Happy New year Blogger
So, as I now have not much time to update this blog, I will just come here only to write updates about the OCA.
I received back all of the money I paid to the OCA. Thank you OCA for admitting with this gesture that you failed to provide a services for me.
Racism and bullying are not good traits for intellectuals.
I still do want to have answers to my questions that I raised about the OCA.
How did it happen that an installation "artist" with little or no drawing ability or knowledge of the associated theories was my tutor for a DRAWING course? If I wanted to make installations, I would have signed up for such a course, not for a drawing course.
How did it happen that my tutor admitted that she did not wish to do her job in the OCA as other tutors do there and, yet, I was thrown out, not her. Real ART (not copies of earlier installations, etc.) is not an area for making easy money, if you think otherwise, even Van Gogh will have been a looser for you, because he never made money when he was alive. Art, for me, is all about personality, if you do not have one, or put on so many faces you forgot who you are, what are you doing in art?
And the most important question: What is it structure of the OCA? Is it a college? But why, then, as any other college does it is not have college rules? If it is an art school, why does it not have school rules? If it is just an internet course, why just not say so? It is unfair to put give people the hope that they are actually joining something like a college system - it is certainly no OU. Because, if the OCA followed any university or college rules, the OCA administration (actually, according to the OCA documentation, the chief executive,Gareth Dent ) should know that throwing people out must done be for really serious reason, not just for asking to change tutor because of her unsatisfactory work. It is very bad for any college's reputation do something like this, especially nowadays, when each one as financial problems (and do Bucks New University or the University for the Creative Arts want to be associated with such a purely commercial company?).
As for me. I have only just finish the party period. I know it was a little bit more excessive this year than usual: I visited all of my friend and returned back to a normal intellectual lifestyle. I thought I would find something higher in England, but, as it happens,I could freely speak about Foucault, Behterevhe, etc. with the last alcoholic and beggar in our town.
I love this life; each time as something unjust happens to me, something really good happens at the same time. Although I will not drop the case about the OCA, I have done a test for English language and passed as advanced with 3 mistakes, so I should study a little bit more, but the funny things was that in 2 questions there were mistakes in English as well. So I am quite happy: I write in English nearly as well as the best native English speakers; at the end of the month, I will have an exam for my new university (I learned my lesson, one needs to go for REALLY good one), so I am busy studying books. Although the exam is not just in one subect (it is about the ability to think), I still think that I need to learn a lot more .
I still have not abandomed the book that OCA gave me. It was a brillint man that wrote it, so I will continue with the course just so as not to betray the original ideas of the OCA, although it seems that the OCA people have forgotten what they are there for.
By the way, even my washing machine started to work again. :))
So I had VERY pleasant Christmas and Happy new year
Just a note that I never betray any secrets that are told to me in confidence, so, please, if anyone has any questions, I will answer them privately - just say that it is secret.
Tuesday 4 January 2011
Monday 3 January 2011
OCA while waiting for outcomes
I am awaiting an answer from Buckingham New University about all the things that happened in OCA. If Buckingham New University tries to cover for the OCA, I will feel free and justified to continue at a different level. When I mentioned being a sniper for the biathlon, it is means training for the Olympics reserve team, running (cross country skiing) hundreds of km and then shooting with enough accuracy to hit a squirrel in the eye – my worst result was 99 from 100. If you think that all sportsmen have no brains, then you are very wrong 
And, of course, to do sport at this level, you must be the fort of person who never gives up.
I have some spare time to explain to people my opinions of the standards and level of the OCA – mostly for East Europeans, because you all have had a better education and a higher level of qualification than is normal in the UK (just look at the international education league tables). Education was one of the reasons why I chose to move to France from England, the other being the medical service (I have a young child and I am good mother, I want the best for my children; my other two my sons have already finished higher education and run successful businesses; they even manage support their poor mother). I assume that I do not need to explain for any non UK people how poor the medical services in the UK is.
When you choose a university, always look at how high it is in the university league tables (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2010/jun/04/university-league-table), because now a lot of companies do not employ people with degrees from universities from the lower part of the list (you should really go for one in at least the top 15 or 20 in your area of study or, go to one that has always been a university for many years, not a converted technical college or polytechnic) and you should finish your degree with at least an upper second or first.
