Jessica Stockholder

Jessica Stockholder's pieces are beginning to become a powerful influence on how my own work can progress. Her use of found materials to create sculptures/ three dimensional paintings is something that I hadn't seen before in this context. Stockholder's use of space and mass hold just as much importance as the use of colour in her pieces. This shows a clear route that I can now pursue as I have only touched upon the use of space in a piece and I feel that one of my main intentions is to include the audience in my work, this is where a three dimensional painting could prove incredibly effective.

In an interview I read Stockholder placed a lot of emphasis on the actual architectural design of the piece and how it is just as important as the work that covers it. 

'With installations it’s the building, the architecture, or you might say it’s the place that I work on top of; with the smaller pieces I work on top of or in relation to stuff that I collect.' - Jessica Stockholder

' It doesn’t matter what materials I use. It can be anything. What’s interesting is how what I’m doing combines with the stuff I use, but then it’s not entirely true to say that. I also choose things for particular reasons, though not according to a particular aesthetic. More often I avoid the development of a cohesive look that will too powerfully direct the work in only one direction. A lot of people have written about my work in terms of junk. That I sometimes use junk doesn’t seem of central importance to me. I use all kinds of things, old and new. Much of the stuff I use could be found in your living room.' - Jessica Stockholder.

I found this quote incredibly interesting as I place high importance on using found materials and although in my work it looks random and meaningless the majority of it is strategically planned and of high value to the piece.

As I was saying about previous pieces I must use paint more in my work, Stockholder said about how she 'never stopped painting but only transferred it from the wall into three dimensions.'

This is something else I would like to experiment with in the future as well, as I have always been proud of my painting however this year I have barely touched a paint brush.

In this piece I saw a strong link in comparison to my work. The definite black lines create an incredible geometric containment of colour. This piece is a great example of how my work can now produce further. I feel that now might be the time for me like Stockholder to take what is currently on the wall and transform it into three dimensions.

Wooden Colour Collage No. 3

To progress from my previous pieces I tried to think of ways I could expand the piece, I chose the most obvious which was scale. This was quite an effective choice however there were other areas that I could've explored rather than choosing the most obvious.
What I thought worked well was the use of the obscure, found, wooden shapes. Like previous pieces I tried to slot everything together in a unique way. Although the way I had chosen did cause problems when covering the wood up.

 These problems occurred when I had to cover up the bottom layer of wood after I had already layered other bits on top. If I were to do this process again I would cover each piece of wood with some from of layering before fastening them together. 

Another thing that I thought worked really well is the mark marking that shows through from the back. Even though at the time all I wanted to do was try to get rid of the emptiness and blankness of the wood it ended up becoming quite and effective part of the piece. However I didn't use this technique to it's full potential so in future pieces exploring the realm of paint and then including it more overtly in pieces such as this one.

 

I tried to expand on the use of familiar icons, although this is another avenue that I can expand. One thing thought worked really well was the use of shiny black asitate. This is because with this piece I tried to create an intense feel of texture and contrasting texture. The shiny surface of the asistate works really effectively in contrast to the plain wood grain and the rough feel of the ripped paper surrounding it. It also seem chance still plays a high part in my work (or apparent chance) depending on how aware I am of my subconscious, this is because the main graphic element in this piece which is in the centre was created through me noticing a face like shape in the middle then creating something from it. I was apprehensive over what should go in the centre as it is usually the main focal point when looking at a piece of art. This meant it had to be powerful enough to drag your eye in but then in a subtle way push your eyes around the rest of the piece. Despite my apprehension I feel that this worked well. 

Another element that I tried to include was the use of the negative space in-between the sweeping wooden swirls. I felt the piece was incredibly overpowering and chaotic with a sense of claustrophobia alongside of it. So by including this piece I felt I managed to create a peaceful containment over the incredibly wild work. 

Overall I think the piece works well and is by far my strongest piece, however I need to open my eyes to new ways to use different materials so my work can progress further. I also need to emphasise my intentions of the piece clearly in the future this is because although it is amazing to see my work progress so organically I feel a little more direction wouldn't hurt especially going alongside the experimentation and playfulness that I intend to continue by experimenting further with other materials.    

London!

Despite the everlasting journey into London once I was there I couldn't wait to start looking around. Recently I have been taking photo's of shapes or scenes where I find the shapes interesting. I would then try and include these shapes within my work. This scavenging of shapes could be one the aspects within my FMP.

This is one of the buildings that intrigued while I was shape scavenging, however it is not the shape of the building itself that interested me it was the contrast between the spiraled staircase at the very top of the building next to the jagged roof of the building.

