Lack of business, as usual.
Holidays are over, and so is the first week of semester. We're into week two already, though I don't have my first class until Wednesday morning.
No real classes happened last week.
Three lecturers were sick and one new one (photography) DID turn up, but then had the wrong info about which class she was taking, so couldn't get started with us. The session degenerated into everyone bitching about all the things that are wrong with the course, etc, etc.
Poor girl! What an introduction to the new job!!
I emailed her later to say that it's not always like that and that we're looking forward to getting started on the actual course with her (- a bit scared that we might have put her off).
She replied to thank me, and to say she has had to pull out of teaching us, and her other two assigned classes, ("for a number of reasons - not just what happened on Thursday - I promise you!"). So, don't know what will happen there.
One of the sick tutors is back on deck now, so we'll have a class with her this week.
Not sure about the new 'puter teacher, who was ill last week. Hope he/she turns up.
Can't help wondering whether they'll find us a replacement lecturer for photography class in time.
The other absent lecturer is officially suffering swine flu (medically certified as such) and has apparently been really very unwell. Don't suppose we'll be seeing him any time soon. I do hope he's alright. Lovely bloke and one of the tutors there who really does have a lot to offer.
Upshot of all this is that we had three full days of timetabled classes last week, and no actual lecturer present for any of them, save the photography class that wasn't. I don't suppose the college will make it up to us in any way. I know they won't refund us our class payments. Doubt they'd give us make-up classes either. Wonder if there's even the vaguest hope we might get an extension on the two looming deadlines? Not holding my breath.
On the upside, we got to spend most of that time in the studio, more or less doing whatever we wanted - for me, that was catching up on some of my stone setting samples - under supervision of another staff member.
This person is not officially our tutor for any classes this year, but was a firm favourite with pretty much everyone last year, and we've all been missing his input. It was so great to have him around for a few days.
He did set an excercise for anyone to do who was up to date with their other work, or who was looking for something to get on with. I had other work to do, but I liked the idea of what he had assigned, so I did his mini project as well as getting on with some of my necessary catch-up work.
It was fun to do and it gave me some new ideas for a series of pieces I might try, in between doing the necessary bits for the course.
I really did appreciate him being there last week. He's a gem. Hopefully, if we're still down a staffer or two this week, we might get more time with him. He's always full of helpful hints on the best ways of getting the job done, and so encouraging.
At one point, he looked at what I was doing, misunderstood what I was attempting to do with the piece I was working on, and when he asked, the answer I gave him appealed to him. He grinned and said 'Cool!' ...then I realised his error ( I was talking about one piece on my bench and he was talking about the other project sitting alongside it) and explained what I was actually doing, which he also liked...but the misunderstanding gave me a great idea for something else I might try. Been thinking about it since, and have a whole new line of ideas to play with. Talked them over with him and even though some of it is close to some work of his own, (which I'd not seen at that stage, so it was entirely coincidental) he gave me the go ahead to go on and give it a go. Generous man. I can't imagine my work being a threat to his commercial ventures in any way, but I'll be sure to take care that my final designs are not so much like his. They come from the same starting point, but I'm looking to play with some different materials and alternative forms for the main structure of each item.
Also saw some exhibitions over the weekend which got the cogs spinning re. possible lines of work for my contribution to the group exhibition next year. Hope to get some sketches done before our first group meeting, which atm looks like being on Saturday 8th. We're aiming to find a name/theme for the show at that point, show each other some of our recent work so we can get a feel for how this thing might take shape, and then, to generally socialise for a while, as some of us have not met before. We're meeting at the home of the one member of the group I don't yet know personally. I'm predicting a good time being had. She and I have exchanged emails over the last week and we seem to be on the same wavelength. Looking forward to meeting her face to face, and to catching up with the others, some of whom I've not seen for months.
I really need to decide which two pieces of work to take to show them. There is some older stuff I have, but I might be better off finishing at least one of the current bits of WIP, which will give a more accurate idea of where I'm headed creatively. That's some good motivation to get into gear and get it done.
The lost wax casting sample I did (a squiggly looking ring design) is starting to look quite promising. I've cut off all the sprues (the excess bits left from casting) and am in the process of filing it back to its true form. I'm in serious danger of actually finishing the piece this week. I'll have to be careful. I might actually get something done by the due date and set some sort of dangerous precedent!
