The past 5 months has been a double edged sword. Exciting, creative, emotional, inspiring and informative. This series of projects have coincided with my fathers illness and subsequent death, this work reflects my personal journey during this time.
I have worked hard to develop and shape my personal style as an artist, taking the opportunity to experiment and explore through research, reading critiques and observing contemporary and historical art . I chose to focus on two media in particular, painting and ceramics.
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| The Fens 120x90cm Acrylic & mixed media |
120 x 90cm canvas. Mixed medium, acrylic paint and Fen soil. Dominated by a pale windswept sky, titanium white, ultramarine, cyan and cobalt blue on a red oxide ground. A narrow band of starkly contrasting black/ brown landscape, a dominant, hard edged horizon, paint mixed with authentic black Fen soil.
Recording the Fens magnificence through photographic images, pleine air sketches and personal memories, I developed my ideas, painting acrylic onto MDF and produced a small series of paintings, testing composition, before approaching my canvas (self constructed,a first and very satisfying). Researching local contemporary Fen artist Fred Ingrams, I was inspired by his bright blocks of colour as landscape and bleak skies. Following a visit to see Anselm Keiffers work at the Royal Academy, London, his use of wood and ash on his paintings gave me the idea to use black, Fen soil on my final piece, something I had never done before. Building on feedback from tutorials and fellow students critical discussions, I was able to look at how I could add to the impact and understand the audiences viewpoint. Recommendations and guidance to investigate artists such as Friedrich and Virtue among others was invaluable, certainly broadening my understanding and expansion of ideas and what is possible. Had I had more time I would have experimented with cloud formations and skies, I did however read about them and used this knowledge in my final piece.
Im very happy with 'The Fens', the horizon line is very blunt and harsh, it reflects how I was feeling at the time of painting it, my father was dying.The proportion of land to sky worked well, it is all about the expansive sky, space and infinity. I particularly like the textural impact made by the Fen soil, the black, flat landscape contrasting starkly with the movement created by the painterly sky. This experience has opened the door for me to further develop my ideas to work on the large expansive skies of Norfolk. I am going to develop my ideas further by using the coastline of North Norfolk, massive sandy beaches and expansive skies.
Project 2 - Floating Horizon
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| Floating Horizon 200x50cm Acylic |
200 x 50cm canvas. Acrylic on canvas. This project immediately followed my fathers death, I returned to the studio feeling very calm and serene. Floating Horizon, I feel reflects the emotional state I found myself in, I stripped out my usual painterly approach, this painting needed to be calm and still. I was striving for impactful and emotive.
Having researched the abstract expressionists from the 1950's, I like Rothkos ability to create atmosphere, movement and depth to his paintings, evoking emotional responses. This I witnessed first hand, when I visited the Seagram Murals at the Tate Modern, London. Barnett Newmans simplicity of his 'zip' paintings and the impact of painting a single line. James Turrell and Andy McCall, although light artists, sculpted lines of light and created illusions of infinity and space, collectively all these artists captured elements of what I was looking for in my Horizon. Primary research with sketches on MDF, experimenting with paint application (drips, layering & bleeding) for my Horizon lines. Drawing an 8m Horizon the length of the corridor enabled me to play with the illusionary elements of the width of lines.
Building on feedback from tutorials and fellow students critical discussions, I played with colour and learnt about floating my turquoise mark of the horizon, not taking it to the edges of the canvas allowing it to float and not be framed or contained.I experimented for the first time with applying the paint with a roller to avoid brush stokes, but found I had to work very quickly to get the layering effect I was after.Working with my canvas on the floor, much like Pollock and Motherwell did, I was aware of the health and safety aspect of being a major tripping hazard in the already crowded studio, so I chose to paint when the studio was empty, it was also peaceful. Had I had more time, I would have experimented with the layering of the paint, thinning it with glaze to develop etherial movement in addition to greater experimentation with the horizon lines to see what other illusionary impacts I could achieve with width and colour. I'm happy with the final result. I think the proportion of the painting works, the 200 x 50cm shape of the canvas supports the visual impact of infinity and space. The dark colour combination gives the tonal values I was looking for and the horizon lines with their chosen colours and changing depths of line create perspective. I definitely want to develop this approach further, I want to thin the paint (like Rothko) and apply multiple layers to develop a greater depth and movement. Working with different colour combinations and fine tuning application of paint for the Horizon line which I believe will enhance the final impact - exciting!