Another idea that came to mind was maybe creating a city scape piece which has been done numerous times before, but this only adds motive to make a piece that stands out. I had an idea that as I have experimented drawing with tape so much creating such a scene in this way may put forward a more contemporary view on a normal city scape. Although this is just an idea that I may or may not pursue.

The first gallery I went to was the Tate modern. I was incredibly keen in finding more contemporary artists that could influence my work. One of the first pieces that struck me was a piece by Andre Masson named, 'The Redlands and the Montagne.'

What I found interesting about this piece was that to me it feels like a stage before geometrical art, and that this geometry is evolving within the piece. There is also a feel of energy and movement within the piece which in my opinion only excels the success of the piece. Masson created this piece using the Surrealist technique of 'automatic' painting where the conscious control over the hand is suppressed so the subconscious could take over. This technique is another way freedom is expressed in this piece.

One of the pieces that captivated me more than any other was a piece named, 'Energy and Process' by Do Ho Suh. It is a polyester and stainless steel installation that replicates a stair case in the artist's apartment in Chelsea, New York.

 
This installation was built to represent Suh's personal memories in an architectural design. What I found fascinating was the use of space in the piece and then finding out Suh's intentions when it came to the use of space.
'The space I am interested in is not only a physical one, but an intangible, metaphorical and psychological one. For me 'space' is that which encompasses everything.' -  Do Ho Suh.

At first I saw no relevance to my own work although after standing in the room for about 5-10 minutes I began to see similarities emerge. As the light passed through the red cloth it changed not only the colour of light in the room but the entire atmosphere. This something I wish to take and apply in my own work. Making the audience almost a part of the work and indulge them within it. This makes installations an area that I feel compelled to explore and experiment within.

Something else I noticed that held links to my work was the repetition of the lights above. Even though the lights are set out in this way to distribute light evenly throughout the installation I found the repetition intriguing. Alongside this the way the fabric affected the way the light came through was also quite interesting. When I left the room I felt as though I had been mesmerised. The feel of the room I had just been in was incredibly peaceful and tranquil despite the amount of people passing through it. This contrast between this room and the grey, bustling room next to it was quite unique.

The next piece that took my interest was by Guy Tillim and his piece held similar architectural features that my previous work has contained although it interested me even more as I found it incredibly similar to a piece created by Rachel Whiteread who I had extensively researched.

However what became most interesting was that Rachel Whiteread's Sculpture pictured the interior space within a building whereas Guy Tillin's piece shows the exterior of a building.

After I left the Tate I went to the Poppy Sebire gallery that was situated about a mile behind the Tate where  a small Danny Rolph exhibition was taking place. It was an amazing experience being able to see Roplh's work in person also the works I saw were more recent than the triple wall series and were painted on canvas. This was still incredibly interesting to see as the development among his work was just apparent as the development through mine. The paintings were as striking and bold as his triple wall series although more emphasis was put upon geometric shapes and planned marks despite this his work still held an element of playfulness and freedom. Another way his work appeared to have developed was through the transition between the feel of his work being temporary and permanent, with his triple wall series holding a temporary feel in comparison to his canvas work. Overall it was an incredibly worthwhile experience seeing Rolph's work despite the trouble I had navigating the backstreets of London.
 

Joanne Greenbaum

Joanne Greenbaum - Fat Yellow

I found Joanne Greenbaum's work incredibly useful to look at and take ideas from. It was also I great source for working out where my ideas can progress to next. Greenbaum's playful abstractions hold similarities to my own work however despite the similar liberal feel, Greenbaum's work has a sense of calculation about it. This is an area that I  could improve within my own work. My work up to this point has progressed organically however I feel that now may be point to calculate the outcome of my work slightly more. Despite this I still feel I need to experiment with other materials to create different outcomes.

Joanne Greenbaum - Tables of Contents

In this piece there is still a clear exploration of colour and shapes although there is a sinister feel underlying the painting. Along with this the apparent chaotic mark marking is also underlined by a blue print imagery. 

 'I am convinced that  two dimensional painting relevant mostly because it is an antidote to the barrage of images and sounds that we are bombarded with every moment of every day. To me, there is nothing more challenging than working with the simple concept of making a two dimensional image have meaning to me and the outside world. I am influenced by everything and nothing, the people who have influence my art nonetheless are Fontana, matisse, basquiet, eva zeisel, and a new great artist I just discovered, Sanyu.' - Joanne Greenbaum

Group Crit: Words that were used to describe my work.

Temporary, colourful, re-useable materials,  texture, contrasting materials, on going colour pallete.

Ideas on how to progress: Lean more towards either temporary or permanent rather than being in between.
Experiment with other materials, maybe stretch out and use a much wider range of found materials.