So felt had to respond to the request of how we had interacted with fellow AA2A Artists while at university had had a impact on my art practice it has now evolved and although have offically broken up from my course and been assessed and amazed that not only did I pass got a merit and we have the opportunity to come in over the summer and use the facilities if we want to help progres our practice so have decided to take this up as have most definatly found a new thread which requires further exploration with the interaction given from former AA2A Artists has helped negotiate this thread and is helping pushing my art work into a completly new direction fueling my desire to pursue this further and want to share it with this web page.

As a student AA2A blogger for artists who have been using Coventry University am posting my possible last blog as we are now breaking up shortly for the end of summer term and the last of my course hand in is on Tuesday 21 May and last lecture on 22 May means  that my time as a student blogger is almost over, the artists finished their placements just before Easter and am due  to finish the end of the semister all too soon but am really looking forward to my very year as a student on my Masters course it is with a heavy heart that I added my last image of my art work and blog about the experience I don't want it to end and hope that the experience I can use in my portfolio and this should aid my practice and guide me into what every area that I go into as yet do not know what this is going to be may be some one can help guide a mature artist, teacher who knows where I can explore. Look forward to hearing from any helpful tips.

With a look at the artist profiles and the interaction I have had via lectures, talks, artist workshops or one to one sessions has helped mold a template to create a poster to encourage students to vote for their favourate aritst. It will be a hard task for students to decide as there have been some very good insight into some of the artist's practice and although there has been another student also promoting and talking to artists we have only met up a couple of times and have waged our own campaign to encourage students to engage and attend functions that the artists have been available at Coventry University am not sure if this was a good or bad thing but meant that we did not contact each other although I did seek the other student out to colaborate but one reason and another this did not materilise through no-bodys fault but it also meant that the four artists had two students championing their practice which may have further aidded their profile. I can not speak for the other student but can speak for myself that it had helped progress my own practice and have used the artists who have been available or in university when I appoached them it was a shame that did not get to meet all of them but would endevour to carry on with this when I return for the second year of my Masters course so if future AA2A artists apply to Coventry Universtiy come and find how I can help rasie your profile while you explore your practice.

Having read the new task of promoting students to vote for current AA2A artists has come at a time with several things on the go means I have not yet been able to create a poster to display for students at university due to other commitments and am not sure how to tackle this without taking time out and an assessment due next week with a small amount of prepping to ensure that I have covered all areas of my course work. So trying to find time to actually make up a poster display it hope to start this on my half a day off university on Tuesday will keep you posted ( ha ha) how get on with this task in hand.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the AA2A artists that I had the privillage to visit, talk to in lectures or workshops or any other event at Coventry University it gave my own practice a much needed boost and the chance to expose myself to new working practices, techniques, the chance for my art work to be seen on another networking site and hopefully something will come into my own practice for the better for using this website. At the moment I have another year studying for my Masters and although have been offered a PHD in London do not have the funds at the moment to even consider the posserbility of this. I want to concentrate on trying to find my medium, studio space, get some funding, commissions, hopefully sell some art work, get another part-time job that is also art related to replace the current job I am about to lose due to lack of funding. But am very hopeful as have a casual post at a local museum and art gallery which I love and get a little work and pay from this to fund my self while studying. Life as an artist is never easy but if you are wise and network it could help you in the future. Being an active part of a AA2A student blogger has enhanced my practice and for this I thank you all.

It was with somewhat of interest that I downloaded the newsletter and as am a quick reader made my way through the literature in the leaflet it was full of very useful information from how to start as an artist, advice how to register for PAYE in regards to tax so that you are not at any fault with the taxman, to magazines and places to register to encourage your practice as an artist. For a complete novice who although have sort of got going and not yet set up in a studio space but am extremely good at networking it has given me a wealth of useful information which could help me on the road to becoming an active practising artist. I would most definately recommend this to prospective artists at what ever stage they are at in their practice and wished this much information had been available to me during my second year at university but it is never too late to start and hope that prospective artists everywhere take the opportunity to make use of the newsletter at a very reasonable price for under an hour's pay it is a worthwhile investment. Make use of your AA2A newsletter it could be the starting point of your art practice.

After finishing university for the Easter break and a lovely one to one with AA2A Artist Katherine Russell a long awaited break to Liverpool is much appreicated even though this has meant scrimping, saving and collecting tokens to pay for the break means a stay in Ainsdale with a 20min walk to train and catching a train to either Southport or Liverpool for the day is well within reach. Liverpool has the Tate, Walker Gallery, Lady Lever Gallery, Liverpool Museum, and a recently opened gallery called appropriately The Open along side the many real ale pubs has made for a lovely Monday to Friday break at just under £100 including transportation to and from events. Having done the Tate and Walker gallery several times in the past explored Liverpool Museum with its newly opened film about how Liverpool was a vibrant and trading area the suprising thing learnt is how many slaves where traded in the docks and how people where thought of as commodities. To then go on to The Open where an interesting selection of old photographs of the second world war mostly of families and how poor these people, along with maps that had been reproduced made for and couple of interesting exhibitions and made me realise that the printing techniques am currently exploring could be a new direction.

