Supporting Documentation

Year 3 Fine Art || BA3b

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Interviews with the LGBTQ+ community

On my Instagram I did a callout for members of the LGBT community as I need models for a series of paintings I am working on. Along side this I did a casual interview and gave them a questionnaire to fill out with questions about themselves and their experience as a member of the community etc. I gave each person the option to stay anonymous if that was more comfortable for them as some people are not out about their sexuality or simply just like keeping that private.

It has been a very nice experience to share with these people as a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself and this is something I am definitely going to keep going moving forward and hopefully interview and photograph people of different ages.

My goal in each photoshoot was to try and capture that persons personality through the photographs, for example Joy is a dancer so I tried to take photos that demonstrated some of her skills as a dancer, Isaac likes fashion so I tried to show off his vibrant shirt, whereas Cydnee likes more alternative clothing etc.

The photos from the shoot can be seen in my Resolved Body of Practice.

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RAJAN

What is your name and age?

Rajan, 22

Tell me about yourself. How do you identify? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, etc.

Gay

What are your pronouns?

He/Him

When did you first realise you weren’t straight and how did that make you feel? Because for me it was very confusing

From a young age, I always had an interest in things exclusively feminine and in comparison to other boys, acted effeminate. I have always been pretty grounded with who I am, however, fell prey to questioning my identity and sense of self when others would police my behaviour and actions.

How has your experience been as an LGBTQ+ individual?

Due to culture and religion, I faced a lot of internal conflicts. I am fortunate to have a supportive family, which is unfortunately rare when being from an ethnic background and being gay, bi, trans etc. Most negative experiences I have had have been from the LGBTQ+ community itself.

Have you ever experienced homophobia, transphobia, etc? You don’t have to answer or explain if you don’t want to. This is a safe space

The homophobia I have faced has been more ignorance and microaggressions.

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CYDNEE

What is your name and age?

Cydnee Inmon, 21

Tell me about yourself. How do you identify? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, etc.

I consider myself asexual and aromantic, meaning I feel little to no sexual nor romantic attraction. I can still have strong feelings for people, but it stops at platonic attraction.

What are your pronouns?

She/her

When did you first realise you weren’t straight and how did that make you feel? Because for me it was very confusing

I never really considered myself straight. I didn’t really consider myself anything. I remember wishing I was queer because “they seem so cool”, lol. Eventually, when I was 12 or 13, my friends were drooling over Brenden Urie, and it seemed like such a strange concept to me, wanting to view someone sexually. I was on tumblr at the time so I started a deep dive and landed on asexual pretty quickly.

After that I started analyzing my romantic orientation, which was a bit more difficult. As I had never been attracted to anyone its difficult to figure out if you don’t feel that attraction, haven’t met anyone you like, rarely feel that attraction, and if so who with. I was also deconstructing what I’d been taught was normal (allonormativity/heteronormativity) and so I bounced around cupio and aro romantic.

I wasn’t really upset or confused with my own orientation, moreso the curiosity as to what all these “normal” people experienced. What is it like to be sexually attracted to someone? Romantically? What does that entail? Why are people so controlled by it? Etc.

Sorry for the paragraphs, if you need I can clarify terms.

How has your experience been as an LGBTQ+ individual?

It's been good relative to most people’s experiences. Other than my parents invalidating me without really realizing it, and my mom trying to out me to my whole catholic/Christian family, its been decent.

Pitfalls would be the discourse online about whether aces were queer enough to be queer, and generally feeling outed in online communities. Not much representation in media, I think its like 2 people now (woo!).

Positives would be the communities I did find, joined an ace friendly discord in 2016 where I met a lot of friends, most of whom I still talk to. I had 3 ace friends irl and ran a pride club in high school, in an effort to educate myself as possible and others in the school. My mom has been generally pretty accepting, I haven’t really experienced discrimination, as I’m not trying to balance relationships and my identity is pretty hidden.

Have you ever experienced homophobia, transphobia, etc? You don’t have to answer or explain if you don’t want to. This is a safe space

Nah, not really. My dad told two old gays in ny pride parade that I was a robot, but that’s about it.

