Water has always been involved in my work somehow, whether it’s a painting inspired by ripples and reflections, or the use of water on the canvas to react with the paint.
I feel that one of the reasons I am drawn to water is that my star sign is Pisces, and I also think this is why I am drawn to the colour blue.
The colour blue has been constantly in my work for about 2 years now, it is a colour that can mean so many things at once and provoke lots of different emotions.
Pale blues can be tranquil and calm,
a strong ultramarine can mean power and strength,
and dark blues and navy’s, provoke a sense of sadness and mystery.
(Back to water now)
In my previous projects I have been inspired by only the surface of water, I.e. ripples, patterns and reflections. And the water I was looking at was puddles, lakes, and swimming pools for my collaboration project with Crown Pools (Ipswich).
This project had health and safety limitations where I was only allowed to use the surface pattern for studies and photographs, but in my other projects where I have had no limitations, I have still only concentrated on the water’s surface.
I also use water in the process of painting, I water paint down to provide fluidity and wet the canvas to allow the paint and ink to flow better. A wet canvas allows ink to bleed out and create beautiful lines and patterns.
So thinking about how to push my ideas further, I need to challenge myself. I decided that only looking at the surface of water was not enough. I want to push forward my ideas about the natural world and make paintings about the sea. I want to start looking much deeper and think about the sea’s mystery and power when making work.
My process for this project will stay on the same grounds but I will challenge myself more and be more experimental. I will be using A LOT more water in the process too. I also want to build up many layers in my paintings to give a sense of depth.
(And finally, back to blue)
I don’t want to completely move away from blue, as I feel it has an important role in my work. And though I do want to explore other colours, I will also be exploring the deeper mysterious qualities of blue.
