Wk 13.
Last Semesters Feedback:
A5 - Feedback all positive encourages studies and a more cohesive final body of work but noticed my ceramics got overshadowed by my paintings. I want to limit my practice as an artist to painting ceramics and textiles and finding a balance between the three.
As I started this semester working, moving house and recovering from the flu, I struggled to get a creative spark going so decided to spend the first couple weeks mulling over my ideas to define my brief for this semester and continuing any work from last semester that could be developed. I decided to start by doing some experimental studies…
Preliminary Studies
^ Antoni Tàpies’ Tot Negre amb Clivelles / Negro con Greta (1962)
I looked into the little information available about Tapies’ process and found that because he treated each piece with such a unique spontaneity there is really no method to the madness . This particular video of him working (Articnauta, 2013) did inspire me to loosen up my approach and focus more on the process than the longevity of a piece -
I decided to make some sample panels as a way to build confidence with the method and start combining both the painterly and sculptural aspects of my practice on these wood panels …
Before moving on to stretched canvas and painting over the top with oils to see how it affected the final outcome of a piece -
Little Pig (2023)
Oil, clay dust, chicken wire and gesso - 30 x 15cm
I feel this technique has been incredibly affective in adding to the grottiness of the piece, adding a fleshy and tactile element it would otherwise be lacking. As if you want to reach out and touch the subject. The only downside i noticed (as I prepared the canvas before painting the composition) was that where I needed the fine details such as the eyes I felt the texture made it harder to render and less effective as a result.
TLDR: Plan composition BEFORE applying texture to the canvas for most effective results
What Next?
I have built a stretcher (192 x 220cm) for a future piece. Now I have my composition planned - see Wk 15 - and I want to try incorporate texture for it
References:
Tàpies, A. (1962) Tot Negre amb Clivelles / Negro con Greta [Mixed Media on Canvas] Museu Coleção Berardo (Viewed: 9 November 2022)
Articnauta. (2013) Antoni Tàpies pintando en su taller. March 13 2013. Available at: https://youtu.be/PeNPxlGvdQQ (Accessed: April 23 2023).