2013 -> 2024

Recently little figures have been emerging in my artwork. I wasn't sure where they came from, but a dig in the archives revealed they had been here in a slightly different form ten years ago.

2013

2024

They did not show themselves in the intervening years and I wonder why they have come back. They have moved from blocks to now being more based on line and from colour to black and white. The movement and/or gesture feel important. My current figures are very much grounded in recalling ice skating moves. I vaguely recall the 2013 figures responding to the nursery rhyme Ring a Ring o' Roses - but I cannot recall why.

As my work develops this visual language grows to incorporate marks other than those created by text and language. 

Found text

While prepping some old work to turn it into new work I got slightly distracted. The initial intention was to cover over the text (four pots of thick ready mixed paint that smelt like chalk chemicals) to make room for new text.

I often reuse or rework outcomes as I feel like they are done once I have shown them. This was part of a larger collection of painted text on canvas boards shown a couple of years ago now.

As I was about to cover the text I wondered if there was anything else in the text that could be said. I used thick black acrylic paint straight out of the tube to start blocking out words, parts of words of letters.

The readability is a bit jumbled. but that is to be expected as the new words are broken up amongst the old words. The meaning is also limited as these are found words that I felt vaguely went together to make a sentence.

u ok read mixed pain that talks

This process is just the start for this board, but it keeps me engaged and thinking much more than just coating the canvas board in paint.

Studio play

I wanted to get into the studio and do something with cardboard. I had a collection of large sheets of cardboard lining the walls that had been there for a few years. 

After the last blog posts and a moment of thinking about what to say, I decided to just write anything that came into my mind. 

I've also started this fascination with a little line-drawn figure that keeps making an appearance. I decided to expand on this with other line drawings. 

I started with paint pens but quickly decided to throw other mediums at the outcome too. There is no plan, I just wanted to play with just see what came out. I guess in a way a bit of the automatic came into the process. 

say something

say something. say anything. make it profound. or not. 

I am currently quite interested in the idea of having or not having anything to say. I am used to having a lot to say but there is a pressure to say things that are more and more profound. The question is does that, or should that, will that, stop me from saying something. 

In terms of materials, I am currently, still(?) interested in cardboard. When playing around with some ideas for an installation I decided to photograph the cardboard and play with layering and hiding text within it. This felt like an interesting concept to explore, as if I'm going to say something profound and then hide it, what are the implications?  

I'm not sure that I want to stay digital, I will probably take the playing back into the studio at some point. I think this text is too readable to be hidden. But maybe a physical outcome would be even more so. Maybe cardboard isn't the right material. White-on-white or black-on-black might work better.