Do you have any questions for me?

I missed talking about being queer, can we do it more often? Lol

Also, did you know about asexuality/aromanticism before I talked to you about it? Did you know about split orientations? Is there anything else you want to lean about in that area?

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ISAAC

What is your name and age?

Isaac, 23

Tell me about yourself. How do you identify? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, etc.

I identify as a queer trans man!

What are your pronouns?

He/him, but self-defined queers can address me how ever

When did you first realise you weren’t straight and how did that make you feel? Because for me it was very confusing

I was pretty young when I realised I wasn’t straight, and it wasn’t really a problem for me until I got a little older and understood that that would impact my relationships with friends and family and how they saw me. At that point it felt very scary and confusing. I had to go through a process of reconciling my faith with who I was and I didn’t have any support around that: could I still be queer and a good person? All in all it was quite an isolating experience even though I grew up somewhere that’s considered very diverse. Even ten years ago the general attitudes to queerness were so different to what they are now. I didn’t see any readily available representation and I definitely didn’t know anybody who was out until much later.

How has your experience been as an LGBTQ+ individual?

I feel like there are multiple dimensions to the queer experience; how it is within yourself and how the world reacts to you. I find my queerness incredibly liberating. I love that I don’t have to colour inside the lines when it comes to my identity, I don’t have to conform to arbitrary rules that can make or unmake who I am, I’m lucky enough to be side by side with a community of people whose celebration in who they are is a revolution. On the flipside, external attitudes to queerness can be exhausting because there are a lot of people who have strong and often violent opinions toward your existence. These opinions don’t exist in a vacuum, they create the culture we live in, legislations that try to define the conditions of our survival, and how safe you’re allowed to feel where you live. The fact that it is common and considered a right to be able to debate whether a person is allowed their humanity makes you feel, sometimes, like it’s you against the world, but it’s important to me not to take that perspective. Queer people are the world. We are not strangers here.

Have you ever experienced homophobia, transphobia, etc? You don’t have to answer or explain if you don’t want to. This is a safe space

Yes! Growing up in London I experienced a lot of homophobia even when I wasn’t out. As a ‘visibly’ queer person, my performance of heteronormativity was lacklustre I guess. Coming to Norwich was a relief in a lot of big ways. I didn’t experience homophobia in the same way at all and I stopped feeling a need to ‘pass’ and though it was uncomfortable, confusing, and sometimes upsetting for cis culture, it largely wasn’t unsafe. As I got further into my transition and felt more comfortable to experiment with my gender expression though, I started to experience a lot of scary transphobic harassment. A lot of the times this was directed at me from people who had interpreted my expression of queerness as trans femininity. Suddenly a place that felt safe very quickly became unsafe. It was a real eye opener about how even as we make progress, the culture of misogynistic scapegoating doesn’t move an inch. It’s very important to me to be visible as a queer trans person because of these attitudes and to stand in solidarity. None of us are liberated until all of us are.

Do you have any questions for me?

What kind of impact has doing this project had on your relationship with your identity and/or community?

What expectations did you have when you were starting with this concept? Did the end results match up with them?

What was your favourite part of the process?

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JOY

What is your name and age?

Joy 21

Tell me about yourself. How do you identify? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, etc.

I am bisexual/bi-curious. I probably wouldn't actually date a woman, but I find them attractive.

What are your pronouns?

She/her

When did you first realise you weren’t straight and how did that make you feel? Because for me it was very confusing

I think in highschool around year 8 or 9, my friend at the time was very open about their sexual orientation so I learned about that from them. I felt comfortable about my orientation because of my friends.

How has your experience been as an LGBTQ+ individual?

My experience as an LGBTQ+ person hasn't changed my life much as not many people ask about it. I've also been in a relationship since 2016, so I've never experienced anything other than a kiss with the same sex.

Have you ever experienced homophobia, transphobia, etc? You don’t have to answer or explain if you don’t want to. This is a safe space

No, I don't think I've experienced that.

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DYLAN

What is your name and age?

Dylan, 21

Tell me about yourself. How do you identify? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, etc.

I identify as a gay man

What are your pronouns?

