It was like yesterday that I filled out the application to join the Master of Art in Fine Arts at Lasalle. Term started in January 2017, I got married in February. During term break I visited the Venice Biennial for the first time. My father had a heart attack in August 2017 and in October we had to start feeding him by tube. I put up Plastic Sea for the work in progress exhibition, Clap Trap, in November 2017. I moved out of my house last month and moved in with my parents while my wife and I look for a new home. And now, I am preparing for Bit Rot, the Master of Art (Fine Arts) graduation show. I am working on a piece called Wind Song, which is for the audience to interact with the wind and feel its song. How I would describe this is that it has been a rather compressed couple of years.

Was the Masters good? Well, yes it was educational. I learned a lot more about what contemporary art is about and its history and the philosophical underpinnings of art theory. Does this make me a better artist? I do not know what is better, but I am definitely different. I have, like other artists, searched for the epiphany that lights the path to my future, or the groove that would enable me to be in my element. No such luck… A lot of this has been turning up and tweaking things, getting critique and different responses and responding. I think my knowledge of art has increased, but It has been hard to hit my stride. Real life interrupts my constant application to my practice. And in truth, it happens to all my course mates and other artists as well. Inspiration happens by grace. New art is by its nature hard to create. All I know is that I have to keep preparing myself by learning more and increasing my skill set. So that when inspiration finally appears, I can make something of it. And this is what the Masters was, preparation. The challenge after graduation is how to continuing applying myself to the process.

I hope you visit Bit Rot and see my current exploration, Wind Song.