Expressive Mark Making

I had my first day of Massey yesterday. Although I can't remember what the first day of primary school felt like I would imagine it would be how I felt yesterday. Nervous, anxious, sweaty palms and all the rest. 

I made sure I got there in good time to find my way around. I must have looked like a lost little sheep awkwardly carting around a huge A2 pad.  

My weird girl magnet working in full force a random orange haired girl, face covered in charcoal came up to me and very quickly mumbled "Can I scab a text". Dumbfounded I say "Sure" and hand her my phone. She sends her text and sits with me for the next half hour waiting for  a response. We start chatting about what we're doing and I confess that I'm more than a little nervous about my drawing class as I have no idea what to expect. She points out that there are examples of last years class in a cabinet a couple minutes away.  

I go to have a look, I get there and my eyes dart from one project to the next, gobsmacked...cue the nausea,  a panicky sweat starts to take over and I say to myself "There's no fucking way in hell I can do that". 

Class finally starts and all I can think off is making some lame excuse and then leaving never to return but I tough it out. Our first brief is given - turning maori place names into abstract images using expressive mark making.... (expressive what???).

 At the break I relay my concerns to the teacher who advises me that was "the best of the best in the cabinet" and "not to worry, you might suprise yourself". 

So with a little confidence restored, I think I'm going to try suprise myself and stick it out. 

One of the most embarrassing things was losing my sheet of 15 maori place names within 5 minutes of leaving class. Not a good start? 

Next move: find out more about Jackson Pollock, Cy Twombly, Andre Massen & Jean Miro.