Surface, Memories and Suggestion.

Surface, Memories and Suggestion.

Expectations, Dilution and Hidden History.

 The rambling nature of this blog is reflective of the internal thought processes of my mind. As part of my quest for understanding my desire to communicate inevitably there is a lot of ....... stuff; stuff that leads to new understanding and new dilemmas. A multitude of stuff that is incredibly exciting e.g. a section of an image that has an element of magic about it, things fall into place - shape, colour, translucency, mark, size, relationship etc... at the same time as all of this happens I am all too aware of the opposite of all of these things, as it usually occurs somewhere else in the same image. This is about expectations and the realisation that it can be a weighty reminder of the complexities involved in creativity; a mass of forces that can appear to gather as one, only to scatter in opposite directions!  

  The open ended nature of this exploration demands that there is no formula and no, dilution. Herein lies part of the dilemma, just how to do you avoid these two things? For instance, something is working, do you: a) repeat it knowing its harmonious outcome or b) deliberately not repeat it because you don't want it to become formulaic. It's an internal dilemma, one whose rules are set by an unknown charter; albeit a very multi layered charter that I don't fully comprehend despite being its author. No wonder its a rollercoaster ride!
 The studio extension has greatly improved things in all sorts of ways, the light naturally is an important factor but I think the extra air volume caused by the high ceiling is a contributor to a new sense of purpose. 

 The Inverleith etching press is now up and running, oh, the joy of using such an old beast with all its gravitas. It's early days, but so far, so good - there are minor workspace details still to sort out, but the moveable workbenches is proving a good idea. The screen print bench (able to print A0) is now fully installed, there is sense of things finally coming together. Still need electricity installed and heating solution but hey, it's light till 10pm and I'm feeling positive about the whole thing - naturally this will be offset further down the line, but for now.

The work is beginning to reveal itself, in that I am starting to understand its context. Hidden History + Hidden Meanings - the use of textile pattern suggesting interior (decoration) space and the expression "if walls could talk" alluding to the passage of time; it comes down to layers, the passing of time, the act of editing internal space both physical and mental - scars, erosion,revelation - ultimately, the trapping of time. This is in both, the actual image and the artist, intrinsically intertwined, an exchange that continuously presents new questions, new answers, but not necessarily in a straight line. I am my work and my work is, me - it's all there, laid bare on the canvas, all of my shortcomings, mistakes, assumptions; all staring back at me ..... still, so are all the positives and, despite the obvious angst that raises its head, I feel that the work is moving in the right direction.

105 x 105 cm  water based pigment/ oil/ screen print/ graphite on canvas

105 x 105 cm  water based pigment/ screen print/ gold leaf on canvas

210 x 105 cm  water based pigment/ screen print on canvas

105 x 105 cm  water based pigment/ screen print/ crayon on canvas

50 x 70 cm water based pigment/ screen print on canvas

70 x 70 cm  water based pigment/ enamel/ screen print on canvas

70 x 70 cm  water based pigment/ screen print on canvas

Recently I have been working on a series of drypoint etchings including a large plate (70 x 52 cm), the plate originally had a hard ground covering on it and had been in storage; looking at the marks made by the roller reminding me of a plastered wall and its surface affected by hidden history became its starting point,, maintaining the line of enquiry in the paintings. As well as using the textile screens on the canvasses I have also been applying them onto the etchings using very translucent mixes, allowing for an unknown interaction between the two formats, playing with the idea of layers of domestic interior decor, its unknown past revealing itself.

Plate size A3

Plate size A3

Plate size A3

Plate size A3

This new work is naturally an ongoing quest, there's so much more to find out.

HIDDEN REFERENCES

Dictated division of space.

Something is happening - Learning to be still.

