Perception Series by Loleithaart

‘Baby baby’  Tissue paper, 2015/6

The power of birth! This particular piece is identifying our beginning, the hopes and dreams of a new life, innocence and happiness. All before LIFE’S stuff, incidents and perceptions are propelled, like the drivers in a busy city. Then you grow up and may change, either because you’ve learnt enough that you want to or have been hurt enough that you have to. Learning along the way that you need to accept yourself, value, express, trust and empower one another.

My concepts communicate ideas that I explore and study. It is a way in which I work, using the perceptions as observations to depict my cultural lens and post-memory.  I also create from my life proficiencies, depicting close family, mainly because it’s truth and experiences, and everyday life and happenings.

I do use the influences from Poet Maya Angelou, ‘Still I Rise’, to Author Alice Walker, ‘We Are The Ones We Are Waiting On’  and including Films, such as ‘Colour Purple’, ‘Imitation of Life’, and ‘Beauty Shop.’

Standing tall: Damien Hirst’s 67-foot bronze statue of a pregnant woman – called Verity – looks out over the sea from Ilfracombe, Dorset.

In researching, I came across this strong striking work.

Check out this great piece by Damien it is to represent birth and beginnings I think he cleverly depicted the strength of a woman while carrying a child, I especially am drawn to the way he has depicted the anatomy also.

Settled series; An Essence of G, Uncle, 2011 oil on canvas, Loleithaart

One Sunday afternoon, as I visited my Uncle and family, we were all chilled out after our lovely meal of chicken, rice and peas, mac and cheese, roast potatoes and an array of vegetables; topped off with a cool drink, a choice of pineapple juice or Ribena on ice. He, of course, fell asleep, so I seized the opportunity to take his picture, as he sat with his eyes closed he reminded me of the Malcolm X pose, finger laid up by the side of his face, while contemplating or in deep thought. I went home that evening and was happy. I had a canvas ready. I started to sketch out his image and painted until 4 am in the morning, I didn’t realise the time, as I was so in the zone.

My painting portrays: I captured him ‘Settled’, at peace he has made his home, provided for his children and others (adopting in people who, were in need along the way), (an essence of G, uncle), and now chilling content with his family around him laughing and chattering away as we do.  Being around him always reminds me of my mum, she has passed now. “Gone to sleep”, as he would say…

The picture above shows Uncle viewing the painting for the first time. The installation was all about our family tree and identity. You can see he has the same clothes on, that I painted him in. Hahaha! Priceless!

An exhibition of Black British art at the Guildhall Art Gallery represented race and identity in the art world in Britain throughout the years. Particularly capturing 1960 to 1990s.

I was really interested in the artwork titled. ‘UK school report’ 1983, Tam Joseph. His triptych painting depicted a young BME man and the perception of him during his life in the education system. The colours used are illustrating the perceptions of his stereotyped character. I got it immediately probably because I’ve witnessed the stereotyping. #cultural lens.

The ‘No Colour Bar‘ was an exhibition July 2015 to January 2016; to celebrate Black British Art in Action since 1960 to 1990 at the Guildhall Art Gallery.

This exhibition was created to reach communities in the UK who were of the global Diaspora. Literature was on display many reflecting the Wind Rush era and education or lack of, home life and style of the time for the Afro-Caribbean culture, settling in the UK.

The artists’ of the Black Art Group, shared interests of their Black African-Caribbean Identity. Artist’ included Errol Lloyd, Eddie Chambers, Sonia Boyce, ( I would love to meet her) and Denzil Forrester. The name of this exhibition took its name from ‘the colour bar’ which was unofficially and formally segregated racial communities. ‘No Colour Bar’ is brought to life the period of cultural heritage via a bookshop called Bogle-L’Ouverture (an installation).  The book shop was first opened in 1969 which held lectures, workshops and promoted campaigns for equality and academic referencing. The Huntley Archives presented here was noted that it gIves Black History, discrimination and details of colonialism through art and literature.

