Art Behind The Screen

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Steph’s work

I have always loved art, my mum often reflects back to me as a child sat in the kitchen (“in the way”) with a big role of wallpaper across the table that I would be drawing and painting on all day, everyday till I was too tired to do any more. As I have grown up and am now 21, I see art as my outlet for my emotions and love to use it to try and portray important topics that I want the audience to question. I’m definitely one for using all kinds of mediums including paint, pencil, clay, video, photos, dark room photography, music and even felt. Currently I’ve got two types of art going on, my personal artwork were I am painting a series of portraits that reflect mood and mental health and my university work that is looking into how the media portrays men and women through the ages. Using video montage and picture editing to get my desired effect on each piece of found Hollywood footage.

I am very interested in mood and atmosphere and I have always thought that pictures and videos capture this the best, especially old found footage or photos. I am particularly interested in the way that film and image can show history and what has and hasn’t changed, because of this I have been studying how men and women are represented in the media from the 1940s to present day. Taking inspiration from Tracey Moffatt’s work ‘Love’, I create short films that use a montage of found footage comparing the modern media to the old. My current practice has made me reflect on myself as a female and how I feel about being objectified just because of my gender, in this piece I’m showing how I now view some men. Covering up pieces of the face and using the brain to symbolise how some men think, exploring the old fashioned way of viewing women by using an old Hollywood photo.

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Meet Steph!

Hey I’m Steph and this piece of work is about how SOME men view women. (I’m not saying every man) but I am studying the way the media portrays men and women and very often it objectifies women and gives men the dominant role. 

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Maria’s work - Paintings

Form has always inspired my works in particular natural formations such as those from rocks. Moving on from my inspiration with the blue john caverns, I developed new inspiration from the rock formations present at Brimham Rocks; from there I interpreted the formations to develop smaller compositions created from coloured charcoal I then recomposed these formation into larger compositions and worked into them further. I love the organic forms layered through the pieces and the muted colour palette only adds to the organic nature of the work.

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Maria’s work - Mushroom Prints

I discovered the intricate formation on the underside of the portobello mushroom and desired to use this organic formation within my work. After printing with them using various mediums I discovered that the mushrooms created their own more intricate print onto the page and made the decision to introduce the natural, organic prints onto my work. I love the unpredictability and organic structure of these prints the imperfections of each formation only adds to the natural aspect of the work.

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Meet Maria!

Hi, I am Maria, I am an aspiring artist studying fine art at York St John University. I tend to be inspired by natural forms and use these to influence my work. I use various techniques to create my compositions and enjoy discovering new methods of working for example my most recent works are incorporating the natural print formation generated from mushrooms juxtaposed against the natural forms created using charcoal inspired by rock formations.

I would describe myself as an overall happy person who loves to socialise and that my creative tendencies are present and influential throughout my life.

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Amy’s rendered video of her artwork! 

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Amy’s work

As an artist, I aspire to create work that not only speaks to me, but to others too as I want my art to be universal. Since my work is not necessarily representational, it demands an excellent composition as this gives my artwork structure. Before I start a final piece, I make a mind map, sketch and create smaller ideas to work from, this helps me figure out what material, sizes and colour should be placed. I am multi-disciplined, and use a range of different techniques including, material manipulation, mark making, colour, light and shadows.

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Meet Amy!

Hi! My name is Amy, I study Fine Art at York st John’s, I’m a fun loving, playful artist who to experiment with materials, paint and light. My work is entwined within my life as I love exploring throughout the outdoors.

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Sophie’s work

The concept of communicating a pathetic fallacy through various dreamlike water scenes and layering these with incomplete figurative paintings is an integral element of my practice. These are built up in multiple layers, with double exposures which combine watercolour paintings with photography and other contrasting and reflective materials to emphasise a disconnect through each separate layer. Figures are painted facing away, looking down and with a general absence of eye contact again to reinforce this disconnect. There is a sense of absence from reality and being lost in oneself; the figure simply washes away with the water.

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Meet Sophie!

Hey, I’m Sophie! I also study Fine Art, and I guess you could say that I’m slightly obsessed with water? I’m a lil’ bit awkward and tend to zone out, I daydream - a lot - which probably translates through my work to some extent too? The ability to live like water seems like a pretty incredible concept…

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Grace’s work

My practice explores the everyday, how we view it and our personal connection to our surroundings. Focusing on capturing texture, lines, pattern, and shadows that we pass but do not notice. I use these motifs within drawing, collage, and sculpture to translate and represent the everyday and my connections to the world. This piece was made in collaboration with Mia Ferullo. It combines our different practices, method, and ideas we have had when looking at the same subject matter. This piece involves a collage of my own lines and drawings in different mediums, which are responses and traces of not only the subject matter but Mia’s portraiture, projections, and drawing. By collaging and layer these drawing together it is a combination of ideas and traces of moments.

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Meet Grace!

Hi, I’m Grace and am 20, studying Fine Art. My practice mainly revolves around sculpture, collage and drawing though often delves into other mediums as well! When not making art, I love to learn any new craft skill I can, cooking, and singing around the house (badly to the annoyance of those I live with!).

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Beth’s works

‘My practice stems from a deep enjoyment of using art as a playful way to explore material, thoughts and the world around us through bodily interactions. These interactions are how we learn as children and I really want to tap into that way of thinking when I create my work. I work with many different materials, always looking to use what I can find around me, recently this has included packaging (from all the lockdown Amazon purchases), white emulsion, charcoal and paint. Through these I create work that is focused on gesture and marks as well as concepts such as balance, contradictions and concealment. I like to think of the forms and marks that appear in my work as creeping across the surface that I’m working on,altering and exploring it. This results in interactions between busy and white space which is something that is a reoccurring theme within my practice. The addition of white emulsion to my more recent endeavours into texture has produced pieces which investigate the covering up of past happenings, which still occasionally peak through.’

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Meet Beth!

Hi! I’m Beth, I’m an artist studying Fine Art in York. I have a mixed media practice which primarily includes drawing and painting, and focuses on themes such as gesture, mark making and exploring the world through bodily interactions. I also love coffee and cats.

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Mia’s Work

‘This work is part of a collaboration with Grace Derry, that combines our different styles of drawings in relation to the same subject matter. I have experimented with different layering and compositions. This piece is a painting that includes a distorted portrait against an abstract background that is inspired by Grace’s drawings. I always use blue within my work as I find it’s the best colour to make either really subtle or very bold, depending on the medium. ‘

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Meet Mia!

Hello, I’m Mia Ferullo and I’m a 20-year-old art student studying at York St John University. My practice revolves around translating performance into paintings/ drawings. My work links in my personal interests of music and theatre and uses these to manipulate how I am presented to the world.

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Sabby’s work

Pregnancy in Isolation By Sabby J

5″ x 7″

Top: Block ink on newspaper print

Middle: Tracing paper, dry flowers and ink

Bottom: Tracing paper layered ontop of newspaper and black and white pen

‘My works are pages from my personal journal. I’ve kept and written in journals for as long as I can remember, and they hold significant values to me. These artworks are influenced by my journey of being pregnant; specifically expressing the changes I’ve experienced throughout my body, how I have dealt with them and come to love it even more.’