Project 3 - Horizon in Suspension
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| Horizon in suspension 55 x 10cm Ceramic |
My father was a studio potter and famous for his 'cracked pot' technique, I wanted to bring this into Project 3. Having very minimal exposure to working with clay this was going to be a steep learning curve but I needed to do this out of respect. His work was inspired by nature and the earth, much like my own, so I incorporated the first 2 projects concepts of landscape, earth, space and horizon into my final ceramic piece.
A 55 x 10cm slab of clay, the surface of which was cracked,representing dry soil and earth, the edges torn to give an organic natural edge with the signature turquoise horizon line running through the centre. An invisible wood mounting designed to fix to the wall, allowing the ceramic piece to appear suspended and float. To expand my thinking and visualisation of installation, I photographed the ceramic piece and superimposed this onto photographs of the Fens, this triggered ideas to visit the Fens with the ceramic piece and actually photograph it in situ.
In addition to the knowledge imparted to me from my father I researched potters that focussed on nature and organic approaches to their work. I really liked the natural, earthy physicality that Annie Turner, a river potter from Suffolk produced and Tjerk van der Veens expressive earth like sculptures displaying geological imagery, echoing the dynamics of the earth… this is what Im striving for.
Primary research involved learning multiple new techniques, I have a huge, new found respect for ceramicists, a science which has an unimaginable number of complex process', you truly never know what the final piece is going to look like until it comes out of the final glaze firing - a minefield for the unwitting.
Multiple test crank slabs were crafted, rollers, blow torches, batons, crafting tools and slips followed by bisque firing. Choosing the right glazes, MS glaze to represent the cracked earth and a turquoise glaze for the horizon line, then refire in the electric kiln. Care from a health and safety aspect with the toxic oxide glazes was taken, wearing gloves, not splashing the immediate environment and washing hands carefully.Guidance and tutoring from staff was invaluable, types of glazes, how to apply them effectively and firing techniques,there were so many elements to learn and remember. It was also interesting to talk to other students about their experiences as well as frustrations and learn! I found the glazing most challenging, applying the right layering, avoiding bubbles and marks.
Had I had more time I would have repeated the process of glazing again to achieve a more vibrant turquoise and the MS glaze needed to be thinner to show greater tonal qualities with gold dripped into the cracks. I think the proportions of the final piece works well, I was restricted on size by the size of the kiln for firing so I couldn't make anything larger.The surface worked well with the textured cracking and the uneven edge, I would like to develop this further but need to allow a lot more time for each step of the process. I put myself under a lot of pressure to create this piece, it was my first time working and learning all the processes, a lot to absorb plus I had in my mind exactly what it needed to look like, unrealistic expectations for a beginner! I want to develop what I have learnt and use the ceramic medium to explore installation ideas next year.
I have started thinking about the future, the 'what, how and why' of translating my learnings and practice into a career. I have mapped out a 5 year 'vision' for myself, identifying what I want to see myself doing in 5 years time and then backcasting a high level plan to help me achieve it. I have spent time visiting Gallery owners, discussing what they look for in a new artist, how to approach them with a view to getting on their books, and how the industry works in general, all important research and food for thought. I have also met with some professional artists to get the 'reality' of an artists life which has been useful. Wanting to learn more skills, I have been successful in receiving a bursary from the Bristol Decorative & Fine Arts Society, which enables me to spend 3 days stone carving with Kate Semple, west country sculptor over the summer.
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