I look at the canvas, the canvas looks at me and it, dictates. It's an odd starting point perhaps, but the crease from the folded canvas decided the fate of this first image. I had to start somewhere and despite everything, that crease was, in charge. The result was intuitive and only on reflection did I realise that there was all this underlying referencing taking place - inevitable I suppose - it's seeped into the psyche, all that visual culture whirring around inside me. I want the work to resonate with others as the work of so many artists resonate for me. At present paintings by Mattisse, Hockney & Chardin are in my head, the references are not necessarily obvious but I recognise them. Rothko, Agnes Martin et al occupy my thoughts, not directly but I know they are there, on the periphery. Hello, Chardin? Yes, I too would love to be able to paint silence, to capture that which cannot be seen but can be, felt = the INTANGIBLE.

As with all recent work, the painting was worked on the floor, on the wall and rotated until it arrived in its current format. I have had a couple of 'textile' screens in the studio and the section on the right demanded to receive the pattern on the screen. There are subtleties and variants that can only be perceived by seeing the painting in the flesh - the scale and how the light falls on the canvas as usual are of paramount importance.

The composition once again dictated by the vague remnants of a crease in the canvas. As the first mark went down the rest were required to follow, the emptiness a necessity, as is, the watery paint employed. I realise its simplicity, and its brevity is a challenge. To do more would change the whole and the elements interactions would be lost. A case of, less is, more.

The two images above are on card and by default are more manic, deliberately so. An expression of working, re-working, translucency, overprint, rhythm, reaction, assertion, removal, reinstatement, uncertainty & of course, serendipity. 

I am trying to find things out and in attempting to do this I take risks - there is no point in remaining stationary, sometimes you have to plough your own furrow. As an artist what I do is as a consequence of a number of factors - influences that may be obvious and also, influences that may be subliminal - all of this is affected on a daily basis from the moment I enter the studio. 

The images below show various stages in a new proposition. Bill Clark is still there in my head 30+ yrs on. 

Really delighted to be taking part in a group show at http://www.stonewallgallery.co.uk
at the end of April

  And the point is .... ?  An exercise in futility

+ studio extension latest news .... winter is the wrong time to build .... making it up as you go along can affect progress too!

The outside is finally completed and apart from the inordinate amount of time that it took due to waiting for more spooned weatherboard to be delivered and of course, the weather, it went reasonably smoothly. The structure appeared to resist the effects of the extreme wind that we were presented with and it would be fair to say, I breathed a huge sigh of relief! I used to cautiously open the back door fearing the worst. As previously mentioned this has been a make it up as you go along venture and this has added to the timeline, oh yes, plus the fact that it's just me doing it. A 5m x 5m sheet of rubber roofing material is ******* heavy, I managed to do plenty of damage to my muscle tissue in attempting to hoist it onto the roof and then stick it down. Things really are easier if you have others to help out, it's a fact, period. I still have to reveal the 3 skylights but it's too cold and I'm not chancing it incase the rubber strip doesn't stick! This is one of the times when you wish to be living in warmer climes, I know the studio will be flooded with natural north light but ... oh well, roll on spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 Missing Skylights

Somewhere amidst all of this construction I have been attempting to finalise work for the Working Perspectives Exhibition as part of Peebles Creative Place programme.

As previously mentioned it was a challenge but a welcome one.

Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith is in response to the course and in particular the 2nd Zip where the first challenge is to throw yourself off and land in a cargo net. Hence the title!

GA Response

GA Response is another painting in the exhibition and attempts to visualise the experience from multiple points - above, below ...

The painting Growth above is an example of the act of taking up the conversation again. I reworked the left hand side, it was too bright in its previous incarnation. I needed it to be more hopeless, more morose, more inevitable.

For a while now the imagery is revolving around the epidermis & cell division/ growth / decay, akin to pathology slides which I realise is reflective of an ongoing fascination with the internal cellular structure which began with works 14 yrs ago looking at Blastocysts. Life & Death.

Internal Machination

Internal Machination is about the internal complexities of thought processes, where the mind is constantly in a state of flux, layers of non-sensical moments, rebooting, deletion and ... deliberation.

Attempting to externally express your voice is far from easy and is the cause of much angst and questions; questions about the purpose of it all and the side effects of trying to understand the banal that wants to sugar coat ... .   .     .     . I can feel a rant coming on. What's the point?

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The Gods were kind, the weather remained dry and the windows have been exposed!!!