I'm up way too late again. Time for bed.
No real classes happened last week.
Three lecturers were sick and one new one (photography) DID turn up, but then had the wrong info about which class she was taking, so couldn't get started with us. The session degenerated into everyone bitching about all the things that are wrong with the course, etc, etc.
Poor girl! What an introduction to the new job!!
I emailed her later to say that it's not always like that and that we're looking forward to getting started on the actual course with her (- a bit scared that we might have put her off).
She replied to thank me, and to say she has had to pull out of teaching us, and her other two assigned classes, ("for a number of reasons - not just what happened on Thursday - I promise you!"). So, don't know what will happen there.
One of the sick tutors is back on deck now, so we'll have a class with her this week.
Not sure about the new 'puter teacher, who was ill last week. Hope he/she turns up.
Can't help wondering whether they'll find us a replacement lecturer for photography class in time.
The other absent lecturer is officially suffering swine flu (medically certified as such) and has apparently been really very unwell. Don't suppose we'll be seeing him any time soon. I do hope he's alright. Lovely bloke and one of the tutors there who really does have a lot to offer.
Upshot of all this is that we had three full days of timetabled classes last week, and no actual lecturer present for any of them, save the photography class that wasn't. I don't suppose the college will make it up to us in any way. I know they won't refund us our class payments. Doubt they'd give us make-up classes either. Wonder if there's even the vaguest hope we might get an extension on the two looming deadlines? Not holding my breath.
On the upside, we got to spend most of that time in the studio, more or less doing whatever we wanted - for me, that was catching up on some of my stone setting samples - under supervision of another staff member.
This person is not officially our tutor for any classes this year, but was a firm favourite with pretty much everyone last year, and we've all been missing his input. It was so great to have him around for a few days.
He did set an excercise for anyone to do who was up to date with their other work, or who was looking for something to get on with. I had other work to do, but I liked the idea of what he had assigned, so I did his mini project as well as getting on with some of my necessary catch-up work.
It was fun to do and it gave me some new ideas for a series of pieces I might try, in between doing the necessary bits for the course.
I really did appreciate him being there last week. He's a gem. Hopefully, if we're still down a staffer or two this week, we might get more time with him. He's always full of helpful hints on the best ways of getting the job done, and so encouraging.
At one point, he looked at what I was doing, misunderstood what I was attempting to do with the piece I was working on, and when he asked, the answer I gave him appealed to him. He grinned and said 'Cool!' ...then I realised his error ( I was talking about one piece on my bench and he was talking about the other project sitting alongside it) and explained what I was actually doing, which he also liked...but the misunderstanding gave me a great idea for something else I might try. Been thinking about it since, and have a whole new line of ideas to play with. Talked them over with him and even though some of it is close to some work of his own, (which I'd not seen at that stage, so it was entirely coincidental) he gave me the go ahead to go on and give it a go. Generous man. I can't imagine my work being a threat to his commercial ventures in any way, but I'll be sure to take care that my final designs are not so much like his. They come from the same starting point, but I'm looking to play with some different materials and alternative forms for the main structure of each item.
Also saw some exhibitions over the weekend which got the cogs spinning re. possible lines of work for my contribution to the group exhibition next year. Hope to get some sketches done before our first group meeting, which atm looks like being on Saturday 8th. We're aiming to find a name/theme for the show at that point, show each other some of our recent work so we can get a feel for how this thing might take shape, and then, to generally socialise for a while, as some of us have not met before. We're meeting at the home of the one member of the group I don't yet know personally. I'm predicting a good time being had. She and I have exchanged emails over the last week and we seem to be on the same wavelength. Looking forward to meeting her face to face, and to catching up with the others, some of whom I've not seen for months.
I really need to decide which two pieces of work to take to show them. There is some older stuff I have, but I might be better off finishing at least one of the current bits of WIP, which will give a more accurate idea of where I'm headed creatively. That's some good motivation to get into gear and get it done.
The lost wax casting sample I did (a squiggly looking ring design) is starting to look quite promising. I've cut off all the sprues (the excess bits left from casting) and am in the process of filing it back to its true form. I'm in serious danger of actually finishing the piece this week. I'll have to be careful. I might actually get something done by the due date and set some sort of dangerous precedent!
I'm up way too late again. Time for bed.