Reflection

What ideas am I interested in?

I started my project with ideas surrounding memory, I thought about false memories as well as the malleability of human memory. I collected a series of old photographs from past holidays/events and started to break them down in my mind. The psychological aspect of memory stood out to me as something that I wanted to explore. Rather than painting directly from the imagery I decided that I wanted to depict how I felt in that moment and my memory of what I saw. I started to think about colour, gesture and abstract expressionism.

How have discussions with other people affected my work?

I had a couple of discussions with different tutors who gave me their insight into which artists would be beneficial for me to look at as well as which direction my work was headed in. I was told to have a look at the work of Clare price who uses small gestural marks to build up complex patterned paintings which hold both movement and emotion. For my first piece (top left) I was inspired by an image of melting candles that I saw on a past trip to Thailand, they were bright and colourful and they were lit which created a sense of warmth which I tried to convey in my work. I used Khadi paper because I had never used it before and thought that the textural surface might be interesting to work on. I liked the way the paper held the watered down acrylic, giving it an ink like appearance. Next I looked at the artist Joan Mitchell who’s work is very raw and physical, the paint seemed almost ‘slapped’ onto the canvas and there is a lot of emotion expressed through her paintings. For my second piece I focussed on an image of an overgrown Wisteria which I saw on holiday in Italy several years ago. I remember feeling I overwhelmed because there was so much of the plant and all I could see was shades of pinks and purples blurring in front of my eyes. I did a large scale practice piece on A2 paper before working on the khadi paper because I wanted to experiment with colour and technique. I also looked at B Chehayeb who’s work has themes of memories, she tells stories through her paintings using only abstraction, her work is also emotive, through the use of colour and paint application technique. My third piece of work was experimental, looking at imagery of buildings in Italy and remembering their earthy colours as well as many arched windows.

What have you learnt in your research that inspires your own ideas or interests you?

For this project- Scale and illusion, we were told to look at a several artists such as Mama Anderson and Cornelia Shulz. I researched into their work and found that I particularly like the way Shulz layers on her paint in a very physical, ‘messy’ way. I’d like to experiment with layering in my future work, whether through the use of mixed media or layering the same medium. Mama Anderson focusses on dream like qualities of landscapes and domestic interiors, her work has made me think about the relationship between memory and dreams as well as how technique and colour can evoke different feelings in the audience.

How do I feel about how it is going?

I feel that my work has been largely experimental up until now and that I’d like to start working on more complete pieces. Overall I like the ideas/ concept behind my project and I’m enjoying looking at new artists work. I feel that I am lacking direction of where my work will go next so I will need to do more research and planning for the future.

What problems have I encountered and what ideas do I have for solutions?

I’ve been wanting to work with oil paint but it is more difficult to work with this medium because it has a much longer drying time so transporting it between uni and home would prove an issue. I will research to see if there are are quicker drying alternatives to oil paint other than acrylic paint as well as thinking about using paint mediums such as texture paste to add to the acrylic paint to make it thicker and more oil-paint-like.

How can I develop my work from here?

I’d like to work on a larger scale, using layering techniques, mixed media and different shape and size brushes as well as different application tools such as a palette knife or a paint roller. I’d also like to do more research into the techniques of artists I have been studying so that I can use elements of their techniques in my own work. I’d like to experiment with working on different surfaces such as canvas, Perspex and cardboard.

What is going well and what isn’t going so well and why?

Working on a larger scale is working best for me because I feel like a bigger surface is easier to experiment with colour and technique on as well as being able to be more physical when applying the paint because rather than being confined to a small area I have more freedom to move around freely and express myself. I found that when tried to combine the gestural brushstrokes with the intricate mark making in one piece it lacked depth and looked too chaotic.

What have I learnt about how I like to work as an artist/designer?

I like working with imagery in front of me as well as images of artists work because it helps me generate ideas as well as inspiring me to produce my own work- incorporating technique of the artists. I am developing my style and methods of working because I used to enjoy spending hours painting in detail but now I like to work at a faster pace with more movement and gestural abstraction.

What am I learning about materials and processes?

I’ve started to work with much more movement, swiping and slapping paint onto the canvas/paper in a physical and gestural way. Ive learnt that I like using a dry brush and layering the paint because it gives it a dry and textural appearance. I like using texture paste with the acrylic paint as the consistency becomes more like that of oil paint. I am learning about the time I should wait between applying layers of paint on top of one another if i want the colours to stay separate or blend into each other her.

What will I do differently in future?

I will work on a canvas board or canvas material to give a more textural appearance to my work. I will work on a larger scale so that I am not restricted to a small area and can be more physical in my application of paint, as well as producing work that makes the audience feel almost ‘overwhelmed’ which is the effect abstract expressionist works have on me when I look at them.

Part 2: fine art painting specialism

Part 2: fine art painting specialism

Painting project: Scale and illusion - week 1

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