As I discovered that one of the AA2A artists would be completing their hours at Coventry University and finishing on Friday 22 March 2013, it was a deciding factor in me arranging to meet up with Katherine Sullivan with a view to talking about her experience as AA2A artist and what her art practice has been during her time with us. I ( with permission) took photographs of some of the pieces that Katherine had produced, she had brought in  an old light switch and using latex made a mould of the switch which she then cast using plaster to create a set of identical switches they make for an unusal piece of art work. She also has a small collection of photographs that she has taken of windows I am not sure whether she has photoshot these images but they appear kalaidascope technique where there is a mirrored image of these windows. Katherine kindly let me trail around her while she worked in the metal workshop with the piece of art work she was currently in process of creating this piece includes using lace and a suspender belt which have both been prepared by being dipped in copper and then drying these out using the gas burner in the workshop it is an interesting process watching this dry on the cotton lace fabric and then becoming a more solidified. When it has set she then puts these together by using copper wiring to create a lower set of skeleton outer garment of a whalebone inner housing for the material the general idea is that of an element of a out-line of a victorian female body.  While tidying up her studio space it is very sad to see Katherine clearing out her space but the delicate way she wraps up each individual plaster light switch is interesting to watch, I have enjoyed watching her at work and it is a shame that this process is now over but hope to engage with this artist further as have passed on my details and have requested a visit to her studio in Dudley and am looking forward to further engaging with this artist and wish her well for the future and would like to thank her for taking the time out to talk to me while engaging with her practice.

Over the past few months I have had the privillage to meet with artists Kathrine Sullivan, Annette Pugh and Bethany and I've attended their talks at the university.  Engaging with these artists in the print room, studio space and the metal work room has certainly had an impact on my own art practice and my engagement with more usage of blogging. Today I bumped into AA2A artist Katherine Sullivan and was sad to hear that her hours with us at the university will soon be over, so have arranged to meet and have a short talk and hopefully take some photographs of the work that she is currently working on.  I've arranged to do this on the last day of term before breaking up for Easter and am really looking forward to finding out more about her practice. Watch this space for a running report.

Discovered that there would be a talk from two AA2A Artists, Katherine Sullivan and Annette Pugh so keenly turned up early to listen to this discussion with both artists the initial problem with setting up the power point on the computer and non arrival of Katherine looked like this might not go ahead but with the help of the 3rd year course tutor all was sorted out and the talk went ahead with Annette taking the lead and Katherine making a late arrival. Annette discussed Presentation of Portfolio how this could help your progression of your career, she showed an excellent film clip of the late Tony Hancox in his reconstruction of making a painting like Jackson Pollock with the quote of "I'll sell it for millions". Annette encouraged us to apply to Axis artist's register but you have to be approved for this site it is a networking site that enables you to set up a forum for your art practice  where you can do data research and find who is looking at your art work. She advised it is a deciding factor of where you are going to put your art work it could also be used as a curator site.

To consider other areas such as AN Magazine which is a worthy £38 to join the subscription for a year and to also consider Air magazine which is a artists guide to working or surviving this offers a chance to become a member with on-line information for news, training and other events.  Website gives you the opportunity for studio development links to other practitioners Annette's practice started at Old Michen Mill as a member of Bimingham artists moving on to Lee Bank House but they were then moved to current premises of Telson Centre.  Annette talked about Self-Employment and her involvement with DIALOGUE, where she interacted with other students who became competative about entering for their proposals. Pugh's involvement with Community Arts showed how passionate the artist is with her involvement with deprived areas so much so did not even think about her own safety while working in with possibly unsaviour charaters but am sure that this is maybe what made it more of a challenge that getting local residents responsible for creating their own art work brought the community together. Annette talked about how although she had resisted going into teaching had accidentally become involved by helping at a school while covering maternity leave as a temporary capacity had engaged her so much that it directed her in to the path of PGCE  this gave rise to another career path and opportunities for training but stressed that it is a hard year of training and that it is worth doing should students want to consider this path and the artist currently works with 6th form students.

Pugh also talked about articles and grants that as an artist you have to fit their criteria . Annette worked at Compton Verney in gallery workshops in education with funding through Heritage Lottery Funding. Another area that Annette has worked in is residencies in teching and print making at Woverhampton university and discovered that this it the second time of applying and successfully achieving AA2A artists placement. The current projects she is working on at Grand Hotel called "Dancing On The Edge", Pugh used an opportunity to work with installation video art using old photographs of her grandparents and showing these collective pieces as a contining project of working with found images. It was a good talk which over ran and meant that the second artist did not have time to talk but with a re-arrangement hope that this will take place at anternative time. I did get chance to talk with the artists and introduce myself as the student blogger for AA2A website, the artist also arranged to come up to my own studio in the university to look at what I am currently working with so this was a wonderful chance to also look at Katherines's metal sculptured body that she is currently creating.