This exhibition reminded me of a book titled The Front Room

‘The Front Room’ book I showed to my dad and we discussed and laughed at some of the items in there, purely because we owned them too. It was pure euphoria, pleasant memories of my childhood. And for my dad, I believe ownership and the making of a home, since coming here from when he was 20 years old …He told me that at 14 years old he used to deliver the Labour newspaper in Barbados (St Phillip), on his bike before school. He goes, on to tell me how he came by plane, first to Juno, Italy, before finally coming to the UK. …we sat continuing our conversation as my daughters listened on intensively about granddad’s adventure as a young man. I have always called my dad the black Sid James. Because he sounds just like him, especially the laugh.

The images were for a series about family and identity in my 2nd year at Universtiy. The installation was titled ‘Settled’.

The ‘Settled’ ties in with my background of being Black British. My Family tree is dated back to 1880; I am a descendant of Albertha Grovsner Boxill, born in Barbados.

‘Preceptions may cloud your vision’. 2014

so…. I’m dyslexic and spelt it wrong .. Oops! #typo

The model in this image I took, is very sweet natured, loves photography, graphics and has a passion to chef. She is always known to come out of the kitchen with a tasty dish! Created by her sheer interest in cooking, homemade cultural meals. I think her capabilities speaks volumes for a young person of 14 years of age, (at the time). The way she is looking at me while I capture her expression completely throws you, hence why I placed the text beneath her and changed the hue to black and white, to take away the warm colours. This picture shows that if you don’t know a person you can clearly make up your mind to suggest the type of person they are.

#typo on the image, ‘perceptions, NOT preceptions,  live and learn hey!

I decided to look up a theorists research of perception.

In the history of philosophy, these theoretical difficulties have generally arisen from a view of external perception, which always seems to result in an opposition between representation and matter. Thus, Bergson’s theory of “pure perception,” laid out in the first chapter of Matter and Memory aims to show that — beyond both realism and idealism — our knowledge of things, in its pure state, takes place within the things it represents.  But, in order to show this, Bergson starts with a hypothesis that all we sense are images.  (Metaphysics et al., 2015)

I took this extract from the book written about Philosopher Henri Bergson’s work and theories.  I think he is stating that it is all about what we may be presented with, for memory, differentiating and consciousness.

4’weeks ago, I started to work on this… However, it is still a work in progress. Having to leave Uni and go to work has stopped the creative flow. But hey a girls gotta eat, right? #livebreatheart

From this…

To this…

The fragmented face…

So…. yesterday, I took in a clay face I made while at home, 2 weeks ago. I let it air dry, but as I took it off the mould it cracked and crumbled a bit, I will Klin it tomorrow and see what else happens to it, I am also interested in looking into amending it …maybe. I am thinking of using a technique called, Kintsugi art,  repairing broken pottery with gold.

Things are coming together, things break, things have a solution, I am embracing the brokenness and going with it. Although I may use super-clue and household filler lol. It’s all a process, and I’m enjoying the moments. Let art just be. I am giving things a go. #perception

As I evaluate my work – what I would do different would be to take off the clay face from the mould that I used a little sooner before the clay dried out. So not to have it crack.  Lesson learned.  However, thoughts come to mind of none of us are perfect and how some people hide behind a mask. Which is why I will use the Kintsugi technique. Not hiding the cracks…

the artist I am reminded of as I write this is Eva Antonini, her work explores “the fragility and transiency of life’ through her creations” (Lucky Complier/excerpt).

I previously researched her while I was creating another face, last year – but this face was a very personal piece of art.  It was to represent the father of my children who passed away due to cancer. This clay face… I happened to be subconsciously making, as the girls and I looked after him… tragic time of loss, sadness and brokenheartedness. A box was made and I completed a cast of this and evenly poured vinyl mould once melted over it and waited patiently for it to dry. it took a week.  During that time he passed. We were numb.

The vinyl mould substance was too heavy for the  dry clay and it broke the bottom lip off I was able to mend it.  I poured mixed plaster into the mould to create the face – I worked with it. the fragility of the plaster once dried and on the removal also broke. However, I didn’t give up I tried again and it worked.