8.15 am: Emails attended. 8.30 pm: Bag packed, I was out through the door. 9.00 am: This is the last week of teaching for the academic year. I undertook the first of the last third-year painting tutorials. Now is the time of endings, conclusions, hopeful resolutions, and departures. On Friday, the studios are evacuated. Afterwards, the exhibition space will be installed.

Throughout the morning, I looked with each finalist under my charge at their work in the Project Room, against a neutral background. Our aim was to see the work in progress under the same conditions as those in which it’ll be hung in a few week’s time. There should be no surprises. Anticipate the problems ahead of time, whenever possible:

The seeds of our present work may have been planted a long time ago. ‘How to you judge the success of your work?’ The artist’s intent for, and the audience’s reception of, the work can be at odds. Quality, continuity, succession, and belonging: considerations in the selection and hanging of the exhibited works. Nothing is ever wasted. Who we are is in part a construction of our own making. And, what we should and can be is far far harder to frame than a aspirational selfie. We cannot change our internal self by improving our external image alone. Failed works can be godsends; they may inform the success of future works far more than our present successes. Student: ‘There’s a wonderful atmosphere in the studios among the finalists now’. Tutor: ‘Yes. It comes from everyone working hard, together, towards a common goal. With energy like this, you can build empires’. Prevarication and indolence have no place in the studios during the next few weeks. We are apt to make poor decisions when under stress. We are apt to repeat ourselves when under stress (BA Painting notes from ‘The Black Notebook’ (May 3, 2017), 248).

After lunch, I attended to the second year painters. The  landscapes of Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918) came up twice in my conversations.

‘But, what do the really want to do in your work?’ Stop drawing with paint. The representation of roads in art is always significant. ‘Do other artists’ works feed you, too?’ Passion for your subject will get you through every difficulty and discouragement that you’ll experience in the production of your work. ‘But what’s it all about?’ Don’t shrink to the size of your facility. Who we really are, as people and artists, is a progressive revelation (BA Painting notes from ‘The Black Notebook’ (May 3, 2017), 249).

5.20 pm: Thus concluded second year painting tutorials for the session 2016–17. Overall, this contingent is well placed for entry into year three. I’ve great expectations.

7.30 pm: Admin catch up. Abandoning the School for two days comes at a price at this time of the year. There was postgraduate and module delivery assessment correspondence a plenty to deal with.