Look out for Bold

This past week has been an absolute menace! My timetable for my third year in uni is a stretch, as anyone who has gone through it might have experienced. But this week seems to be the one where everything is happening. Tuesday after my dissertation tutorial I helped out a friend Alison who is currently doing a project raising awareness of FGM* (Female Genital Mutilation for anyone who didn't know). I was really glad to be asked to take part as I think it's a real taboo subject, and something that people are either completely unaware of, or just don't want to hear about. Well, Alison isn't taking any notice of that and is making a really interesting project based around it. (Don't worry. I didn't get my kit off!) But this subject is really important, and like I always say, the more people who know, the more people can voice their opinion, the more people will hear, and maybe even listen! POWER TO THE PEOPLE. Yeah. So don't shy away. Vagina.

In other un-newsly news, projects! Wednesday, Thursday and today I've been busy shooting, and tomorrow, Sunday and Tuesday and are full of shoots too. Phew. Some for uni, some a little more secret, but it's rare that I get to be out shooting this often in such a short space of time! It's been great. Most of the time has been focused on a group project with uni called Inspiring Sports Foundation, working with Disability Sport Wales to create a campaign to try and encourage children to get involved with different local sports. So have been visiting all sorts of different clubs and groups and it's been great to get to know the people and get involved with such great children and volunteers. 

Somehow throughout all this I also need to keep up with my social life. Sigh. On Wednesday evening I was invited to a "Dolls Night" in Kurt Geiger where there was free champaign, 25% off, and a few treats you could get your hands on too. As well as having my make up done, I had my portrait drawn by the amazing Adele Page, which I am so happy with. I love her style of drawing and as I'm not a fan of having my picture taken, to have an artistic representation of myself is quite frankly, awesome. 

This does mean that I have been neglecting my own personal work, and my dissertation. Slightly. I should probably be doing that right now really, oh dear... But it feels good to be out doing what you love, even if it's ruddy freezing!

Fx

*Website for info/help about FGM http://www.forwarduk.org.uk/key-issues/fgm

Inspring Sports Foundation Facebook http://www.facebook.com/InspiringSportsFoundation 

Twitter https://twitter.com/Inspiring_sport

Adele Page Illustrator http://www.adelepage.com/blog/

2012.47

Nearly running out of the week to have time to do this. My feet hurt from dancing. (This is a good thing). And I have completely neglected my work. (Not so good). So to brighten up this Sunday evening, here's something a little different... A brilliant illustration by the very talented Zoë Austin which has been seen on Fashion156.com "We Love" list, so it must be good. 

And well, you know what, I love it too!

Fx

Source: http://archive.fashion156.com/previous-blog/
Zoe's blog: http://zoeaustin.blogspot.co.uk/

2012.46

So, this week I was a little jealous of my friends down in Australia. They get so much of the good stuff, don't they (excluding Spiders, they can have the spiders). But what they did get this week was a gorgeous total solar eclipse that occurred on November 14th. 

I remember my first experience of a solar eclipse, I was at Centre Parks, eating a lolly wearing those super uncool 90s safety glasses. Looking back it was a great place to witness it. I was quite young at the time, so it was completely new and fascinating to me. I remember wanting to understand what was going on, it felt really special. Now, it's a reminder to me of how vast our solar system is, that the moon can magically make the sun vanish just by its positioning. A fantastic show of natural phenomena that we on Earth, as spectators have a front row seat for.

Here is an image from the recent eclipse in Queensland, Australia by Phil Hart, which captures the moment brilliantly, with that spillage of light from the Sun creating a mystical halo around the Moon. Both perfectly synchronised. Breathtaking. 

Just you wait Brits, we'll have the pleasure of a partial solar eclipse in 2015. Yay. 

Fx 

Image copyright Phil Hart 2012

2012.45

My first 'Ffoto Of the Week' is from a fantastic artist that I recently discovered, Claire Dorn. This French photographer has a lovely mix of traditional photographic elements riding alongside contemporary adjustments. This image from her "Colorfields" series struck me the most, which was hard with such a great portfolio. The contrast of smooth crashing waves lighting the scene against the harsh cold night gives a great dynamic to this image.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

Fx

Image copyright @ Claire Dorn - http://www.clairedorn.com/inprogress.htm

Remember, Remember..

Short and sweet for you folks today.

This is often my favourite time of year, other than the clocks going back, halloween and bonfire night are such fun occasions for me; an excuse to dress up without people thinking you're crazy, and to be a pyromaniac, without people thinking you're crazy. Woo!

Here's a little snippet from my firespotting last night.
Think I'll call it, Palmtree in the sky. Haha.

This is actually a part of an ongoing project that I'm doing at the moment. I can reveal more soon - so if you do like, keep your eyes pealed! 

Fx

Welcome - Ffoto Of the Week

Hello there.

How we all doing? Good? Good. 

I've had my blog up and running for 2 months now, blimey. Throughout this whole time, I keep finding amazing artwork, imagery, illustrations and all sorts of amazing visual stuff right at my fingertips (thanks to the crazy looney computer scientist guy for inventing the internet)! 

Some are relevant to my work or my projects and some aren't. So, as part of archiving this great work, and satisfying my need for wanting to share other peoples work - the art world really need to help out it's brothers and sisters, and little cousins - and to show you guys maybe something, or someone, you have never seen or heard before. 

You never know, you might discover something you love! 

Also, please feel free to send me links, or suggest some artists you think deserve a bit more love @ ffi.matthews@gmail.com and if they tickle my fancy they might just be my Ffoto of the Week!

Check out the first ever Ffoto of the week here '2012.45'

Fx