My pronouns are He/Him

When did you first realise you weren’t straight and how did that make you feel? Because for me it was very confusing

I realised I liked boys at a very early age. Maybe around year 6 (age 10/11) I thought a boy in my class was cute but I had grown up being taught a heteronormative way of life which I only realised wasn't for me when I started going through puberty and began to sexually mature. For me realising I was gay was very confusing as I had never met a gay person (queue my oldest brother coming out as gay and my little brother being bisexual). Anyways because I thought it was wrong for me to like guys I hid that part of myself for a very long time, about 8 years and at times it was very depressing. I always knew my family would accept it as they have always been very supportive even through our disagreements and I am very grateful for that. But for me it was more a battle within myself and not being able to accept my own sexuality because I wanted to be 'normal'. Through this journey I have came to realise that there is no such thing as 'normal'. Interviewing other people like me has also helped me find peace within myself and learn to accept my sexuality.

How has your experience been as an LGBTQ+ individual?

My experience overall has been quite positive, I have met some really amazing people in the community who I can never thank enough for what they have done. But even though the community is seemingly very positive and all sunshine and rainbows, there is still a lot of hate between groups.

Have you ever experienced homophobia, transphobia, etc? You don’t have to answer or explain if you don’t want to. This is a safe space

I wish I could say I haven't but yes... I have experienced homophobia. In school even though I wasn't out and it wasn't directed at me some kids would say awful things about gay people. Using the f slur as a joke. But where I have experienced the most homophobia is in the past 2 years. I have grown up in the rural northern county of Cumbria which is such a beautiful place but can be quite backwards as a large portion of the population are conservative farmers. I have been harrased, misgendered in a cruel way for having long hair and wearing makeup, called so many names/slurs even in the workplace. Most recently I was accused of having an STI I didn't have and then treated similarly to how gay men were treated during the HIV AIDS pandemic in the 1980's. I definitely used to conceal my sexuality a lot more but since being at uni I have felt much more comfortable being myself.

Van Gogh: The Immersive experience

The Van Gogh exhibition was absolutely incredible and it really made me think about the possibilities in painting. Van Gogh's work was physical paintings but the way it has been made into an immersive experience is incredible and it has made me think about some possible ideas for future work involving projections. Below is a video everything I saw whilst visitng the exhibition.

Queer Britain

Queer Britain is a gallery I have been trying to visit for a while but because I live so far from London and when I'm in Norwich I am just too busy, I haven't had the time to go. However I was lucky enough recently to do a trip to London and I was so happy I saw this museum. It made me quite emotional reading through peoples stories and how they have paved the way for LGBTQ+ people like me.

Colour Theory

I have been learning colour theory through trial and error and in my paintings, learning how to get the correct undertones for specific skin types has been challenging but what I have learnt is less is more. If you add too much of a specific colour it can be very difficult to change and if you mix too many colours your skin-tone can end up being muddy.

One of the best tips I have learnt is to use a contrasting colour like a deep red to deepen a shadow rather than black. Using black can make the painting look ashy, muddy or just overall not very realistic so you have to be careful with black.

Underpainting in specific colours can also affect the overall mood or colour of a painting. Like if you were to use a blue undertone for a painting you might end up with a very melancholic painting. Whereas if you were to use a red underpainting you could either end up with a very warm painting or a very aggressive painting. Colour theory is something that I definitely need to experiment with more after university as I feel as though I haven't given myself enough time to properly learn about it here and I am learning as I go.

Some of my paintings in my sketch book have ended up with quite dull looking skin due to overtaxing too many colours and as Craig pointed out, I should use a tiny bit of linseed oil in my oil paint to make it more vibrant.

Outpost Studios

The video below compiles all of the photos taken from my trip to outpost studios. This trip was to help me get a grasp of the opportunties available in norwich for artists such as studio spaces. The trip was very eye opening and the building is very near to where I live in Norwich currently.

Talkinn

Talkinn is something that I have been part of since year 2. it is a weekly meet that happens at various locations where we do activities organised by a different person each week. The highlights of this unit have been origami and making keychains with African beads. Talkinn is something that we hope to continue after uni and we are alrwady planning a meet up in a years time to see what everyone is doing.