As for a masters: at some universtities you do not even need a first degree at all to apply for a masters, look at Bath spa for example. If you bullshit enough and produce a portfolio to go with it, you are in. So, what is the point of wasting time in the OCA, if you can go to do a masters at a proper university?
I looked at the biography of my tutor again – oh my God! I was really ashamed to even mention that she was my tutor for a few months ( although, to be fair, she never had time to speak to me properly). It seems to me that her sort of “art” is just made for pseudo- intellectuals (people who like to think that they are in some way superior) to talk in a correct language at dinner parties and receptions to reassure each other that they are, indeed, better than the rest; it also serves a purpose in allowing the rest of the world to laugh and deride art – but this has the danger of lumping all contemporary art into one stagnant lump, so that people assume that all art is now pointless and meaningless.
If the OCA administration was not as poor as they are at politics, they could have just given to me new tutor and I would have carried on with the course and would not have got the time or inclination to chat on the forum, because I would have already known everything I wanted from there, but I was sent there by Khatir and found out the level of the OCA – I would have carried on believing the OCA was as good as their book. And after the first course I might have moved to a proper university or they could have dropped me for a more suitable reason. But no, they needed to show off – students are just nobodies and the OCA is as powerful as gods, we can do whatever we want. Ironically, we spoke on the forum about Stalin’s regime, freedom of speech and another negative freedoms. So, it seems, the OCA is run by little Stalins who remove everyone who has an opinion that is not in line with the Party dictates. Wow, what an ART!
I am moving on with my life. I have started courses for learning a technical level of English, because, for the university that I have chosen, I need a better knowledge of English and, next year, I will apply.
And please, dear “somebody”, do not call my phone and try speak French to me. I have an internet phone and it is spam free. As French generally speak with each other on mobiles, landlines are left for officials. My best friend (even though she was born in Ger, she spent nearly all her life in Paris), when she picks up her landline phone, always talks in English and hopes they go away – and they do. French officials do not like to speak English – she learned this trick from me
And, of course, to do sport at this level, you must be the fort of person who never gives up.I have some spare time to explain to people my opinions of the standards and level of the OCA – mostly for East Europeans, because you all have had a better education and a higher level of qualification than is normal in the UK (just look at the international education league tables). Education was one of the reasons why I chose to move to France from England, the other being the medical service (I have a young child and I am good mother, I want the best for my children; my other two my sons have already finished higher education and run successful businesses; they even manage support their poor mother). I assume that I do not need to explain for any non UK people how poor the medical services in the UK is.
When you choose a university, always look at how high it is in the university league tables (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2010/jun/04/university-league-table), because now a lot of companies do not employ people with degrees from universities from the lower part of the list (you should really go for one in at least the top 15 or 20 in your area of study or, go to one that has always been a university for many years, not a converted technical college or polytechnic) and you should finish your degree with at least an upper second or first.
As for a masters: at some universtities you do not even need a first degree at all to apply for a masters, look at Bath spa for example. If you bullshit enough and produce a portfolio to go with it, you are in. So, what is the point of wasting time in the OCA, if you can go to do a masters at a proper university?
I looked at the biography of my tutor again – oh my God! I was really ashamed to even mention that she was my tutor for a few months ( although, to be fair, she never had time to speak to me properly). It seems to me that her sort of “art” is just made for pseudo- intellectuals (people who like to think that they are in some way superior) to talk in a correct language at dinner parties and receptions to reassure each other that they are, indeed, better than the rest; it also serves a purpose in allowing the rest of the world to laugh and deride art – but this has the danger of lumping all contemporary art into one stagnant lump, so that people assume that all art is now pointless and meaningless.
If the OCA administration was not as poor as they are at politics, they could have just given to me new tutor and I would have carried on with the course and would not have got the time or inclination to chat on the forum, because I would have already known everything I wanted from there, but I was sent there by Khatir and found out the level of the OCA – I would have carried on believing the OCA was as good as their book. And after the first course I might have moved to a proper university or they could have dropped me for a more suitable reason. But no, they needed to show off – students are just nobodies and the OCA is as powerful as gods, we can do whatever we want. Ironically, we spoke on the forum about Stalin’s regime, freedom of speech and another negative freedoms. So, it seems, the OCA is run by little Stalins who remove everyone who has an opinion that is not in line with the Party dictates. Wow, what an ART!
