After a year of focusing on the bad I decided it was time to focus on the good. While all the bad still goes on, I find my comfort places; whether they’re nostalgic or I’ve never been. My walks and hikes have always been important to me, especially around the mountains, where everything seem so small and everyone else is so far away. The only company I have is my lovely dog Moli and my sketchbook, and it’s all I need for a couple of hours. I spent most of my summer outside, hiding away from all that make people miserable and have a sketchbook dedicated to all the places I went that are important to me. Here are a few images from this sketchbook:
I used another sketchbook for my travels to Wiltshire, another place that made me happy because I went to visit a few friends I’ve made in Cardiff. I really enjoyed the nature part of this trip, as well as the train stops at different locations on my way up and down, of which I also sketched. Here are a few images from this sketchbook:
I decided to use my last sketchbook for the Leeds Festival and the Lana Del Rey concert (whom has been a heavy influence in my art, especially her short film ‘Tropico” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwuHOQLSpEg ). Music and films aren’t uncommon ‘happy places’ for people, which is why I chose them, and why I thought going to these events would be metaphorical and literal journeys and places. I especially appreciated the visuals the musicians used; Lana used many Old Hollywood and nature imagery to go with her albums/songs and Bastille used government and social issues as their imagery following their recent album, which corresponds perfectly with my art work. While I and thousands of people had a fabulous time, we couldn’t escape what was really going on. Here are a few images from this sketchbook:
David Hockney landscapes and how they relate to me living in North West Wales (first sketchbook).
The nostalgic shapes and colours fit perfectly with my summer back at home, and are hauntingly similar to where I live. They remind me of old, muted photographs from the 90s scattered around my home of landscapes that I hold very dear.
Lana Del Rey:
Lana’s backgrounds resembles a lot of my metaphorical imagery in my art work, such as roses and sexuality. She also uses Biblical imagery, something I might use ironically in year 2. Her latest album also speaks about the uncertainty of the future now Trump is in power which was a large proportion of my work last year.
Bastille:
“It was stage patter that reflects their politically-charged show. While they blitzed through ‘Fake It’, footage of a menacing, demented Theresa May look-a-like holding up a manifesto entitled ‘Strong and Stable’ appeared on a screen behind them.”
While we talk about how scary having Trump as the president of America is, having a Prime Minister who’s his puppet is equally as horrifying. Bastille offered comedic videos of a Theresa May look-alike miming their songs that brought lightness to our situation, as well as an informed leftist view. I touched on using comedy in my art work to avoid any cheesiness and perhaps I’ll consider using it more often after seeing its effect on the crowd at Leeds.
Wiltshire:
Wiltshire was most definitely a happy place. The sketches I made from that trip slightly resemble my first sketchbook of home; full of landscapes and no politics.
As a final piece I ended up making a short montage of the videos that I’ve collected from all of these places. I made it into a nostalgic piece, using flashes and muted filters, because coming home for the summer made me realise how much I had missed home and how creating new memories associated with different places will only add to this nostalgia whenever I go back, or have something trigger those memories. However, I also realised why I was looking forward to moving to Cardiff. Home life reflects the moody aesthetic of the landscape that surrounds my home. This lead me to question if nostalgia was good or bad; does it trick you into thinking that something was better than it actually was? Why is this? I also based my video around how while trying to enjoy my summer with out any miserable politics, I couldn’t escape it! There were musicians using Theresa May as a background to their show, there were speeches about Donald Trump in between sets. The uncertainty of the sounds, the switching of filters and the lightning strikes all reflect this. I’ve tried to put all of this together in my 5(ish) minute film:
P.S. I apologise for the banner.
saratrouble 