Category: Uncategorized

Mali Morris

i really like the bright colours that Morris uses in her work, I think they are very dynamic and really pop out of the page, making her work exciting and energetic. I also think the way she wipes away paint to create a thin layer and in doing so leaves a textural element behind really adds to the dimension of the work and heightens the otherwise ordinary shapes that she uses in her work.

sources: http://www.malimorris.co.uk/index.html

 

Howard Hodgkin

Similarly to Morris, I think that Hodgkin’s use of colour is really effective. I think the way that he can both stick to a certain colour scheme (such as in the piece top left where he uses blues and oranges) and combine a wide range of colours effectively makesnhis work that much more interesting to me. In my own work I have mostly been using a wider range of colours however, I think it would be really interesting with this brief to play around with sticking to a few colours rather than picking at random. I also want to play around with the idea of using shades of one colour and Hodgkin’s does in some of his work as I think this creates dimple yet effective pieces. I also think that his use of shapes works well; I think the way he combines irregular shapes with more common shapes is really effective and something I want to work into my own pieces.

sources: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/howard-hodgkin-1295

 

Sean Scully

Somehting that I find really interesting about Scully’s work is the irregular shape of his canvases; he often uses different pieces sewn together to make up his work (for example the yellow and red painting bottom right is made up of a square shaped piece and two C shaped pieces sewn together). Although nothing too extreme, I think the slight changes to regular square or rectangular canvases brings an extra layer to his otherwise simple work that really heightens the stripes that feature throughout his practice. I also really like his use of colour and the way he incorporates black knit his work which I think helps provide a contrast to the bright colours he uses and gives his work dimension.

sources : https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sean-scully-1917

I really enjoyed this workshop – it ended up with us playing around a lot with physicality and action which I found really exciting. The brief was to cover the wall and floor with paper and each spend time on different sections creating drawings based on the space. We started out this way but ended up experimenting with throwing ink and crayons at the canvas creating marks we wouldn’t have achieved otherwise. I found this really exciting – I think the energy used to make the work translated really dynamically onto the paper and the overall piece came out really well.  I also really enjoyed working with other people on this workshop – I’ve not done much collaboration before and it was really fun to get to do this with other people.

 

I really like Fiona Rae’s paintings I think the bright colours, unique shapes and textural marks come together to create really energetic pieces of work. I also think that her philosophy surrounding her practice is really interesting and resonates with how I view my own practice. She looks at painting as documenting or recording processes which I find particularly relevant to my exploration of action and process as the art itself.

‘What I love about painting is that it embodies a series of thought and feeling processes. It’s all there on the canvas as a record. I can put something on the canvas, consider it, adjust it, remove it, replace it, add to it, conceal it, reveal it, destroy it and repair it. I can be in a good mood, a bad mood, a cheerful mood or a destructive mood – it’s all useful.’ – Rae on her practice, taken from statement written for the guardian

Sources : https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/sep/20/artist-fiona-rae-on-painting

http://www.fiona-rae.com

Casebere builds and photographs architectural models, exploring perspective and point of view. I really like the way he uses lighting and angles to change the effect of the photograph and abstract the subject. Although there is still a sense of what the objects are in his photographs, I think that he manages to make the work about shapes and lines rather than a completed image, especially in the photographs of smaller more random objects. Casebere’s subject matter is clearly different from mine but I want to explore a similar approach when photographing my work from the skills 2 sculpture workshop. I think that photographing my work using close shots and extreme lighting could abstract them even further and provide me with some interesting material to draw or paint from. I also think it would be interesting to explore using black and white photography as Casebere does to see how this affects the work.

‘For over 40 years Casebere has built and photographed architecturally based models, which explore the relationship between sculpture, photography, architecture, and film.’ – quote from Casebere’s website

source : https://www.jamescasebere.com/

I really like these drip paintings (or as he calls them ‘puddle paintings’) by Ian Davenport, I think they have a real sense of energy and movement within them. The contrast between the straight lines at the top of the paintings and the swirling, fluid shapes at the bottom makes the work really interesting and unique. I also think the way in which he makes these works adds to the allure of the work. His paintings are made by filling a syringe with fluid paint and squeezing lines at the the top of a canvas that rests on an angle so the paint flows down to the bottom. Some of the paintings are simply straight lines whilst for others he curves the bottom of the canvas to produce the swirly lines at the bottom.

Link to video of Davenport making one of his paintings -https://www.iandavenportstudio.com/video/3/

Sources : https://www.iandavenportstudio.com/artworks/categories/7/

I have been heavily influenced by Pollock’s drip paintings in which ‘he employed [a] gestural technique to paint as directly as he could, to bring more of himself, his entire body…into contact with the canvas’ (Sandler, 1970).

Pollock heavily focused on a more direct approach with his work; in the magazine Possibilities 1 (1949), he wrote that he works on the floor in an attempt to ‘feel nearer, more a part of the painting…and literally be in the painting’. It was this aspect that drew me to his work, Pollock cares little for preconceived meaning and more for the process of making. I think that this approach is obvious in his drip paintings which are clearly spontaneous, gestural works, created in the moment without an idea of how they will turn out.