I am moving on with my life. I have started courses for learning a technical level of English, because, for the university that I have chosen, I need a better knowledge of English and, next year, I will apply.
And please, dear “somebody”, do not call my phone and try speak French to me. I have an internet phone and it is spam free. As French generally speak with each other on mobiles, landlines are left for officials. My best friend (even though she was born in Ger, she spent nearly all her life in Paris), when she picks up her landline phone, always talks in English and hopes they go away – and they do. French officials do not like to speak English – she learned this trick from me
OCA continued
It seems that my blog has become a hit 
I should update it regularly
After yesterday’s conversation with OCA administration, I have the feeling that they cannot understand why I fuss so much. When I mentioned the word “reputation” (among a lot of other things) they did not seem to understand the meaning. Maybe because nobody in OCA has a reputation?
I will explain to people who do not know what it is:
rep·u·ta·tion
// http://img.tfd.com/m/sound.swf 1. The general estimation in which a person is held by the public
2. The state or situation of being held in high esteem.
I should update it regularly After yesterday’s conversation with OCA administration, I have the feeling that they cannot understand why I fuss so much. When I mentioned the word “reputation” (among a lot of other things) they did not seem to understand the meaning. Maybe because nobody in OCA has a reputation?
I will explain to people who do not know what it is:
rep·u·ta·tion
// http://img.tfd.com/m/sound.swf 1. The general estimation in which a person is held by the public
2. The state or situation of being held in high esteem.
3. A specific characteristic or trait ascribed to a person or thing: a reputation for courtesy.
[Middle English reputacioun, from Latin reput
ti
, reputtin-, a reckoning, from reputtus, past participle of reputre, to reckon, think over; see repute.]
ti, reputtin-, a reckoning, from reputtus, past participle of reputre, to reckon, think over; see repute.]I cannot understand how people can be so low. I forgot to mention one little thing, I was blocked from the students’ forum before I was informed that I was thrown out of the “university”, how about freedom of speech? A right of defense? The list of breaches of any rights could go on and on just in order to look after a lazy tutor. I have not counted all of the other mistakes made by “reputable” tutors. It seems that they think they are not under British or moral laws anymore and they can cover up anything they like. Maybe you have power in your little college or university (God knows what it is – please tell me) world, but, as British citizen, I hope we all have same rights. Also, the OCA guidelines were breached in my case, but, I cannot say if I was just unlucky (I’m only a little foreign housewife and carer – my husband is disabled).
Well done to the students who found my exhibitions; I wiped all the information I could from the internet before I went to OCA, because I wanted to start from fresh page, but obviously I cannot wipe information that other people say about me on TV, internet and newspapers.
Actually, I think that I am the only one who does tell the truth all of the time and, before I write, I check each word; can the OCA say it about themselves?
I think it is advisable for students not to look at who I am, but to look at the structure of the OCA and find out more about tutors (qualifications, skill levels, which universities they attended) and how many students actually graduated from this ART college with a degree and the circumstances that surrounded the graduations, etc.
I have decided to change my career a little bit; I have decided become an art critic (I am happy to take the standard old abuse about critics, but, remember, postmodernism and all the lazy little tricks of modern “artists”, are based on works by critics, not artists). So after just about three years or so in a proper university, my dear tutors, your nightmare will never end
OCA – Open College of the Arts
As most of you know now, I was thrown out of the OCA for asking to change my tutor. Students change tutors all of the time in the OCA for one reason or another. It seems that this did not happen in my case. My tutor, Linda Khatir, said in her assignment note to me that she was not prepared to answer any of my questions in between assignments (not her job) and sent me to the STUDENTS’ forum for “answers”, the OCA guidelines said that we should have constant contact with out tutors and that we should expect to be able to ask one short question a week and one long question a month. Khatir, obviously, refused to comply with the guidelines. And madame DEE from administration said that, as I had made a serious accusation against a tutor with no evidence, I would be thrown out of the OCA. I cannot actually see where my “serious” accusation was and why there was no evidence when they had Khatir’s assignment report where she says she had no intention of doing, what appears to be, her job. Of course, all I actually wanted was a new tutor who was prepared to the their job.
