it has been twenty years since my first artworks using squares. it is quite a scary thought that i haven't (except in drawing) ever deviated from this pictorial format - as mentioned many times the concept of akind of objectification and visual containment ensues. however, i have been quietly contemplating the square's more rounded friend for a while now... in fact, the circle within a square is something quite universal, symbolic & spiritual...as written about in a previous post last year, i started printing lots of irregular circles (or discs as i prefer to call them as circle seems too linear as a term), taking multiple intaglio prints from some old sanding discs - even deciding to break the circle into two mismatching halves...
[studio wall, march 2010]these initial concepts gently simmered the imagination were then put on hold while i actively pursued the lichens & moulds (which, it has to be said, are also not yet 'done' as a series). i figure that i am on a five year cycle when it comes to resolving any of my own work so quite how art students complete projects in a couple of months is anyone's guess (clue: they use the internet)...myriad spots & patterned speckles of mould, and the irregular, frilly-edged crustose lichens, as photographed here on the farm in early 2008 (a 'found painting' that i found just as impressive as a monet at the time because they covered the whole of one side of a trailer container), also inspired a series of circular etchings (thanks go to SW for cutting the circles out for me) and these were also supposed to be loosely based on patterns of lichens or moulds...
[some lichens growing on a large blue farmyard container, march 2008]however, what turned out to be the most instantly visually gratifying way of creating lots of circles (with no blood, sweat or tears, on a very frosty morning just before christmas) was to simply take some of my small, square paintings and just digitally circle-ulise them. half an hour on the computer, scissors and some masking tape was all that was needed to create an instant wall piece... seen here with some flat farmscape paintings for visual contrast.
[studio wall, december 2010]now, it might at first seem that these concentric circles remind one of the work of kenneth noland, frank stella or even damien hirst's spin paintings, but any twentieth century art reference (within my own realm of prior knowledge and understanding) would be a big, fat red herring - even if academics, critics, writers, artists & students focus on the importance of the 'contextual reference'...
[studio wall, december 2010]choosing to work from digital scans of my own square paintings, those with only earthy ochre, brown or grey hues (from the 'chromatids' series, my terminological appropriation, as in chroma and id), i was actually planning to travel much further back in history... it was just a matter of time.
a bronze age shield, image © Trustees of the British Museumi instantly want to interpret these experimental concentric forms (they are inkjet prints on paper) as shield-like, for i have been feeling very defensive of late (even the paper bowls with their interior space and rough outer surface hint at a sense of self protection), and i also felt that they are symbolic (obviously) of arming oneself, more so because i have made them slightly convex, curved and cone-like (some sculptural thoughts pondered upon a few years previously) - and now i have a personal army of protective shields on my wall! a sign perhaps of beginning to win the small battles of making art on my own terms... it is just a matter of time.
[digital spin (or spun) paintings, studio wall, january 2010]i amusingly thought they looked a little like madonna's famous jean-paul gaultier outfit at first, or one could easily see the organic growth rings of trees, turned wood, old vinyl records or even art deco buttons - and there was also something quite oriental in their projected layout, like a wall of japanese parasols or chinese hats... but i wasn't really happy with the geometric spin factor, i wanted something a little more organic, natural, irregular in surface and form (as with the sanding disc prints above)... it was one of those random things which i like to do on a computer and these demonstrate working through something, initial workings-out and concepts which are forever spinning around in my head, breaking away from the notion of making a conventional picture into making 'things' - it is just a matter of time...
the bird's nests i found, hen's eggs, collected pebbles & seashells, a large piece of striated agate given to me by a friend, coins, a tin of buttons, fossils, cellular structures or satelite images, looking through a lens or a magnifying glass, even the little glass ramekins that i mix paint in or a simple paint jug, have all found their way, however obliquely, into my personal visual vocabulary... so the circles, however they evolve as artworks, will have forged a new way around of seeing things square on... i am the cave artist who has just discovered the wonder of the wheel!