I think Pollock’s work has a real sense of energy resulting from the spontaneity of his process. I found in my own practice that overthinking or over planning a piece can sometimes lead to losing the energy and fluidity of a piece. However, Pollock’s method of dripping, splattering and chucking the paint on the canvas allows him to capture movement and energy in the moment which is something I want to bring to my work.

sources : Sandler, I, (1970) Abstract Expressionism, The Triumph of American Painting, London: Pall Mall Press Limited

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jackson-pollock-1785

 

Canova – Crito Closing the Eyes of Socrates

I really like the range of textures in this relief by Canova. I think the contrast between the smoothness of the slabs in the background with the intricate drapery creates a really interesting piece. I want to explore using a similar range of textures within my work as I think it makes for really compelling work. I also think the way he uses a combination of concave and convex relief creates a tweak sense of depth and perspective within the piece.

source : https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/crito-closing-the-eyes-of-socrate/egEGHyZr5-0Rag

 

Jacques Lipchitz

I think that the geometric shapes Lipchitz uses in his casts are really unique. They have clear Picasso connotations but I think that the facet he uses plaster and experiments with 3D creates really interesting, unique pieces of work. I really like the hexagonal piece in particular. I think the sharp angles and shapes surrounded by an internal frame is really effective and the clean lines make the piece stand out. I definitely want to incorporate these geometric shapes and lines into the work I produce in this workshop.

‘Lipchitz… succeeded where Cubist painters had achieved only moderate success – he transformed Cubist themes into sculptural works that display a sense of refinement and cohesion.’ – The Art Story

sources : https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jacques-lipchitz-1518

https://www.theartstory.org/artist-lipchitz-jacques.htm

 

Toby Patterson 

I really like the way Patterson uses relief in his work. I think the simple shapes and lines he uses are very effective and definitely something that I want to explore in my relief. I also think that the irregular shapes of the pieces themselves are really unique, for example, I think the grey relief that is an irregular rectangle shape is particularly intriguing. The relief in itself is effective however, I think the shape of the canvas adds to the piece.  I also think the way he uses alternating blocks of colour with greys and whites really draws the eye to the work. Most of these pieces use solid colours which is effective but I also really like the bottom right which has brush strokes visible in the painted areas. I think that this added layer of texture which is a contrast to the rest of the work emphasises the relief well and provides a break from the solid areas which is needed. Although the smoothness of most of his work is pleasing I also think a range of texture can really make a piece.

Source : https://www.themoderninstitute.com/artists/toby-paterson/

 

Further research – photographing my work

James Casebere

 

 

 

 

Thomas Kilpper

I really like these woodcuts by Thomas Kilpper. I think the way he incorporates text with images is really effective and creates dynamic works. The range of marks he creates using the wood brings an interesting textural effect to his work that adds depth. I also think the cross cross, brick-like pattern that features across the prints is really unique and I think I want to attempt something like this in my work.

Sources:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/thomas-kilpper-2788

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/kilpper-the-ring-tim-thomas-p78547#3

 

Faile Collective

I think the way that the FAILE collective uses colour is really interesting; the wide range of colours make their work exciting and dynamic. I also think the use of woodcut incorporated with 3D is very effective and brings a unique element to print that I might explore at some point.

“While painting and printmaking remain central to their approach, over the past decade FAILE has adapted its signature mass culture-driven iconography to vast array of materials and techniques, from wooden boxes and window pallets to more traditional canvas, prints, sculptures, stencils, installation, and prayer wheels. FAILE’s work is constructed from found visual imagery, and blurs the line between “high” and “low” culture, but recent exhibitions demonstrate an emphasis on audience participation, a critique of consumerism, and the incorporation of religious media, architecture, and site-specific/archival research into their work.”

Section from cv on faile.net website

Sources:

http://faile.net

https://failesites.net/cv

 

Robert Rauschenberg

I really like the colour palettes Rauschenberg uses in his prints; I think the blue and reds are very effective and I think I am going to use similar colours in my prints. I think the way he layers colour is vibrant and creates a real sense of depth within the work. I also think that although his images seem abstract they also flow well together and he has created successful images. Rauchenberg’s use of varying lines and marks adds to the dynamism of his work. I think the way he mixes thick, bold marks with thin lines and detailed marks creates a really interesting sense of energy in his work. In particular the piece in the top right hand corner has some really interesting contrast in the different shapes and marks. I think the range of shapes in this work really draws the eye downwards and is very effective.

Sources:

https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/art/galleries/series/silkscreen-paintings-1962–64

https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/art/galleries/series/silkscreen-paintings-1962–64

https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/robert-rauschenberg/art/prints-works-on-paper/

 

These were some instils experiments I did playing around with using a palette knife and pouring paint to create texture and shape. I think they came out relatively well but I definitely want to develop these further, experimenting more with colour. I enjoyed playing around with different shaped surfaces for these – using thinner rectangular shapes really directs the work I think.