B L I N K

installation

Unfortunate Ironies, Part One.
Canvas, tube light, cardboard box.

This final piece has now been installed as part of our exhibition, Blink.
Painting is, by it's very nature, a slow and thoughtful process. It is a process very much at odds with the way in which we live our lives today, where all information can be instantly accessed, and waiting is something we are increasing less prepared to do. Internet shopping is our main leisure activity; we worship at the shrine of Amazon.
The canvas bears the layers of history, and yet it has no place in history.
It is temporary, and we do not care.

wall

Took some interesting photos around the studio yesterday while waiting for paint to dry. I am considering using some of the images as a repeating image, emphasising the sense of place. This will be small scale on paper to begin with, but will hopefully feed into a much larger piece of work. To reinstall it at the site of the original photograph could also provide an interesting context for the work.

testing

Spent last Wednesday at the gallery space, testing locations for my projected image. Surprisingly, we were in agreement that it should cover the whole rear wall of the gallery. The entrance door is to one side, within the image - as visitors to the gallery walk in, they will unwittingly become part of the narrative. If lots of people come in at once, the image may even be totally obscured by the shadows moving through, which will add another interesting dimension to the concept of lost histories.

the lombard method

I have been a studio holder at the Lombard method now for 6 months...time flies...
http://thelombardmethod.org/

finished painting?

Is a painting ever finished? This is the hardest part of painting for me. I often abandon work;  it remains in the studio facing the wall, sometimes for many months before I look at it again. Revisiting the work, with the benefit of this distance, I am often surprised by what I see, and satisfied with the result.

progress of a painting

Three different layers of pattern are interposed on the textured canvas background. It is a laborious and repetitive process, but a very necessary process in the journey towards the finished piece. The patterns suggest a passing of time, shared histories, and a sense of place. The final layer will ultimately obscure much of this work, and take with it some of the meaning, but this is done purposefully, and with intention. I leave the studio today feeling contemplative.

exhibition flyer

start of something new

The very beginnings of a new piece. A textured white background, with the repeating fragment of a black and white photograph, which will gradually become more and more obscured by the overlaid detail. This is to be one part of a triptych, hopefully to be completed before the assessment/exhibition deadline. Nothing like a deadline to focus the mind...

studio floor

Strange black tape lines appeared on the studio floor overnight to mark out our "spaces". I have a sudden urge to push my desk over the line.

blink, video projection

On Wednesday, Dan and I met up at the Works to discuss the exhibition, and try out my video projection in the space. Should it be big. or small, on the window, or on the wall? After much deliberation, we agreed it should be projected right across the back wall of the space; as people enter the gallery and walk across the projection, shadows are cast bringing the viewer into the photograph. As more people enter, the photograph may even become obscured altogether, later revealed, then hidden again. 

exhibition space

For assessment, Dan Auluk and I have decided to use the Works Gallery space in Digbeth. It will give us the space that we both want to allow our work to be seen to its best advantage. We will show a maximum of two pieces each, with all supporting material available to the tutors in a separate place. 

Our assessment work will also form the basis for a brief exhibition, to allow fellow students, friends, and long-suffering family to view our current work.

small works on paper

Our first studio practice assessment looms. In preparation for this, I have been reconsidering my previous work, and thinking hard about how it might move forward. I have decided to give myself a bit of breathing space, and am producing a series of small works on paper - just to see what works, what doesn't, what could be the seed of a new idea, what will end up on the studio floor.