Part 4: Looking Out – Assignment Criteria and Reflection – Rachael's OCA Blog: Painting One: The Practice of Painting

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills (35%)

Materials: I think I have gathered quite a good understanding of the materials I use now and how to use them to their economical potential.
Techniques: I’m really enjoying developing and perfecting my general technique, but also experimenting with other methods. I’m also enjoying loosening up and allowing myself to work more expressively.
Observational Skills: I think my observational skills are just improving day on day. I’m finding it easier to quickly create accurate sketches of my subject matter and to choose interesting narratives.
Visual Awareness: As above, I feel my ability to choose interesting narratives and subject matter is constantly developing and I always try to find the most interesting subject matter possible, bearing in mind my tutor’s comments from the previous part regarding removing excess information and leaving the viewer to question.
Design: Again, I feel my ability to create interesting designs has just increased with every part I have undertaken. I am beginning to understand how all aspects of the design are important in creating the best possible outcome.
Compositional Skills: As stated above, I feel my compositional skills among the rest are developing constantly. I am becoming more adventurous and care free with the development of my pieces.

Content: As with the composition etc, I think the content of my pieces is rather interesting, but also the content of my learning log is engaging and concise.
Application of Knowledge: I feel I have managed to remember the key points my tutor has tried to get across to me in my earlier feedback and am constantly building on this and adapting as and where needed.
Presentation of Work in a Coherent Manner: Again, I think I am rather strong in this field also as I try to work on the idea of ‘a+b=c’, but clearly showing the process to get to ‘c’ from start to finish in a way that is accessible for those who have no idea about art or the processes I am learning about.
Discernment: As time goes on, I am finding that I I am able to decipher the instructions provided to me in a much quicker and concise manner.
Conceptualisation of Thoughts: As with my discernment skills, I feel I am now able to conceptualise much quicker and in a more professional manner as opposed to the naivety I began with.
Communication of Ideas: Again, I feel I am able to take an idea and see it through the ‘calculation’ process to the end result in a way that others can easily follow and this is only improving as I work my way through the courses.

Imagination: I think my imagination has really come a long way and where I once thought I had to simply just ‘think outside the box’, I now find I am trying to find ways to manipulate the ‘box’ itself.
Experimentation: As above, I am constantly trying to question what I already know as well as those I do not. I really enjoyed using the knives to create the mountain piece and am looking forward to the lessons to be learned within the next part of the course which seems to focus more on this topic.
Invention: Again, I think I have come on leaps and bounds as I have progressed through this course and my ability to come up with different ways of reaching my end goal or even allowing it to take on a life of its own and show me where it wants to go naturally.
Research: I thoroughly enjoy researching the different areas of art and it is interesting to note how you can look at one piece in one way and then consider it in another way with a different research concept altogether.
Critical Thinking (Learning Logs): As always, I think I have been rather consistent with my learning logs throughout my course, however, I do think I am realising the more important things to include and the excess information to exclude the more I go through the course.