.Documentation of my current art practice
You can click on the links（on the left side) to see the images for more images details and research
I asked myself in Unit 2 to improve the viewability and readability of the picture, which comes from an observation I made about some contemporary art paintings: I think that many of the paintings that are currently active in fairs and exhibitions lack in pictorial surface, and that they are more concerned with the visual effect and ornamental. They focus more on visual effect and ornamental function than on trying to keep the viewer in front of the picture. When I came up with this idea, I also rethought my previous works. In my previous works, I focused more on decorative and so-called "good-looking" effects, and I thought that there was limited room for upward mobility for this kind of painting, so I decided to explore the painterly nature of my works more, and to study how to bring a painting to a high level, rather than pursuing speed and good looks. So I decided to explore more about pictoriality in my work, and how to bring a painting to a high level, rather than just pursuing speed and aesthetics.
In the feedback I received in unit1, I gradually found out my problem - my previous research direction was not precise enough or focused enough, involving themes from different perspectives, but only a simple analysis (e.g. Spiritual Painting, Researching how colours can express emotions and spirituality), but not in-depth research. Therefore, in Unit 2, I focused on how abstract artists transformed classic works of art history, and at the same time, combined my research with my artistic creation and experimentation.
As I tend to complete my works with more completeness (Completeness in this context means that the image is full of detail, sufficiant elements, completed composition, harmonious tone.), I don't want to give up exploring other materials and media. Therefore, during the creative process, I create complete images while testing different media and materials. Since I want to test new effects and solve the problems of my complete works at the same time, I make a lot of small experiments and drafts.
Research and Experimentation
I want to explore whether new media can replace some of the original painting styles and media in the picture, and increase the durability of the picture through media experiments.
There are two types of experiments in my small drafts, the first is to assist in the development of a complete picture and the second is to explore new picture effects and forms.
1. Picture effects research (colour) - life drawings and experiments
In the previous appropriation study, I found that I was a little bit single-minded in terms of colour transformation and formal language, and that there was not much breakthrough from one painting to the next. Therefore, in view of the previous paintings and the problems that arose in the Unit 1 paintings, I started to study the possibility of adding texture materials to the local parts of the paintings in Unit 2. At the same time, influenced by the use of colour in Phobe unwin's work, I had new ideas about how to make better use of colour in my work.
(In the Addtional content, I have analysed what her work has inspired me to do)
Snow City, Phobe Unwin, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm, 2023
Red, oil and markers on canvas, 60x80cm, 2024
Phobe unwin
“I don’t work from photographs – for me photographs provide too much information; too many details. I often aim to get to the essence of a subject, going on a hunch that there is more to that familiar moment or thing than itself. How colours work with form, scale and subject fascinates me; tension that materials can create. It’s important that the paintings are not scaled up from smaller images. I never know how a painting will look when it’s finished and I consider this a vital means of giving a painting energy."(Advisory, 2023)
So inspired by her, I reflected on whether I was not careful enough in my use of colour and at the same time my thoughts on the use of colour began to change, so when transforming classic works, I also tended to test whether I could transform them with colours that are more subtle, grey and transparent, so as to increase the durability of the image，readability and the narrative.
I experimented with this in my work RED by layering different red markers, combining them with layers of white paint and scratches, and rubbing in some of the more vibrant colours with very small amounts of white and grey paint in combination with rough brushes, being very careful to control the degree of rubbing in different parts of the picture, and to make a contrast between the most subtle and the most general. Contrasts. After her first layer of rubbing, she also partially overlays some colours for overpainting, and through the combination of these two ways, she overlays the layers of the picture over and over again, and at the same time, she adds some bright colours on the last layer to embellish and shape the visual centre of the picture, which creates a better sense of space.
In unit1, I relied more on the ipad drafts to preset the colours of each part of the work in advance, but in Unit 2 I gradually found that this approach had its limitations, and I began to have new doubts, whether the electronic sketch eliminated the possibilities of direct painting, or whether the preset effect would be too simple? Therefore, I started to do both at the same time. I started to practice different small drawings in the hope that I could break through the original form of drawing in the small drawings, and at the same time, I combined improvisation with painting directly in the works. Through experimental research, I discovered more materials that could be incorporated into the main painting. Therefore, with a lot of colour practice, I have improved my ability to use colour, and at the same time, I have been able to use colour to convey a higher level of sensitivity and emotion in my solved works.
There are some of my colour experiments using different mediums in my creative process on the left side.
When I was in unit 2, I went back to look at my works before MA and found that they were too decorative, too focused on the "fancy" effect of the picture, and the works in unit 1 had not improved much compared to the previous works. So I started to study and analyse again (Studying the composition of classic works and how classic works convey emotions through images. Studying the contemporary artists, how to convert the classic works in art history through the abstract painting language. So I have re-selected my references in the conversion process and changed my previous oil/acrylic techniques in the re-creation of classic works). During this semester, I chose portraits by Sargent, Munch, and Klimt in that order. In the process of transformation, I emphasise the exaggeration of the dynamics of the figure, and the transformation of the painting technique: the abstract painting technique, the decomposition and generalisation of the pictorial space, and its reinterpretation. After choosing the reference work, I first decompose the dynamics of the figure and the pictorial space in the original work through the line drawing. Focusing on the use of brushstrokes and the power of brushstrokes in Abstract Expressionism enriches the diversity of individual elements.
I did a lot of digital drafts and tried to test different picture effects on the digital drafts. In order to explore more picture forms, this approach allows me to apply inspiration inspired by other artists to my digital drafts in a very quick way, in order to test the overall effect of the picture.
In terms of material explorations, I have experimented with using layers of acrylic colours on paper, marker pens, marker pens with oil paints, oil paints with rollers as a base, fluorescent acrylics as a base, and spray paints combined with acrylics. By exploring different mediums, I attempt to discover new materials that can be substituted in future creations.
By drawing in layers and overlaying marker traces, I have discovered another way of drawing that conveys consciousness and emotion more directly. I think the reason I chose markers is because they are more direct, faster and more even than mediums like acrylics and watercolour.
I chose markers as a material to incorporate into my material research because I believe that the process of using markers to draw on the screen is very much like connecting with the mind, and that in this way it is possible to express a dialogue between the body and the soul. By using this painting language on a large scale, it brings strong visual sensations, and for me it is a process of "visualisation" of consciousness. In the process of my creation, I hope to express my power of consciousness and perception through this way of painting, and present my inner thoughts and emotional changes in this "diary-like" way.
Therefore, in my later experiments, I tried to add different sizes of colour blocks or different transparent colours to test the effect. I found that this direct way of drawing with markers can visually create a unique atmosphere, even as the first layer of texture, the markers' traces can penetrate into different colours, thus increasing the texture of the later layers. At the same time, I also think that the texture and marks of the repeated overlapping strokes of the marker can create a unique atmosphere.
Colour (2008). Londen: Whitechapel Gallery.
Advisory, O. (2023) Phoebe Unwin’s hazy recollections in London, Ocula the best in contemporary art icon. Available at: https://ocula.com/advisory/picks/phoebe-unwin-amanda-wilkinson-gallery/ (Accessed: 20 May 2024).