I believe that this raises a few question. Does the OCA deliberately mislead us about the level of their educational programme? Do we all waste our time and money in a “university” that is actually running courses for “housewives” where some professor did a practical joke by introducing an intelectual book to study?
The level of tutors (I am not saying teachers, because, as far as I can see, none of tutors in the OCA could dream of working as a teacher, you cannot imagine teachers hitting children in the classroom – not physicaly and not mentally) seems very low in my experience of them, whether intellectually or in their abilities to encourage and support.
I thought my bohemian life in France was boring and to raise myself to a new level, I decided to go to, what I assumed to be a university, the OCA, but the life in the OCA is really what I call boring. Although I have held more exhibitions in last few years than my “tutor” for all her carrier, I will not critisize her work, because it is too easy a target. As my tutor has never made proper contact with me, she is not aware of who I am and what I am doing. At my first introduction I sent her my authenticity certificate that I used for my paintings 7 years ago.
I was looking in the OCA for students with whom I can connect to and invite for my art projects, but I guess I was mislead about the level of the OCA and even though I did meet a few talanted people there, if they stay they will easily become part of the machine; not artists anymore – all about artist is insparation. I guess I will return to a Russian art university forum and invite, for next summer, students from there; Russians have a lot of connections with European countries and easily integrate with the French lifestyle and cultural traditions – something I doubt students from the OCA can do from their views expressed on the forum.
Some people there asked why they are poor when they work so hard. I am not sure what they mean by “work hard”. A lot of artists think that photograph is not art, but as it happens, I have met a lot interesting people in my life and a few of them were photographers. I not will mention Russians or Europeans because it seems that the OCA people cannot understand Europe or Russia. I will take as an example an Australian (I will not say his name because we had personal relationship in a past, but, if some people our curious enough they can found his name) who is international photographer and, if you see his pictures, you will understand why those in the OCA have not anywhere near the talent or expertise that he has (I am talking about the tutors, I wouldn’t expect the students to have such skill). It is what I call art.
So, as I am taking advice at moment, this story will progress.
And now I am looking for REAL university.
I believe that this raises a few question. Does the OCA deliberately mislead us about the level of their educational programme? Do we all waste our time and money in a “university” that is actually running courses for “housewives” where some professor did a practical joke by introducing an intelectual book to study?
The level of tutors (I am not saying teachers, because, as far as I can see, none of tutors in the OCA could dream of working as a teacher, you cannot imagine teachers hitting children in the classroom – not physicaly and not mentally) seems very low in my experience of them, whether intellectually or in their abilities to encourage and support.
I thought my bohemian life in France was boring and to raise myself to a new level, I decided to go to, what I assumed to be a university, the OCA, but the life in the OCA is really what I call boring. Although I have held more exhibitions in last few years than my “tutor” for all her carrier, I will not critisize her work, because it is too easy a target. As my tutor has never made proper contact with me, she is not aware of who I am and what I am doing. At my first introduction I sent her my authenticity certificate that I used for my paintings 7 years ago.
I was looking in the OCA for students with whom I can connect to and invite for my art projects, but I guess I was mislead about the level of the OCA and even though I did meet a few talanted people there, if they stay they will easily become part of the machine; not artists anymore – all about artist is insparation. I guess I will return to a Russian art university forum and invite, for next summer, students from there; Russians have a lot of connections with European countries and easily integrate with the French lifestyle and cultural traditions – something I doubt students from the OCA can do from their views expressed on the forum.
Some people there asked why they are poor when they work so hard. I am not sure what they mean by “work hard”. A lot of artists think that photograph is not art, but as it happens, I have met a lot interesting people in my life and a few of them were photographers. I not will mention Russians or Europeans because it seems that the OCA people cannot understand Europe or Russia. I will take as an example an Australian (I will not say his name because we had personal relationship in a past, but, if some people our curious enough they can found his name) who is international photographer and, if you see his pictures, you will understand why those in the OCA have not anywhere near the talent or expertise that he has (I am talking about the tutors, I wouldn’t expect the students to have such skill). It is what I call art.