[the inside of one of my plastic painting jugs]so, the overall plan has been (for two or more years at least) to create a series of circular works to banish the square from my creative life, and it is another reason to be indecisive about which way up it should be viewed, because there is no 'right way up'... the circle 'project' was beginning to take form before christmas but my hopes for it to be part of a regional group exhibition** have been thwarted... sometimes you really need an exhibition to get going with an art project...so today i have been feeling very melancholy, on whether it is worth pursuing this art 'project' any further, even though i've already started the work for it, if there is no venue to show it, no audience to see it... tomorrow i will feel better and by the weekend i will have forgotten all about the small matter of a simple rejection...this is probably why i started writing this blog, to stay focused and committed to my art even when i feel utterly dejected, on those dark days when there seems to be no definitive reason for making art... i quite wanted to blog a little about the 'project', the creation of the work leading up to the 'exhibition'.. i will try to keep myself focused on it and hope that it does still have some creative purpose, that even though it currently looks to be a non-runner it will perhaps feature in a another exhibition... it is just a matter of time...
[a handmade paper circle - who just said pancakes*?]while perusing yet another charity shop i came across a box of sewing things, and there within the jumble was a bundle of embroidery hoops - it was serendipity indeed, when thinking of making paper for my 'circle' project! i bought two of them and then promptly made a large stash of circular sheets of paper, because i am still fascinated by the edges of things, be they straight, precise, irregular or broken. i wanted the irregular deckle edge of the paper (naturally) and also the uneven surface, the unique character in the random slubs of paper fibres - i didn't want these to look perfect. this handmade paper has a purpose if even if won't explain its potential use right now... it will just be a matter of time - and time is perfectly symbolised by the universality of the circle......*pancakes were traditionally a means to use up stored food prior to the abstinence of the period of lent in the christian calendar (this year it's on the 8th of march, buy your maple syrup early)...** i started writing this post in the new year, hoping that it would round off quite nicely with some related exhibition news...*** i took the title of this post from the fictional characters in 'eastenders' who invariably take a walk around albert square when they have 'issues'......
on art and photography, regained
photographic images rescued from a camera; hidden layers of digital data, memory extracted and reclaimed - digitally collaged fragments of erased photographs that were previously recorded (or found) then deleted (lost), now recovered again...i obviously did not plan to create these actual compositions but i am their originator...
in this first digital composition there are three photographic images, of some naturally occurring lichens and two works in progress...
this composition also combines the surface elements of one of my paintings with yet another found abstract or painting, some rusty traces on a metal tank...
have you read about the minor discovery of the ivy drawings? nature's means of making a mark on a surface - here montaged with a small glimpse of electricity lines (more drawing, or lines in space) and a snippet of surface rust - the black void of a small rectangle aptly completes the composition...
i am not sure why some of the rescued images were divided vertically, some lichens on stonework and more ivy found drawings...
the middle section is a close up of some paintings, the lower section is as before and the thin upper section is a detail of some wood texture...these images are exactly as found or retrieved, i had no direct input (other than expressed above) - the compositions seem arbitrary according to the original data and the colours are at times quite skewed.now, there's an idea; i can't wait to see what will happen next... (please do not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute or otherwise use or reuse without the owner's permission)...these are images not just retrieved from layers of digital memory but are also intriguing montages of my observations, or reflections on the process of painting, my own visual experiences and memories collated & recollected in a new composite format if you will...to quote marcel proust: ' in fashioning a work of art we are by no means free, [...] we do not choose how we shall make it, it pre-exists us and therefore we are obliged, since it is both necessary and hidden, to do what we [must] do as if it were a law of nature, that is to say, to discover it.'if art - or the task of being an artist - has no other purpose then it is first and foremost to bring into being a new discovery. these digital images, discovered by chance and yet actioned, reminded me that what makes the art is what makes us. these remind me that art, life & its experiences are ever-evolving, accumulating in many layers over time, and that art is still very much an essential, sensory need, even in a virtually giving world....news: i will have a couple of small canvas works in the cromer & sheringham arts festival (a good excuse to revisit the wonderful north norfolk coastline). the cromer & sheringham arts festival takes place between 23rd and 31st october 2010 at various art venues and will include music, theatre, dance, poetry, performance & the visual arts - i will plug this event again nearer the time.i have also been asked to put in some small works into a local exhibition, which will very much be filled to the rafters with contemporary art & craft - royal academy salon style - a month long view & buy event with extra work kept in backstock. also, i received in the mail an invitation from a gallery that i have worked with in the past to submit work for their anniversary show in 2011.i have also been working on an exhibition proposal, or rather the ideas for some new work for it; we'll see, nothing ventured, nothing gained...other ideas are slowly percolating as usual, but i have become mindful of late that this blog is very much a reflective journal and not just a show & tell. sometimes i know i have said too much and perhaps should keep some of my thinking to myself. other times i see it as one side of a conversation; the artist talking.what do you think? are you interested in the insight into some of my own creative process, or are you looking for some inspiring instructional how-tos?in a previous post i mentioned that my creative block, or rather the obstacles which i create for myself, are often the extra finances required to push forward new ideas. perhaps these limitations will be good,but i fancifully thought that a little foray into ceramics or glass would be a natural development of my interest in surfaces & materials.it seems that all of these little happenings will keep art matters ticking along for the foreseeable future, in the present circumstances...[today's date, one thousand and ten - looks like a random clip of computer binary code...]
