Deep Enlightenment
In 2013 I completed a two week Artist Residency at The Water Tower just outside of Brigstock, near Kettering. It was a perfect environment. I was able to be completely submerged and involved within my working process during the time I was there. I felt deeply enlightened after spending time here, and saw the residency as a sort of spiritual journey. When I was there I used the studio every day, and most days I was creating work from around 9 in the morning until about 10:30 or 11 o'clock at night.
I began to think about my practice and relate it to faith, belief and religion. I started examining the relationship of the artist with their art and comparing it to that of the relationship between someone who has faith in a religion or a God. Although I am not religious myself, I am interested in the aspects of religion, and in the themes of faith and belief, which also inform my work. I started trying to create a visual language, which the audience would be able to interpret through imagery rather than text. I see art as a very powerful tool and believe in it like a religious person would believe in a God.
Carving lino became like a meditation or a chant to me and helped me to free my mind, concentrate and enjoy the task. It became like a hypnotic state, trance or addiction of some sort. I kept thinking to myself, 'I'll stop after I finish this little bit,' and then I would still continue, 'just a little bit more'! Until I had created a suite of 10 lino blocks.
I began to think about my practice and relate it to faith, belief and religion. I started examining the relationship of the artist with their art and comparing it to that of the relationship between someone who has faith in a religion or a God. Although I am not religious myself, I am interested in the aspects of religion, and in the themes of faith and belief, which also inform my work. I started trying to create a visual language, which the audience would be able to interpret through imagery rather than text. I see art as a very powerful tool and believe in it like a religious person would believe in a God.
Carving lino became like a meditation or a chant to me and helped me to free my mind, concentrate and enjoy the task. It became like a hypnotic state, trance or addiction of some sort. I kept thinking to myself, 'I'll stop after I finish this little bit,' and then I would still continue, 'just a little bit more'! Until I had created a suite of 10 lino blocks.
A Higher Power
I took inspiration from the concept of Chakras. There are seven of them in each individual, corresponding to different areas of the body, in a colum from the base of the spine to the top of the head, each with its own colour. According to tradition, each Chakra can effect psychological and physical health within everyone; the chakras have to be balanced. Although I am not an expert in this realm, by any means, I found the concept very interesting and I kept it in mind while I was making.
Places of worship often use banners to communicate a message from a higher power. I enjoy creating work on a big scale as I love the impact it has.
Places of worship often use banners to communicate a message from a higher power. I enjoy creating work on a big scale as I love the impact it has.
The Drop
Developing large work on paper has become difficult and very stressful for me to transport around, so I created a fabric banner to express myself and find a release through the process of making the artwork, just as believers do through praying. The video below shows the moment we dropped the banner from The Water Tower.
Movement
The breeze in the air gave the fabric movement. It seemed to give the design a new kind of life.
A Gallery of The Banner
The prints on the fabric are inspired by Arabic calligraphy which, I think, uses beautiful forms and shapes, even though I can't read any of it! Although this is what the banner means to me I welcome suggestions and love hearing what each individual understands and takes from what they see.
Each image can be viewed larger and in more detail by clicking on the thumbnails below
Each image can be viewed larger and in more detail by clicking on the thumbnails above
Hopes and Dreams
After looking at the themes of Faith and Belief I started thinking about hopes and dreams and how the two connect in different ways. Often, in religious establishments and situations or rituals, candles are lit as a symbol of the lord enlightening darkness; therefore giving hope to the believer. In my own opinion, the light that the candle disperses is very organic, warming and calming, and does seem to possess some kind of life of its own, as well as a fragility; if it is neglected or a breeze blows in its direction with too much force, it will extinguish the flame and it will die.
Each image can be viewed larger and in more detail by clicking on the thumbnails below
Each image can be viewed larger and in more detail by clicking on the thumbnails above
The Wall
During a Private View at one of our shows a friend was complimenting my work in the exhibition. We chatted and by the end of the evening we decided that he would let me know the measurements of a wall in his house and I would design a piece to fit! I was really excited to get started as ideas for the piece started springing in to my mind very quickly. I planned to combine the Faith and Belief lino tiles, together with the Growth and Process pattern. The opportunity to work on such a large scale filled me with motive, which I used as fuel to drive the project and got straight to work as soon as possible.
I have always been interested in the placement of artwork and how this affects the viewer and their opinions of the work. If a framed piece is hung in a swanky gallery space it is seen mainly by people specifically interested in 'Art'. If a piece is placed outside in the environment it is accessible for everyone, whether they possess vast knowledge in the subject or not, the work is set free. Yet this placement may effect the opinion of the viewer who would look at the same piece of art in the gallery in a totally different way. I made this piece to challenge and question the positioning of an art piece and how it affects different people's opinions.
I have always been interested in the placement of artwork and how this affects the viewer and their opinions of the work. If a framed piece is hung in a swanky gallery space it is seen mainly by people specifically interested in 'Art'. If a piece is placed outside in the environment it is accessible for everyone, whether they possess vast knowledge in the subject or not, the work is set free. Yet this placement may effect the opinion of the viewer who would look at the same piece of art in the gallery in a totally different way. I made this piece to challenge and question the positioning of an art piece and how it affects different people's opinions.
Each image can be viewed larger and in more detail by clicking on the thumbnails below
Each image can be viewed larger and in more detail by clicking on the thumbnails above
Three Pillars
Another piece that came from this project was Three Pillars. Using the same lino block plates I created a 3D Wall piece. In a lot of religious buildings you can see pillars - representing a higher power. I tried to combine these in this piece and showed in in my MA show and at Cambridge Artworks during their Summer Open Studio Exhibition.