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Reductive Abstraction

Nyah Willis

2020

‘Slowly and surely they become’

Oil paint on copper

20 x 30 cm

This piece speaks to the untamed patterns and scenes found in nature, how when left in peace they often become overgrown. I was interested in exploring this ever present relationship between the natural and the man made. A scene of nature (the natural) depicted on copper (the man made)...what happens when one is element is set to run free, however these two elements often interact and play off each other.

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I decided to approach copper painting a little differently this time and to focus on process first instead of how the piece may appear.

When working with copper it is important to keep the material in mind as it extremely reactive to what is applied to the surface and how. This time I decided to have chance control how I would approach the work. By sanding the surface first and then exposing it to bleach I created this splotchy pattern that can be observed in the copper (see second image). From there it became this almost ‘paint by numbers game’ of applying paint according to the shapes observed on the surface. In this way I would be giving up control to what the work would appeared as.

But obviously I was able to gain back some control with my choice in colour and where they were placed. The colours here were the same used in my previous copper painting, here the core colour was the greenish colour I created and mixing that particular colour with the original colours (phthalo green, prussian blue, cadmium red medium, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow deep hue and titanium white) used to create it.

Thus was my attempt into being as reductive as possible.

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Process of Reductive Abstraction

Though I was happy with my previous diptych painting on copper, I wanted to experiment with incorporating representation using the same or even similar technique. I thought the best way to go forward was to look into how other artists have approached this.

Ann Pollard

Copper Landscape

Acrylic on copper

19.7 W x 39.4 H x 1.6 in

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Copper-Landscape/1306/1243737/view

“Gold and copper showing lines and shapes showing through ochre and cream. Scraped and manipulated to create texture”

I really liked the simplicity of this painting and how the support was incorporated into the work (the scratching back into the surface) to reveal what was underneath. Though the mark making may seem random which it not might be, each seems to serve a purpose as with each line the landscape is revealed. The processes Pollard elected to use and fairly muted colour palette speak to reduction abstraction techniques.

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Expansive Abstraction

Nyah Willis

2020

‘Out of cracks and crevices they grow’

Concrete shells with native Australian flowers contained inside

8 X 10, 9 x 12, 13 x 4, 9 x 11, 12.5 x 14 cm (from left to right)

This work explores the relationship between the man-made and the natural by utilising objects from both these domains. Inspired by the work of Jamie North, I sought to reinvent the idea of a vase not only in the way it looks but also in how it cannot fulfil it’s own purpose as a container. It may appear to sustain the life of the flowers unlike most vases this one cannot hold water and would most probably damage it.

Mimicking the weeds that grow from the cracks in the pavements, it speaks to how though the flowers may have been intentionally placed they represent resilience and hope as they spring forth whilst the concrete will ultimately crumble with it’s own fragility.

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Jamie North

Terraforms Exhibition

2015

Sarah Cottier Gallery

Right Image Installation View

Left Image Details of The Inconstant Ones 2014 cement, marble waste, steel slag, coal ash, plastic fibre, tree fern slab, various Australian native plants and Spanish moss 223 x 26 x 26cm and 191 x 26 x 26cm

http://www.sarahcottiergallery.com/exhibition/103/multiartist/JAMIE_NORTHTerraforms5_June___5_July__2014.htm#e103

“Terraforming refers to the deliberate manipulation of an environment to make it capable of sustaining life. This series of sculptures include a set of marble and concrete pillars containing native Australian plants...such as trailing vines, orchids and lithophytes. Crafted by hand, each pillar can be seen as a painting in which the discarded products of heavy industry are given new life; transformed from the realm of waste to that of art.” - Monika Mróz

https://www.ignant.com/2016/06/27/jamie-north-fills-concrete-with-australian-plants/

What struck me most by Jamie North’s work is the way it has reimagined the image of the vase; this time not just as as a vessel for nature but speaks to something more meaningful such as how the man made and the natural interact with each other when forced.

