I am challenging myself to paint on a large scale-where there is nowhere to hide, where all my decisions come under scrutiny – there are various routes I can take with my gestures and my choice of motif.
There is at once freedom and restriction – I feel overwhelmed by what I am taking on. But our tutor reminds us to fail – that in exploring and pushing our ideas we are bound to fail in our attempts at times. But this is all part of a process. And so with this in mind I am working (uncomfortably but openly) through the discomfort of struggling . This painting will take time. I dont think the end product will be ‘a painting’ rather – ‘painting’
I am finding out what kind of painter I am – what does my kind of painting look like?
Its in its early stages but I am beginning to recoginse gestures that are strong and familiar ( to my drawn marks for example) and those that are weak and reflect a serious technical inability and just dont feel natural.
I am investingating the significance of objects – in relation to time and place.
I am exploring ways in which I present an object – how I render it in relaistic terms; and how it sits spatially within the canvas.
Mapping the building has made me think about ‘meaning’ – by recording the everyday and looking at in a new context.
As I begin my confirmation of practice project I realise that I need to be focussed whilst keeping an open mind so as not to over look the meanings in things. I have drawn – and been drawn in by shadows, edges and layers. How do I articulate my observations and ideas?
‘Mapping the building’ – I have done a bit of research into mapping – google throws up images of all kind of ‘maps’ – maps of the internet are particularly interesting – tracing information connections – beautiful and intruiging.
Maps – combine intention, function and beauty.
But there are so many ways in which I could map this building without drawing ‘a map’ – with sound, words, footsteps, colour, string, numbers. So I have been looking at how artists use mapping – walking, recording, drawing, performance.
I am struck by the sounds, smellls and textures of the building and have begun to make tracings of the building – wax, crayon and graphite on cotton. – how will this idea develop?
Its interesting to see new meanings in everyday objects when they are removed from thier context.
A couple of images of our new college building. The first (short) project is to ‘map’ the building in some way….