Lecture Notes

I did not attend as many lectures this term as they weren't relevant to my practice and I have been focusing more on my research and creative body of work as we are in the last term now.

Briefing / 2.2.23

Body of resolved practice

• degree show

• digital submission as well

Career Development plan

• max 15 pages, demonstrates the work you have done to identify and take steps towards achieving appropriate post graduation roles and further study.

• Requires evidence such as a cv

• Professional

Supporting documentation

• 30 pages

Project evaluation document

• Maximum 10 pages and max 1000 work

Sign for Matthew’s talk

How to apply for funding

Freelands painting prize

3 paintings

You get a show in London

Mid unit review 19th Jan

• Pricing and valuing art

• Invoices, receipts and other important accounts fancy details

AN - artist newsletter

Commission

The fee for the agent gallery

Make sure the gallery is doing their part. Marketing, location, photography etc

Can be anywhere from 20%-90%

VAT is currently at 20%

Be aware of price rises

Costs

• material costs

• peripheral costs

Value

• Increased confidence in the artist

• Demand for the work

• Exalted status

• Death (because no new work is made so value goes up)

• Secondary market (value is really added here

Careers and employability

What is networking?

Making connections, finding like minded people and finding sales and jobs.

Exchanging information, develop professional/social contacts

Why is networking important?

Opportunities

Advice and support

Knowledge

Community

Getting started:

Aims, online presence etc….

What do you want? What is important? Strengths/weaknesses

Short, medium and long term goals

Keeping track

Who do you network with

Who is already in your network

Objective

3 people who can help with that

How are you going to reach them

Following up

Takes time, people are busy

Don’t take silence as final

Don’t take things personally

Networking in real life:

Prepare and do your homework

Introductions/ conversation starters

Be mindful

Be curious and be interested

Listen and engage

Exit strategy

What’s the next step?

Business card

Things to remember:

-check

-ask for advice

-do the research

-be positive

-stay open

-keep track and follow things up

-you’re part of someone else work/network

-be kind to yourself

-social media is a necessary evil

-careers and employability are available forever not just while you’re a student

-art station - new social media to try

Lecture 16.3.23

CJ Mahony

Items of influence /

Acknowledging the range of possibilities of influence

Darkness and temporality

Outside and inside

It feels like you’re outside the artwork but inside an architecture

Experimenting with space, structure etc

Erased de Kooning by Robert Rauschenberg

Collage/cutouts/future ideas

Gordon matta Clark, conical intersect

Experienced based work

Supported by stories and imagination

2007-2014

Between Spaces on the way to spaces

Temporary spaces

Transition spaces

Dynamics of unrest

Separated from thought and devoured by space

Momentarily lost

Light and dark

Subverting the threshold

The hand that takes

Breaking down

Thoughts and writing

Random notes/planning

Photoshoot ideas

Gay stereotypes

Sexual themes

Homoerotic themed

Rainbow but more subtle

White crop tops and jeans

Tight fitting jeans

Beards

Makeup/glam but still masculine

Shirtless? Greek god like pose

Take paintings that are very heterosexual and replace it with a gay man

Square like frame around the canvas? Maybe embossed with detailing from fabric patterns I have drawn? Featuring the figure inside

Photoshoot location:somewhere that gay ppl feel at comfort. Their bedroom, surrounded by strong female figures, the club/gay club

Paintings featuring text with slurs or homophobic abuse they have faced

Or uplifting words like men can wear makeup too etc

Stop procrastinating

You can do it sweetie

The text has to match the composition of the painting. The pose/emotion etc

Literally just buy some canvases and paint them all with random colour combos

Keep book going of random painted book

Don’t be afraid to speak about your emotions

Turn some of my pride photoshoot into prints? Using text maybe? Or paint some of them as I’ve already painted 2

Maybe do some mood boards for photoshoots or the composition of paintings

Painting idea

Full figure painting of myself with a patterned background and hands coming up from the bottom of the canvas almost forming like a mountain. I’d be wearing a sheer shirt with a lot of skin showing