some printmaking, old and new
a few weeks back i attended a one day lithography workshop at the curwen press with three other artists, valerie armstrong, jenny goater and lynn hutton, organised through the art group artworks. valerie has very kindly sent me a cd of the photographs that were taken of our day at the curwen studio. it was a day of leisurely learning and perhaps a little professional development...
some photographs of the day at curwen studiothe curwen press (now known as the curwen studio) was established in 1958 as a professional printmaking studio for artists and fine art publishers, originally set up in London but it relocated to more spacious premises at Chilford Hall in 1989. the curwen studio has worked with a number of national & international artists over the years including henry moore, eduardo paolozzi, howard hodgkin, paula rego, john piper and chris orr (who happened to be one of my tutors at the rca). the curwen studio has bequeathed a collection of its prints to the tate's print archive and it has also established strong connections with the royal academy and its academicians. in 2008 the curwen studio celebrated its 50th anniversary with special display of original prints at tate britain.for the curwen lithography day, i decided to take along some small, textured pebbles from my collection so that i could explore drawing & mark-making from real objects, on a small scale - the six drawings are about A4...
crayon & tusche drawings on drafting film and the final lithograph printhere's a close up (about life size) of one of the litho drawings on drafting film, of a very pitted and nobbly stone found many years ago on a beach in south wales, drawn in tusche ink wash, graphite and lithographic crayon - they were created on drafting film as the drawings were going to be used as the photo positives to process onto one large photo litho plate...
lithographic drawing on drafting filmhowever, when my images were processed all the delicate lines and textures of my drawing were pretty much lost - perhaps they needed a slower exposure, as it seemed even the tiniest trace of oily tusche on the film created a very dark, flat tone..
lithographic print on somerset paperso, my final lithograph prints were a slight disappointment but nevertheless i still enjoyed my printmaking day out...special thanks go to jenny roland and michael the studio manager for making our day both rewarding and special - a fabulous buffet lunch was also laid on for us which was much appreciated!i did quite a bit of lithography as an art student, on zinc plate and stone, and if i had the opportunity to pursue it again i would like to do more stone lithography...along with the final editon of lithographic prints, which i've decided i will develop further with some drypoint intaglio or collagraph embossing, i still have my original crayon & tusche drawings on the drafting film... the second set of tusche washes (used for the blue grey colour in the lithograph print) seemed worthy of closer inspection since the subtle textures changed according to the direction of the light, shown here actual size...
tusche backlit from light from a window
with white paper placed behind the drafting film
photographed in a raking lightthere was such a tremendous amount of subtle detail that i zoomed in further - these are the same three images, cropped to show those subtle textures...
this crop is about the size of a large postage stamp...
they look like something viewed through a microscope... (i would love a microscope that links up to a camera)...
and here, once again shown in a soft, raking light....these photographs are very inspiring, as i see so many connections to my other work, from the drawings of bark & lichens to the textured panel paintings... and how digital images derived or developed from one's own artwork are a useful aid to the creative thinking process.so, a little time was spent browsing my digital archives, some digital printmaking from a few years ago...
char, digital print, august 2002these are from a series of experimental digital prints in 2002, created in a very low-tech way. i scanned an old photograph (one of a piece of charred wood, the other of some rocks) as tiff files. the programme i used was an early version of graphic converter - it was freeware at the time. i then proceeded to print the images numerous times on a single sheet of paper, each time rotating the image in the software and then feeding the sheet of paper through the printer again. here's another example...
rock, digital print, august 2002i printed them for my portfolio but i did not exhibit or frame them....