Post 52 - July Seminar

The concept of collage—whether fully integrated, partially applied, or simply associated with different works—is central to all of my pieces. This involves creating compositions that allow the merging of previous works, building and constructing new forms from these "illicit" combinations.

I have now stretched the canvas Window, wall and dream (Fig 1.), made in demo and have been referring to it in the studio, using it as a lodestar to guide my next paintings.

Fig 1

Window wall and dream

1450x 1600mm

household paint, oil and canvas

2024

I am allowing my own work to influence me focusing on the next 3 paintings adhering to a set of rules imposed on myself in the run up to November.

The Rules

1. Work with collaged elements that are taken from my own drawing and painting past work

2. Work to 3 sizes only

• 1450 x 1600 mm with sewn together panels and then stretched

• 1650 x 1800 mm already stretched canvases

• A3 paper works ink, pencil, paint on canvas and paper in book format

3. The methodology remains the same for all of them, start painting on the ground, then on wall, rotating the support once a day whilst painting, pre-made pallette of predominantly 2 warm and 1 cool or 2 cool and 1 warm colours, initial en plein air drawings become the basis for the start, compositions inspired by the walk to the studio.

See Fig 2 as an example of painted canvas cut and sewn together.

Fig 2

Park 1

1000mm x 3.200mm

canvas and house hold paint, acrylic, pencil and collage

Another important question raised during the assessment was how important was the ‘book’ I had created, was it a sketch book of ideas to use for work, or was it an artwork in its own right? (Fig 3)

Fig 3

Atlas

Upon reflection the drawings made in this book and others will serve as inspiration for larger compositions. I still feel that the book is an artefact as well, as the drawing-collages made within it remain a response to the material is made from, (an old out of date New Zealand topographical encyclopaedia). However for the purpose of creating my new paintings I have decided to focus on the composition and materiality that the Atlas and the Window, wall and dream have.

There is a contrasting feeling of emptiness and fullness to both works and an imprint of body movement.

In order to align these works in conversation with contemporary abstract female artists I am interested in those whose work speaks with mine. I am looking at UK artists Pam Evelyn, Sarah Cunningham, Phoebe Unwin, Aimee Parrott, Jade Fadojutimi, NZ Emma McCarthy, Shara Hughes, USA Amy Silman and Austrian Martha Junwirth.

Martha Junwirth

Martha Jungwirth has developed a unique approach to abstraction over the past six decades, deeply rooted in her observations and experiences. Her paintings exist in an intuitive space, revealing themselves through a process that balances chance and calculation. Drawing inspiration from personal encounters, art history, and global events, Jungwirth's works convey a strong sense of self, capturing fleeting impulses with vivid colors and leaving marks like finger strokes and scratches as records of her presence. (Fig. 1)

Martha Jungwirth. Ohne Titel (Kongo), from the series "Porte Dorée." 2023. Oil on paper on canvas, 142 x 242 cm

My work shares similarities with Martha Jungwirth's in its interest in expressive mark-making that responds to the world around me. However, Jungwirth's work appears sparser and more decisive than mine, not only due to her experience but also by design. In contrast, I employ a technique of layering and scraping back, which reflects my uncertainty about how I feel and perceive the world.