. There were some good sized waves coming through and I had a great time, partly because although I am not ready to leave the planet just yet, I didn't have to worry that I might drown or be eaten by a shark before I had completed my PhD.

image: Girl with Balloons is an unfinished digital version of a small goauche painting of mine.

so much to know

I've been really busy - too busy to blog. This is just some of what I have been doing. I've put in a lot of hours on this design job - I certainly won't get paid enough for the amount of work I've done, but I am building knowledge as well as my portfolio. 

I have the 'art' side of it figured and I have been using PhotoShop for ages - but there is so much more to know about the software, print specifications and making sure the image is high quality. I think I will be doing a lot of LYNDA tutorials to build on my sparse knowledge of Illustrator and learn InDesign as well. 

I have also been enrolled in a 'copyright' unit so I can teach it next term and in the process learnt a hell of a lot about copyright. It is a real minefield I'll bet most artists and designers don't even know they are treading in.

This image is a spinoff of the current job I am doing - a couple of happy accidents I rather like that resulted from playing around with filters.

artist's talk at the VAC

Time:    11.00 am           Venue:  Vancouver Arts Centre

how to drown an albatross

I am one of 14 Great Southern artists (that's artists from the Great Southern, not GREAT artists who come from the south) involved in this PIAF exhibition. I only finished my piece for it yesterday. I'm kind of looking forward to it - I haven't been in a group exhibition like this since 2008 when I participated in ArtiStories in Denmark.

My work is a simple video projection. I will post it here once the exhibition is up and running. It is a 'themed' exhibition and luckily I had an idea for something that fit - otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. I actually don't like being driven by other people's themes, but this one worked quite well for me. You'll be pleased to hear I haven't been cured of my addiction to apocalyptic gloom.

There will be 10 minute talks by the artists (including me) on Saturday 1st of March at 3.00 pm. Very casual. This is my artist's statement:

Michelle Frantom, How to Drown an Albatross, digital drawing/video

'Is it he?....Is this the man?

By him who died on cross,

With his cruel bow he laid full low

The harmless Albatross'

In a world where humans are the dominant species, 'interconnectedness' is generally considered to be a positive thing. The digital 'web', transport networks and invisible lines of electronic communication evidence our ability to penetrate almost every realm of existence. This work focuses on the negative outcomes of our obsession to leave nothing untouched.

A conceptual thread ironically links the albatross's 'webbed feet' to the human-made 'web-like' thread that has taken its life. Just as in Samuel Coleridge's, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the 'harmless Albatross' has once again been sacrificed because of humankind's obsession with itself.

(Original reference image of albatross: G Robertson, Australian Antarctica Division, Tasmania)

You are welcome to come to the opening next Friday 21 Feb @ 7.00 pm at the Albany Town Hall, but please RSVP to Annette Davis by 17 February: adavis@westnet.com.au 

country town architecture

I had to travel to Katanning yesterday as part of my job overseeing some TAFE courses there. I really love the ambience of country towns with their odd mix of architecture. The old pubs with their big verandahs still take central place. And you can stop in the main streeet in your car to take photos. Brilliant.

examiner's reports

The verdict about my thesis from both examiners is that it will pass with 'Minor amendments', which means: 'minor textual and/or structural amendments are required'. The examiners provided detailed reports (one was 7 pages long) with page numbers so it shouldn't be too difficult to work my way through the document (again!)

There are 5 possible outcomes, from 'No amendments' to 'Fail', so this is a good outcome. Even so, the list of changes is a bit daunting. I suspect it will look more manageable once I have gone through them one at a time.

The general feedback was very positive. Both examiners enjoyed the artwork and the written exegesis. One concluded: 'Overall I felt that it was a successful show which achieved the qualities of the terror of the sublime'. The same examiner also commented on the section entitled 'The Gap': 'In this section the writing of Michelle races - it sparkles!'

The second examiner said: 'Thank you for a very interesting and challenging thesis. The interweaving of imaginal psychology with art practice positioned at the dramatic and huntingly beautiful location of the Gap...., gives rise to an inspiring argument'.

There are suggestions to delete ideas that have not been argued fully which is fine because the overall argument will still prevail. There are also comments about 'generalisations', but mainly I will simply have to delete or briefly substantiate some of my claims.

Unfortunately my supervisor has gone on holidays for 3 weeks, and I will need her help to tease out which changes I should make, which I should argue against - there is at least one instance where I will be doing that.

But it certainly is a relief to know I am nearly there.

back to basics

If you follow my website blog or indulge in Facebook you will have seen these. This is what I have been playing around with in the studio lately (among other things) - Artisan (water soluble oils) - Paynes Gray, Titanium white, a couple of palette knives and some cardboard.

I'm also doing something hybrid (digital combined with real materials) for PIAF this year with the MIX group of artists, and contemplating the Mandorla prize because I have wanted to enter it for decades and this year's theme suits me perfectly (more on that later. If you can't wait for me to blog about it, click on the link).

The first work has been done on panels cut from a very solid waxy cardboard box, the second on black card. A quick coat of gesso and I'm into it. It's liberating not having to paint for something, or worry about whether it's archival quality. I've let go of that idea now, because I can always make anything that works into prints and they can be archival if they need to be.

image 1: The Hangman (after watching the classic film 'Anne of a Thousand Days')

image 2: Floating Cube (original name, eh?)