Metamorphosis is a series of works which explore the past and the present, and how we change emotionally and physically. Initially inspired by the book of the same name by Franz Kafka, I have expanded this theme, looking at the vulnerability of childhood through to adulthood from the female perspective.
Family photographs embody a family by capturing individuals as they change. Each picture is an evocative emotional reminder of a special moment documented in a visual diary, which captures the passage of time. Private dramas are often hidden from the camera and yet infused inside each of us and with investigation a single photograph can reveal a deeply private family history. A happy moment captured in a photograph becomes magical as a lost memory becomes revivified.
Idris Khan. (2004) Nicholas Nixon’s Brown Sisters [photographic print]
My artist research began with Nicholas Nixon’s Brown Sisters by the artist Idris Khan. Khan has created a ghostly image of four sisters from original photographs by Nicholas Nixon. Nixon photographed the sisters (his wife Bebe and her sisters) over three decades. Khan then condensed photographs taken by Nixon of the sisters to create a single layered image. The result is stunning reminding me of a smudged charcoal drawing.
Inspired by Khan’s work, I starting with images of my mother from childhood to a mature woman and put them into Photoshop. I experimented by overlaying and distorting the photographs to evoke the feeling of a lost memory or half remember dream.
Sarah Bale. (2013) Time [digitally layered image]
Thoughts and Whispers is a mix of old and new family photographs of female members of my family. I wanted to capture the feeling of uncertainty as a girl moves from childhood to adulthood.
Sarah Bale. (2013) Thoughts and Whispers [digitally layered image]
Using Time as my reference I decided to reproduce the image using different media. I am pleased with the delicacy of the print, which embodies the fragility of being female.
Sarah Bale. (2013) Bittersweet Echos [print]
Working with palette knives and a subdued palette I worked the image in oils. Applying the paint in a rich textured surface using the knives has revealed a new way of painting for me and is a technique I wish to develop further.
my process of painting
Sarah Bale. (2013) Metamorphosis [oil on canvas]
I developed the idea further with inclusion of beetles on the prints Time and Thoughts and Whispers. I questioned the ethics of using insects within art but as I had been gifted a box of beetles from an entomologist reusing the insects seemed acceptable. Each beetle is a symbol for change and was named after a female member of my family. The finished work was exhibited in a popup exhibition at the Firstsite Gallery in Colchester. On reflection I do think that the work didn’t need the printed background and the beetles and would make a stronger image with the named beetles on a plain surface contained within the box.
Sarah Bale (2013) Time [photographic print, beetles]
Sarah Bale. (2013) Time [photographic print and beetles]
Sarah Bale (2013) Thoughts and Whispers [photographic print and beetles]