So, as I am taking advice at moment, this story will progress.
And now I am looking for REAL university.
Ben Nicholson 2
I received advice from the student forum that I found very helpful.
Anned give me an idea where I can go.
Although I do not like paintings by Ben Nicholson and do not like him as a person, there is no point putting my personal feelings into research. I need to find something positive about his drawing and forget about his personality, even though it comes through in all of his drawings. He definitely should be in art history, in my opinion, because, actually, if he did not go to the Cornwall community with his wife, we would have never heard about many artists; he had an influence on many people’s lives.
So, if you look at this still-life, you can get a topographic view of small fields, they are very common in Cornwall, the edge of Dartmoor and western Ireland. As he lived in Cornwall, he definitely tried to draw the Cornish landscape as an abstract painter. It is true that I do not connect with his paintings, but it is not necessary that he has different feelings about Cornwall. Everybody responds differently and two people can see the same view with the same eyes. His vision of Cornwall is mathematically proportioned without any obvious feelings for the land, but, maybe, that is how he saw it?
Ben Nicholson
Research about Ben Nicholson
I love Cornwall with a passion. For me, if I lived in England, it is the only place to be. All though I never would choose St Ives as an inspiration for me, but I can understand why so many artists find inspiration in the Cornish landscapes; Cornwall it is not just landscape, it has a special atmosphere, it is the people, it is something that you cannot describe in words. I like Launceston. I like people shouting in the streets “Hello Olga”, making me jump each time; where shopkeepers become your friends. A feeling of community that has died in many parts of England.
But, when I first opened the page where it is asked to do research on Ben Nicholson and showed his painting, I could not understand how it is related to the Cornish landscape. Although he said it is, for me it has, at most, the appeal of the landscape of a golf course anywhere in the world. Then I looked on the internet for more paintings by this artist and, unfortunately for me, I did not like any. A lot of them look like students’ work on our forum, where they are criticised for not being very good. So what makes the difference between him and other artists who were not successful? I looked again and found out he was very good manager, I cannot find another word, and he was married with very talented women.
Nicholson was married three times: firstly to Winifred Roberts (married 5 November 1920 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, London; divorced 1938) with whom he had three children, a son Jake in June 1927, a daughter Kate in July 1929 (who later became an artist herself) and a son Andrew in September 1931. His second marriage was to fellow artist Barbara Hepworth (married 17 November 1938 at Hampstead Register Office; divorced 1951) with whom he had triplets, two daughters Sarah and Rachel and a son Simon in 1934 and third to Felicitas Vogler, a German photographer (married July 1957; divorced 1977).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Nicholson
As it happens, I know the names of all of these women artists, but never came across his name before.
Does it mean that his name has faded with time?
I looked at his work more deeply and I found one that he painted in a similar style
| |
1932 (painting) 1932
Oil, pencil and gesso on boardsupport: 746 x 1200 mm frame: 800 x 1255 x 60 mm
painting
Presented by Dame Barbara Hepworth 1970
T01189
In 1932, Nicholson visited Paris and saw work by Joan Miró, Alexander Calder and Hans Arp. He described their effect on him as ‘a new freedom … a kind of liberation’.
Incised lines dance into and along the surface of this painting. The lines are fluid, playful and largely non-descriptive (although outlines of bodies can perhaps be read into this painting). Nicholson is occupied here with conveying the painting’s status as a physical object. In discarding the need for representation, Nicholson’s aim was ‘to animate a thing, to create new life by marrying idea to a physical object’. But you can see straight away a strong influential by Joan Miro – if not just a copy of his work.
Although all paintings by Miro are poetic, the same style done by Ben Nicholson looks dry and robotic, as though there is no human behind it.
