Looking at the surface of things, an endless preoccupation. As any of you who know me, or have seen my Instagram page, you will know how I am fascinated with surfaces and maps, both literal and figurative.
I’ve always been interested in seeing the history captured on or within a surface, object or place. That history can been can be seen in how surface layers have been deliberately applied, in different colours or textures, or how our presence is seen in incisions or marks in the surface.
On a recent trip back home to Australia I was rereading my Honours thesis and remembered how I was talking about the same things then, albeit mark-making in different ways within layers of paint and encaustic. I would not describe the written piece as particularly well done or interesting and it is indicative of my youthful state (I was only just 21), but it does explore building and then stripping back layers, and how the history of making the object was an important as the finished result.
It did remind me that surfaces and marks have been an area of fascination for a long time. It’s funny that I have gone into arts conservation, where reading the history of the object in layers and seeing the different treatments on a work is part of what I do every day.
A friend of mine has a tendency to see faces in everything, he is always saying ‘look at that person’ and I can’t see it. Apparently, it is called face pareidolia, which is seeing a face in everyday objects.
I do the same thing with landscapes: I see mountains and seascapes and clouds in patches of walls or the ground, or rust patterns on an old car, as was recently the case on a street in New York. It is said that Leonardo da Vinci did this too, so I have something in common with him! Not that I imagine he saw the rusty car but I digress…
If they are not landscapes, they are abstract patterns of light and shade that I find equally interesting – gestural marks and contrasts just appearing by accident, and often creating beautiful compositions that I would love to make.
My way is using my collages, where I cut larger pieces down to create new compositions. The cut-down sections can isolate a particular mark or shape which has that sense of movement or spontaneity I am looking for. These collages often take a very long time to create: I look at them for days or weeks and constantly rearrange them.
Below are some examples and of course you can see more in my Gallery Page here.
FURTHER FAVOURITES FROM MY TRAVELS
Keep an eye out for my next post about pathways; I have just returned from Australia after being away since 2018 and I found lots to think about there.
Here is a little taste of
Walking Lines and Pathways
I find the dichotomy of paths in the mountains interesting. A path is a human or animal construct which can be damaging as it forces wear and traffic into a specific area, but it can also help to maintain the environment by ensuring less of the wider landscape is impacted. In Australia one doesn’t want to go off the path as it can damage incredibly delicate eco-systems, plus snakes can be hiding there!
In other areas I have been, the path can misdirect water flow, or cause erosion where there would have been none. I certainly don’t pretend to know the answers but I do my best to be aware of my environment and minimise the marks of my passing. Then I go back into the studio and try to evoke that feeling of space and lines passing through it.
To be continued…
