Contemplation, August 2000

This piece reflects on a difficult stage in my life.  I graduated in June 2000 from my BA hons degree in Classical Studies.  That should have meant a summer of relaxation after the stress of final exams and a 12,000 word dissertation.  I had some temporary work set up that should have lasted the summer, however the work dried up after only 4 weeks.  Instead of parties, nights out and fun it was missed rent payments and food donations off family to see us through to the next academic year.  My boyfriend and me were completely broke.  For entertainment we went for all day walks and late into the night walks.  I've never eaten so many lentils, but lentils aren't a student food for nothing.  Other cash streams that I had relied on also didn't materialise.

Contemplation, August 2000, oil on board 100x120cm

What kept me going through this financial catastrophe was knowing that from late September I would start my MA studies.  I had applied for a bursary for this qualification as there was no student loan funding for post graduate studies.  This application was rejected.  I applied to my bank for a career development loan.  I phoned them to check on my application.  I was unbelievably relieved to hear that my application was successful.  A letter came a few days later rejecting my loan application.  I was stunned.  No job, no money and an MA to pay for! 

It got worse.  The flat we had lived in since May 1995 had become almost uninhabitable due to lack of repairs by our morally corrupt and stingy landlord.  We finally complained about this to the council who inspected it.  They agreed that the state of the property was appalling and instructed the landlord to make specific repairs.  The reward to us was a two month eviction notice period.  No, money, MA to pay for and soon to be homeless. 

There was lots of thinking to be done regarding this dire situation.  If I didn't find funding for the MA I didn't know what else I was going to do.  There was no plan B, there was only plan A, an MA for the following year.  This why I call this piece 'Comtemplation, August 2000'.  I had to think my way out of this predicament and I did this successfully.  Within a week I had secured a loan from another bank, within three weeks I had set up part time work at the university where I was studying, and within four weeks we had put a deposit down on a lovely house in the same area we were living.  From the ashes rises the phoenix.  Whenever life seems to be a never ending series of bad news, never lose hope and always keep trying is the most valuable lesson learned from this difficult time.

 

Sounion

This drawing continues a theme that I have been following for a few months based on my visits to the temple of Poseidon at Sounio.  In earlier posts I mention that my first visit to this temple was in 1999 as a student on the British School at Athens undergraduate course, Topography and Archaeology of Ancient Greece.  This very ruined temple captured my imagination then and upon returning in August 2014 it did not let me down.  The situation of the temple is the tip of Southern Attica about 79 km from Athens.  It was dedicated to the god Poseidon (king of the sea) in the mid 5th century BC and later abandoned as Christianity spread throughout the Mediterranean.

Many people come here to see the sun set over the horizon as the Aegean sea spreads out from the cliff top where the temple stands.  I've yet to see the sunset.  Another excuse to visit in the hopefully not too distant future.  I think I will be creating a lot more work based on this temple!

Sounion, A1 drawing and gouche (2015)