i fyny: Mentorship
By i fyny associate Rhiannon Rees
As part of the i fyny journey we each received three sessions with a mentor. They helped us with ideas and grounding our artistic practices alongside our Wednesday sessions of developing our professional practices. Something which I really wanted to develop in is this idea of how painting can be translated through a sculptural lens. This is why I was excited to have Lisa Evans as a mentor. She is the head of sculpture at Carmarthen School of Art and has a wealth of knowledge in casting, specifically iron pouring. Through our three sessions we explored casting, projects, and plans for the future.
Within our first session we discussed what we should focus on within our sessions and Lisa also gave me some sculptors and land artists to research. In this session Lisa set me a goal for our second session, to go out and spend time in nature to create moulds and forage for items that we could cast. That afternoon I got onto a bus to Llansteffan and collected different pieces of driftwood and objects as I walked. I remember walking back up to the bus stop with twigs and items spilling out of my backpack. I visited again before our second session and spent an afternoon mould making from the beautiful rock formations along the cliff edge with plaster and clay. In the second and third mentor sessions we entered the casting workshop. Lisa took me through the different ways my moulds and forged items could be used and how I could push this even further using other casting materials such as silicone.
The next question Lisa had for me was what do I now do with these cast rock formations? The idea of casting the canvas came to mind. Through our casting session we had also discussed the idea of what can a painting be. Through Lisa’s practice she is currently exploring performance through sculpture. I see my sculptures through the lens of painting. I had begun to think about these sculptural casts as a canvas with their pits and falls as the weft and warp. I have also been collecting and processing pigments from Wales. I had an idea that I could cast the earth from where I forage for pigments. They could become a way in which to exhibit these pigments in their processed form as well as keep them centred in their land. Being able to have these in-depth conversations with Lisa has pushed me to think further about how my work can be seen and pushed even further. It’s something I’ve missed after graduating and has been very valuable to me through the i fyny programme.
I was lucky to have an extra mentor session with Angela Maddock. Next year I am undertaking a walk to collect pigments from Wales, The Gentle Painting Walk. It’s currently going to begin from my mother’s home in Carmarthenshire and end in Bangor at my father’s home. After hearing about Angela’s ‘All you can do is walk’ project I really wanted to speak to her and ask her advice for my own walk. In our mentor session we spoke about all the different things that I would need to consider prior to starting my walk. She gave me lots of tips and advice about walking long distances and a list of items that I’d need. I now have a new pair of comfortable boots that I am currently breaking in! We also spoke about the importance of what to pack and what to leave behind. I think this has stayed with me since our session. What are the most important things to keep with us and what we can leave behind to start new adventures. I will definitely be bringing with me all I have learnt through my mentor sessions and the Wednesday i fyny sessions on my walk and in the projects I do in the coming months.
Journal entry and photography by Rhiannon Rees