Then I though “Oh well, maybe I am going too deeply to understand what this painter means and what he was about”. I decided to look “The art of Cornwall” on TV, assuming it is a very easy piece to watch. To my delight it was presented by Dr.James Fox who, with a passion for his subject, explained, in very simple words, what this movement of art in Cornwall was about. I liked all of artists’ work who were presented in this programme and I found their landscape paintings stunning , because they showed the love and passion the artists had for Cornwall. But, even in this programme, Ben Nicholson stayed as a separate figure, as egocentric control-freak who, no doubt had a very good talent in selling himself. I found that in England it is quite a common practice for good salesmen (owners of big galleries) to find wives who names can be exploited for their own need to make money and some wives can be benefited to have their names promoted of course. They pick up women who actually have talent. Once, if I understood correctly, the presenter said that in one episode, Ben Nicholson become nearly human. So did he mean he was not human at all before?
So I am completely stuck now, because I cannot say a single nice word about Ben Nicholson. Please somebody help me.
2 december
It’s cold here, there’s some snow on the mountains. Poor England is covered with snow completely.
I did a few sketches yesterday and I found out an interesting thing. When I started the course and started drawing with pencils, I wanted to get each detail of an object and put on paper, but now, when I started draw from nature, I like to put the main details of objects in the drawing; too many details in a drawing and it will not look natural or fresh anymore.
I attacked charcoal again. It is funny that when I draw in charcoal in a big skale it comes out fine, but on a small sheet of paper, it is looks too dark and heavy; although chalk together with charcoal works fine for me – very interesting where I missed the point
So i did a poor tired banana as pale as possible, but I am still not happy with the results
Tried to draw a sketch in the style of Vrubel. wow what an effect
It looks as though a light sketch of a flower and dark cross hatching in different directions behind brings the flower to you and makes it more tender. By the way, with this technique you can hide poor sketching of the main obeject.
I did a Japanese iris from the garden – nature for a second year has gone crazy – everything flowering at the wrong time.
Just for interest I did a sketch from his paintng of a demon – got very interesting thoughts but I should do it in oil to understand how it works.
I went on the student forum and it is upset me again. I try to avoid speaking about my tutor, but I have to admit that I actually do not have a tutor; all the other people have proper tutors and get help and I get a limited email and no help at all.
I looked yesterday at the artist Aubrey Phillips’ pastel drawings. What an artist, I wish he was my tutor or at least I had enough money to attend his courses. I have never seen such movement in pastels in any art work. I will try to find his books and tutirials. So I am ashamed now I hated pastel. What a bad person I was;o)
As it is very cold today, I comforted myself with ink drawing (it is very relaxing), I will prepare myself to draw in differnt coloured of inks tomorrow if snow doesn’t fall on our town.
I have other work to do.
I did a few sketches yesterday and I found out an interesting thing. When I started the course and started drawing with pencils, I wanted to get each detail of an object and put on paper, but now, when I started draw from nature, I like to put the main details of objects in the drawing; too many details in a drawing and it will not look natural or fresh anymore.
I attacked charcoal again. It is funny that when I draw in charcoal in a big skale it comes out fine, but on a small sheet of paper, it is looks too dark and heavy; although chalk together with charcoal works fine for me – very interesting where I missed the point
So i did a poor tired banana as pale as possible, but I am still not happy with the results
Tried to draw a sketch in the style of Vrubel. wow what an effect
It looks as though a light sketch of a flower and dark cross hatching in different directions behind brings the flower to you and makes it more tender. By the way, with this technique you can hide poor sketching of the main obeject.I did a Japanese iris from the garden – nature for a second year has gone crazy – everything flowering at the wrong time.
Just for interest I did a sketch from his paintng of a demon – got very interesting thoughts but I should do it in oil to understand how it works.
I went on the student forum and it is upset me again. I try to avoid speaking about my tutor, but I have to admit that I actually do not have a tutor; all the other people have proper tutors and get help and I get a limited email and no help at all.
I looked yesterday at the artist Aubrey Phillips’ pastel drawings. What an artist, I wish he was my tutor or at least I had enough money to attend his courses. I have never seen such movement in pastels in any art work. I will try to find his books and tutirials. So I am ashamed now I hated pastel. What a bad person I was;o)
As it is very cold today, I comforted myself with ink drawing (it is very relaxing), I will prepare myself to draw in differnt coloured of inks tomorrow if snow doesn’t fall on our town.
I have other work to do.
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