Link 23
I watched the video by Jessica Stockholder a few months back and I felt it was beyond my understanding. After a few months away from art I have returned with different eyes (well that would be weird so let’s just say I have returned with a different perspective) and I now can see meaning in Jessica Stockholder’s thinking.
Our lives and education almost dictate the purpose of an object. In fact our thinking becomes almost linear and objects become pigeonholed into a singular function when the qualities of an object should be valued in the same way that you would value the qualities of paint.
Jessica Stockholder uses objects for their qualities rather than function. Therefore her work takes on a new meaning. She spoke about paint being ephemeral and embodied and when we see something that is manufactured we see its colour like a skin. In other words we expect to see that object in a particular colour and with a singular function. I don’t necessarily agree with her train of thought that, although we are different we want things to be ‘samey’. While Jessica stockholder takes these ‘samey’ things and gives them a new role, I think we simply accept that the object has one function and most people do not have a desire to change or challenge that. For example, I don’t particularly like plastic objects so I am not interested in giving it a new purpose. Being an eco-friendly person I would gladly get rid of most plastic goods. From a very practical point of view I would recycle, reuse and renew when the object is otherwise done.
Link 24
Katharina Grosse linked poetry to her work. She felt that language influences her and gives her work depth. Her greatest passion rests on how she sees the value of colour. Grosse felt that colour should not define an object and that colour should remove the boundaries of an object. Her feeling that concept and line somehow are seen as more important than colour has driven her to explore it without the boundaries of shape and line. I think that her notion that colour can remove boundaries so that there is no subject-object relationship is similar to Jessica Stockholder’s notion of redefining objects that are otherwise defined by shape and colour.
In terms of my own work, I enjoyed using other objects to paint with. ‘Painting on the round’ made me think of my collection of objects as an integral part of my painting. Phyllida Barlow uses plaster and cement in her paintings when she explores how they pour, build up and move. I like using texture in my work. I used plaster along with a texture medium on my painting of the sea on a piece of board. I also used crushed shells and sand to create texture. Since then I have painted a seascape using seaweed, sand, shells, dried grass, jute and sea glass. The textures embodied the place and gave the painting a sense of ownership of its place in space.
I also used glue when ‘painted’ it onto parchment, sprayed it black, stuck it onto a fabric cone and dropped paint onto the spaces between the glue. My son, who has dyspraxia liked the idea of painting with glue. We painted a performance piece of art using sticks after I studied the work of Tony Orrico. Influenced by the shapes that Orrico created, we painted our picture with glue. It was highly satisfying to see the pleasure my son got from his success. When Katharina Grosse uses colour to remove boundaries I understand the need to remove boundaries and explore the possibilities of colour, in the same way that my son needs to remove boundaries in order reduce the sense of limitations. I think using texture and painting on the round has made me want to explore sculpture. Not necessarily right now but in the future. I am interested to see how I can use texture in a flatbed painting. Does the texture always have to make connections? Can the texture be about a feeling rather than a representation?
Tuttle uses fabrics, wood, wire, card and paint in his work. I love the sense of now in his paintings as he conceptualises everyday life events bringing also a sense of his presence in his work.
When I looked at my own painting I struggled to see how paint defined boundaries. The shapes I painted on were infinite…360˚
I wanted my painting to be like this because it suggested the circle of life. I think the placement of the objects defined the boundaries. Yet, I wanted the ground around to feel as if it came inwards and went outwards from the painting.
Moving round the pieces I felt a little overwhelmed. There is a huge sense of history in my pieces. I felt privileged (and still do) to live in such a beautiful, diverse planet. I think it is amazing to be surrounded by such a huge range of plants, animals, rocks, shells, sea, seasons and nature. Walking through the objects I felt so connected. I am me, and one day I will be a part of the earth in the same way that my objects are.
Looking inwards, makes me happy. Looking at each piece and seeing how nature has ravished them gives me a sense of their journey. My painted pieces were done with love and respect of nature and I have a strange feeling of belonging in my painting.
It was quite difficult to place the objects because I felt they all had great importance. The seasons were the nucleus of my ideas so no matter what, I felt that this piece had to be somewhere in the middle of the work.
It is my hope that my passion for nature can be seen in my work.
elainewilsonart1 