The images on the top are produced for an art context, while the image on the bottom shows extended versions of the text, published in a Further Education Magazine, JoyFE. While this is an extended version, even longer versions exist, which will likely be placed within my PhD thesis.
By a way of example, I will share with you the extended first chapter of ‘I am an artist’
Earliest memories, aged three, at the University of Essex day care centre, a nursery that my Nan worked in - the only reason I was here, rather than at the village nursery held in the village hall, a place I had refused to return to after having a plastic red teacup with large yellow flowers thrown at me.
An early start and drive by car, arriving with the workers early, rather than with the other children half an hour later.
An opportunity which meant I got to unlock the door, press the combination of numbers, turn the lock.
A large building with long corridors, bright lights and a distinct smell of artificially scented orange disinfectant.
Sitting at an easel painting a picture with Mary – who it later transpired was in fact called Laura, positioned as close to the nursery room door as possible for a quick getaway - I did not enjoy education at this young age.
Three boys, Matthew, Jacob, Niesen, on a large blue bean bag sat across from us, as we squeezed on one chair and wondered who would get to take home our collaborative masterpiece home at the end of the day.
Four pots of thick ready mixed paint that smelt of chalk and chemicals, large clunkily wooden paint brushes – one for each plastic pot with safety lid, no water.
Pastel coloured A3 sheets of sugar paper waiting for a brush stroke. Names neatly written in the left corner with a black marker pen. The work was taken and hung from the ceiling to dry.
This piece of autoethnographic writing continues for another 1,400 words. Not all pieces are this long, but ‘I am an artist’ is something I keep returning to, as I use memory work to recall the events of my past and moments in which I felt like an artist.
Thus far this chronicles, foot painting, red oil paint on a new pink skirt, playing with limestone, decorating black bin bags, cyanotypes in a stock room, decorating biscuits, drawing a dragon, pouring plaster into silicone moulds, and building a life-size model of a rowing boat, to name a few.
All these instances happened before I had even left primary school, so you can start to see why this particular piece of automatic writing keeps growing in length.
These finders were first presented at the NUA Terminals Conference in August 2022
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