Looking Forward

Having completed the exploratory project plan, I felt that it was important to review what I have learnt during the project and attempt to answer some questions which have been raised in tutorials and group crits. As suggested I put up all of my practical work in my studio and photographed it. There were some pieces which I had forgotten about and of course I wasn't able to display unprinted photos and some of the collages as I bound them into a book. I sat in front of my wall of work and made notes in order to truly reflect on what I had learnt.

Successes:

The looser drawings - moving, more gestural, living

Ambiguous images 

Development of collage and photographs into painting

Pairs

Incorporation of animals to add another dimension but not in their current form

Manipulating viewpoint

Merging figures

Shadows and superimposing

Whole bodies

Rapid generation and selection

Elements to leave behind (for now):

More fashion-like images

Paint on unprimed canvas - although some of the twinned compositions work

Early paintings which seem overly static

Superimposing with line drawings (figure) - however there is potential with pattern

Clear link with 'red' twins (early) and 'yellow' twins (from day of making) - I prefer the scale of the yellow pair

Strongest image in this shot is more the one with the whole figure, feet closest to the viewer due to its ambiguity

I enjoyed making the 'books' and how they would make the viewer physically engage with work - however the imagery is not as strong as in some of the other pieces

Oil in progress development from day of making twins - I much prefer the quality of oil as it allows you to gradually build layers of colour

From these compositions, the ones which work best are those with feet as they have potential to be set in context - this is a huge move for me in terms of composition

'I need to think carefully about what makes me choose my ‘model’ as my figures seem to be representations of self ' (Tutorial Report)

This is an observation which is frequently made which we discussed in my most recent tutorial with A. With my overview of the work it is clear that I prefer depicting girls and women - this is because I find their faces more versatile and my ideas about gender fluidity and identity sit more comfortably with female form. The choice of blond hair is not deliberate, but may be as I often choose red, yellow and blue as my core painting colours. The age of the subject is partly dictated by my contemporaries, partly ideas about adolescence and change, partly children and play. I need to explore what impact different types of subject would have on the meaning of my work.

'I need to look at the context of images and the environment that the figures inhabited.' (Tutorial Report)

Although I admire the surface of paintings, I am attracted to more photographic works. This may be because the subjects are placed in context which implies a narrative, often ambiguous. I will continue to try and place my figures in context during the next unit, building on The Yellow Wallpaper reference, and other environments.

Small group crits: 1st March, 19th April, 26th April

Although it was difficult to schedule in meetings with the others, the meetings we did have were supportive and valuable. There were other opportunities during the unit to meet and review work with others so it worked well having two of our meetings towards the end of the project as we were able to review the progress we had made and discuss what we might do next as this arose as a mutual area of concern.

How can I take my work from the Exploratory Project back towards painting? (Small Group Crit)

James Fisher - I Quaked Like The Ague

We discussed ways of incorporating layers into painting through building up layers to create an ethereal appearance. J suggested that I look at the work of James Fisher http://jamesfisher.eu/entercollection for surface and narrative. I really like the softness of some of the paintings, in particular 'I quaked like the Ague' and others on page 6.

We also discussed using lighting to explore superimposition and shadow and possibly investigating linen to paint on. I have quickly experimented with overlaying on an existing painting and photograph to screen sections off but intend to try layering different painted images with figures.

I also plan to try 'peopling' a space through repetition and crowding - building on what I have been reading in 'Crowds and Power'.