Over the course of this week I have come to realise how challenging I find painting. In the process of creating the impression of form with the application of paint on a flat surface it has become clear that I struggle to get on with this way of working; I instead much prefer the act of layering and working back into paint, or using paint in conjunction with three dimensional forms. I have made a series of experimental paintings, primarily focussing on line and layering. I have used brushes, palette knives and found objects to apply the paint. I have used both palettes and the paper I’m working on to mix paint. But as much as I have enjoyed experimenting with these methods I still find painting on a 2D surface difficult. There is just something about a relief surface or something three dimensional which to me is so much more interesting to paint on; an unusual surface allows for shadows to form and therefore adding to the paint work. Another process which I have been looking into is working with the ‘throwaway’ elements of creating a piece of work. I have always found in my practice that I never throw anything away, as I’m always trying to find an alternative way to use things that could potentially be discarded. In this case, I have been looking closely at the dried paint left behind on a palette. Peeling this away is something I would normally do in order to mix new colours, but on closer inspection I have discovered how fascinating the dried paint is. It takes on a plastic-like consistency, whilst capturing a multitude of colours which have merged as a result of the mixing process. I like the way that by the paint drying it has captured the history of the painting I have done; as the colours used create an entirely different composition on the mixing palette. It is like a visual representation of my decision making whilst choosing what colours to mix. From this discovery I have started to make small experimental pieces looking at how these paint fragments can come together in terms of a composition on paper. I have arranged the pieces taking inspiration from the 3D cardboard piece I have made. To me, these small experiments are more successful than the paintings I have made. I prefer the quality of the surface that has been created, and I like the idea of chance in how the colours have mixed and the shapes of the fragments as I have pulled them away from the palette. I hope that from this I can develop this idea into something more substantial. By mixing paint and letting it dry, I could experiment with thicknesses and the addition of mediums to see if I could perhaps use paint in some way to construct 3D forms.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThird Year BA Hons Fine Art student studying at Falmouth University Archives
April 2017
|