MA Art & Design BCU

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#inktober2019 #freeze #4

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#inktober2019 #bait #3

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#inktober2019 #mindless #2

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#inktober2019 #ring #1

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Movement plays an important part of this work. Point of view and the movement of the viewer affects the subtlety of the image. 

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Testing in the space.

After trying out various different placements across the wall I settled on the location I felt fitted best in terms of the position and entrance of the viewer, where the light comes in, and the placement of the other artwork near my own. 

I also re tried different shades of white as well as application methods such as different type of brushes, and sponges. 

After settling on a shade I was happy with, I then layered this until the texture was different slightly from the wall - but not too much. 

Once this had dried I chose to add a small amount of acrylic polymer to add a subtle shine. To keep this subtle I chose to apply this using a sponge to keep a slight amount of texture - avoiding it getting too shiny compromising the subtlety of the work. 

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Jo Baer by Linda Boersma - BOMB Magazine

Jo Baer is the featured artist at The Artist’s Institute, where her abstract minimalism is paired with the spastic eroticism of Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven through May 22nd. Baer spoke to Linda Boersma in BOMB in Fall 1995.

Stations of the Spectrum (Primary) 1967–9  - Jo Baer

Looking into these artists that are exploring at similar concepts or display methods to me really helps me understand where my work falls in the art community. It gives my current style a name and genre. Which although not necessary - certainly helps with confidence. Which is an important element when exhibiting something so minimal. 

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Agnes Martin

"essay in discretion on inward-ness and silence".

When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not just in the eye. It is in the mind. It is our positive response to life. Agnes Martin

Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.                      Agnes Martin

Agnes Martin, Morning 1965

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Invisible art: the gallery hoax that shows how much we hate the rich

People love to lampoon a credulous art world, but the reaction to the fake invisible work of ‘Lana Newstrom’ shows just how repelled we are by its marketplace, writes Jonathan Jones

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As well as testing out the paint colours and placement on the exhibition wall I have also been trying out the perspex. 

I do really love how subtle this is. Its invisibility is given away as it catches the light, with further intrigue building when the realisation that there is an image etched quietly in the corner.

So easily missed. 

Although I do think this is an excellent example of the subtlety I am trying to achieve.  I also feel that there are a few too many elements to properly represent my current journey. Elements such as the light catching reflection, the change in the colour on the wall where the clear glass begins, the etched image, your own reflection and that of the room coming back at you, and also the elevation and the 3D feel as this comes out of the wall. The edges of the perspex create their own distraction. 

Because of this I feel there are too many elements to this - which rather than catching your attention in the right way, allowing for a moment of calm, wondering about the cup and its purpose, these things would just pass notice as it has so many elements, each one craving their own attention. 

This is still a part of the journey and will have its own resolve in the future, however, the resolve of my current line of enquiry is much better illustrated by the subtlety of the white on white using paint and the silhouette. 

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Testing white on white in the exhibition space. 

Playing with colour and placement as so much changes when you change the environment. Everything is coming across so differently than to when I was doing my testing at home. 

Taking this time to really consider the impact of this particular room, the artwork around it, the entrance of the viewer and the placement of the journey through the room, will really be a important factor in my work and make the difference in if a pause is achieved or not. 

More testing to do. 

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a little lost. 

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Becoming conscious unexpectedly.

just for a fleeting moment. 

Something that really helped me during this particular practice exploration were the stickers. I had these printed using my own images and then went about the town placing these in areas where people may pause briefly. Such as pedestrian crossings and traffic lights, near popular shop windows, etc. Taking the idea out of my own space and into the public eye brings me to consider how this could be perceived.

I purposely didn’t include any text on these images, the idea of a hashtag did cross my mind as a potential method of tracking the success of these. However, I am not trying to create a trending social media following. I am simply aiming to create a pause, the ambiguity of these images is part of the power, adding a hashtag gives them another purpose and takes away from the mystery and the wonderings of the viewer. I don’t need to know how they are performing. Not knowing is arguably more important than knowing.

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Laser Printing/Etching

I have had printed a series of small subtle cup images on perspex. 

I feel these could really give a different subtle edge for my work, I’ve really found this interesting and feel they really give a good effect when displayed directly over white. 

Although I really like the feel of these, I am interested to see how they work on a wall - and how they work specifically on the exhibition wall. The reflection aspect of it creates a disguise. Which in itself adds to the subtlety of the purpose.

However for his particular project I feel this may complicate when simplicity is potentially key. 

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Laser printing onto perspex

Another option I am testing and trying out is to laser print onto clear or white perspex. 

I feel that this could be another very different but still incredibly subtle method of capturing the viewers attention. 

I have so far started tests for this, but I have more images and perspex to try this out on - this is just the beginning of this particular direction. Next week I hope to resolve this particular trial. 

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Stancil and shade testing

I feel that I am getting closer to the subtle shade of off white that I am after. Testing on this large painted wooden board is helping me get a feel for how this will look on the wall in the exhibition space. I found that the colours I thought tested well on the paper did not work well on the wall - they were far too dark and took away from the white on white concept and the subtle edge was not there. 

So once I got onto the board I then started to mix more and more white in until I got to the most subtle shade that still allows me to see the image I am painting. I will keep trailing these shade and using the stencils till I find the right shape and colour for this piece. 

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Stencil Practice

I’ve tried my first stencil. Using an off white paint.

I have taken into consideration the texture on the wall in the exhibition space. The space I have been given has an incredibly textured wall. So although it would be impactful to use the same colour as the wall but in a gloss, or perhaps just a varnish. I feel like this would be too subtle as the texture wall may hide the image. For future exhibitions using a smooth wall this may be a way I can go. 

But taking my environment into consideration within my practice is part of being an artist. So I have chosen to use an off white gloss colour on a white matte wall. I feel this retains just the right amount of subtlety yet still allows this to be picked up by passers by. I am trying this out on an equally textured wooden sheet that I have painted white.

The first stencil I have tried uses a square and then the cup in the corner of the square. 

I actually really like this template and I have a feeling it may be my favorite...hence why I tried it first. However I will try other stencils to really get a feel for the scope I can get on this line of enquiry. 

The colour however needs some work as I find this colour too yellow - and also a bit too far from white. It therefore doesn't really communicate well with my concept. I will therefore try some other variation of off white using acrylic paint and wall paint testing until I find the right shade