Sunday 1 June 2014

Second Course Plan

On completion of Assignment 2, the course plan has inevitably changed

My revised Artist's statement outlines the changes in my thinking and in direction as a result of my contextual research and material investigations.

This inevitably impacts on my course plan.  I have many strands of thoughts and ideas that have taken me in many directions in terms of the research I have carried out.  I anticipate that the Contextual Studies part of the course will also bear fruit as I continue my investigations etc.

This next stage will allow me to synthesise this research along with the material investigations that I have made and will continue to make in this next assignment (3).

Planned Completion of Assignment Three - 15th August 2014 (10 weeks with holiday)

Planned Completion of Assignment Four - 15th December 2014 (17 weeks)

Planned Completion of Assignment Five - 16th June 2015 (26 weeks)

Test Pieces in Chronological Order - Evaluation and Review



Test Pieces for Assignment 2 in chronological order.  See individual posts for images of processess.


Medium : Thread   Support: Cartridge Paper


Comments:  Strong, fluid, spontaneous, composition strong.

Medium : Thread
Support : Cartridge Paper

Comments: unusual material and technique, composition works, too literal? 
 
 
 
Medium: Charcoal, Inktense Pencils
Support: Watercolour Paper
Comments: Strong tonal study, composition works, too graphic, still life but what is it?
 
 
 
Media: Gesso, acrylic paint
Support: Recycled Shirt material
 
Comments: Experimental, focus on material and process. 
 
 
Media: Gesso, Acrylic paint
Support: Recycled Shirt material

Comments:  Another weave of fabric, pleasant to paint on, hated the colour, meaningless? 
 


 
Media: Gesso, Acrylic Paint, Thread
Support: Canvas Board

 Comments: Interesting texture, could see this working.
 
 
 
Media: Gesso, Acrylic Paint, Thread
Support: Canvas Board

Comments: Colours irrelevant, the thread has something. 
 
 
 
 
Media: Acrylic Paint, Recycled Shirt Material
Support: Canvas Board

Comments:  The negative space becomes progressively darker, process of adding and taking away. 
 
 
 
Media: Thread, Recycled Shirt fragments
Support: Hessian
Comments: Too literal use of shirt fragments, composition wrong and hessian support overbearing.
 
 
 
 
 
Media: Hessian fragments
Support: Canvas Board
Comments:  Structurally interesting - will investigate this further.
 
 
 
Media: Shirt fragments, thread, buttons
Support: Wooden Frame
Comments:  Tried to use the buttons and buttonholes of the fronts of shirts to create a grid.  Overlaid with thread using the buttons as anchor points.  Discarded this as it didn't work technically or visually. 
 
Media: Shirt fragments, buttons, Acrylic Paint
Support: Recycled book cover

Comments:  The paint did not work with this fabric.  It became obvious that gesso primer would be needed.  Ended up looking rather muddy. 
 
 
 
 
Media: Acrylic Paint, Linen strips
Support: Canvas Board
Comments:  started making holes in the fabric.  This does not work but the hole making as an action to disrupt the weave merits further investigation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Media: Acrylic Paint, Linen
Support: Hessian
 
 Comments:  making holes in the fabric again - at the time this reminded of bullet holes.
 
 
 

Media: Calico, Gesso, Acrylic Paint
Support: Canvas Board
Comments:  The two pieces above are of the same work - a before and after the paint was applied.  I have to say that the simplicity of the pre painted work was quite beautiful

 

Media: Thread, Calico, Gesso, Acrylic paint
Support: Canvas Board
 
 
Media: Thread, Calico, Gesso, Acrylic Paint
Support: Canvas Board
Comments:  Again, the 'before' was beautiful.  Gesso is perfect for merging fabric and thread to canvas/board.






 

Media: Recycled Shirt Material
Support: Wire Cooling tray

Comments:  I didn't finish this because it became laborious - the idea of wrapping the grid in fabric and thread might have some currency though. 
 
 
Media: Shirt Fragments, Acrylic Paint
Support: Stretched Canvas
 
Comments:  This was about making the weave visible - it proved that the process worked but the composition and colours didn't. 
 
Media: Cotton String, fabric, Gesso
Support: Canvas Board
Comments:  Small sample testing string and thread/stitching.    
 
 
 
Media: Cotton Scrim, Paverpol, Acrylic Paint
Support: Stretched Canvas

Comments: The Paverpol (fabric hardener) certainly worked.  The fabric was completely rigid - much more so than when using gesso.  The fabric still received paint well.




Media: Calico, Linen, Cotton, Cotton String, Acrylic Paint, Crochet
Support: Stretched Canvas
Comments:  This piece has a lot going on and is in fact a combination of experiments.  The seam down the middle of the canvas would need to have been bigger and the thread much thicker to create large stitches.  The seam is split at one point and the string bulges out.  Crochet has been added - this needed to be thought out more as its application is fairly random.



Media: As above but with Masking Fluid
 
Comments:  Above and below;  I was investigating how one might depict a lace form on canvas with out actually putting a decorative piece of lace on.  This was the masking fluid experiment - an interesting enough texture but rather flimsy and unpredictable.
 
 
 
Media: Masking Fluid, Acrylic Paint
Support: Unstretched canvas
 
Comments:  This was a process I had to try - making openings for something 'else' to be under, through or over.  The masking fluid remained rather flimsy and the acrylic paint didn't strengthen it.   
 
 
 
Media: Acrylic Paint/Inktense pencil
Support: Cartridge paper
Comments:  Synthesising form with idea.
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Support: Glass
Comments:  As I was exploring grids and lace etc, one of their characteristics is that there are openings and spaces.  I chose to use a glass support to test how these spaces would become evident.  Shadows cast by using a focused lamp were interesting.  The pattern was used to test the process and was not an end in itself.


 
Media: Raw silk, Acrylic Paint
Support : Glass
Comments:  Further use of glass support - what about actually using two pieces of glass and sandwiching work between the two?  The piece above tested silk being pulled apart, displaying the weave, acrylic paint applied and then pressed between two panes of glass.  Interesting when held up to light.


Media: Paper, Acrylic Paint
Support: Glass
 

Comments:  I was glad to be working on a form?  This was my most recent test piece and the process is detailed in the previous blog post.  I think the glass support is an interesting departure from an opaque support.  Glass may not be the most practical though so I might consider using perspex instead.  Above and below is the same piece but just viewed from the front or back.  There are tiny lace like openings that allow the light to pass through. 
Media: Paper, Acrylic Paint
Support: Glass