Reflective practice: combining photographs, words and drawings

As the core part of my practice-based PhD project at the University of Chester I developed a new arts practice with drawing and installation in response to the outdoor environment of Bakestonedale Moor. The aim of the project was to explore new ways of artmaking outdoors and describe how the proposed methods of artmaking are indicative of the emerging relationship between artist, outdoor environment and artmaking materials. When we use artmaking as a method to develop new knowledge, it is important to employ several approaches to describe, analyse and evaluate the artmaking. This will address and harness the field of complexities that are part of such an enquiry, some of which are due to the huge size and changeabilty of the outdoor environment and the subjectivity involved in any artmaking. Whilst I used several logbooks to record and analyse the project's progress, I also engaged with it by making compilations of photographs, drawings and text. I used photographs from working outdoors or in the studio to trigger my memory of practical work sessions, and, whilst considering these, I wrote words that signified key themes in relation to such working. I also added simple digital drawings to visualise some of the emerging themes. The finding and writing of words in association with the images opened a poetic realm where pictures and words connected to feeling and metaphor. These poetic text and image compilations where a welcome contrast to the precision and discipline that was often required to describe project procedures and documentation.