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When conceptually thinking about vases, the main purpose is to hold flowers and bring an element of nature into the domestic setting. It is almost this process of taming nature. But upon a walk I discovered a crack in the pavement in which a weed was growing out of, such a small thing but with such perseverance...and with that nature found it’s way.

This small occurence sparked my interest in exploring the relationship between the natural and the man made, much like how a vase incorporates these two elements.

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Ceramic Experiment Continued

Further experiments into exploring the form of the a vase.

Aesthetically pleasing in finish they may be but not the final direction that I would like to achieve. I decided to delve into what a vase is and it’s meaning. It is a decorative item used to display flowers. It is a container that holds water. And thus I decided this would be a interesting place to move forward.

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Reducing colour and shape experiments based on my assemblage.

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Process image capturing the movement of paint.

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My approach to all things convergent moved to focus on colour, with particular interest in how they interact together and can be used to form abstractions.

The colours that I explored were phthalo green, prussian blue, cadmium red medium, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow deep hue and titanium white, which I referenced from the colours present from the vases seen in my assemblage. I carefully mixed them to form this pale green sage colour; a convergent made from the physical action of combining and unifying differences.

This colour was a result of active reduction but how could it be used in a meaningful way? My first thought was that it could used to make a monochromatic painting but as this has already been explored I thought that perhaps more interestingly I could demonstrate on a macroscopic level this colour being formed. The result of this experiment can be seen in the first and third image, which I think was ultimately successful as it depicts the movement and “drama” of pigments mixing together. This diptych was made on a pair of gold metal plates and mimics a paint palette in use.

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Week 9 - Convergent and Reductive Approaches

This week I was most struck by Carmen Herrera’s approach to perfecting simplicity in her practice with the use of geometric shapes, built on the idea that “less is more”. I thought identifying the shapes that exist in my assemblage would be a useful first step into experimenting with convergent.

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Kai Althoff

Blümli (period, paragraph, Blümli)

January 15 – March 5, 2011

515 West 24th Street

https://www.gladstonegallery.com/exhibition/87/blumli-period-paragraph-blumli/installation-views

A viewer of the exhibition stated that "The images herein depict mundane and fantastic situations enacted by human and animal souls, figures ill and ecstatic about the situations they have been granted...their wills, like twisted wicks, burn distinct but unified fires. They are composed of several species but they cannot tell themselves apart, awakening loathsome blood in the veins of each body....these acts set the figures at odds with their surroundings, as flowers ill through winter’s scour."

I think what most struck me about Althoff’s installation was the grandeur of it all, almost as if the artist was personally inviting you into his world forcing you to delight in all the colour and textures. Each work is carefully positioned impacting how the viewer moves within the space, which I would like to replicate perhaps in miniature for my assessment 2 task.

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Week 8 - Divergent and Expansive Approach

Thus far within this course I have been experimenting mainly with the traditional method of paint on paper. Though there is nothing wrong with such an approach, after some discussion Claire remarked how my experiments from last week (as pictured in the second image) would translate well on fabric and thus could be an interesting direction to move forward.

Upon reflection I decided to move back to working with different types of forms and surfaces much like how my assemblages incorporated found objects. This desire to make something more dimensional and structural came with the use of clay.

This experiment depicts a vase that you can spot in my third assemblage in terms of the similarity of shape and use of a floral pattern. It is this almost sequential approach of making, as from the assemblage came the painting based on the pattern of the vase which now with clay the vase too exists. In that way it is almost meta, how far or divergent or expansive can you take one element and reproduce it in different mediums.

The vase itself was made using air dry clay and constructed using the coil method, which I later smoothed over. However I unintentionally overworked the clay to the point cracks and crevices began to appear on the surface. The textural appearance however did add another dimension to the piece; on top of which additional pieces were later to mimic the floral pattern. I also decided to glaze the piece while also making the conscious decision to rub back in certain spots to reveal the terracotta coloured clay beneath; adding to the rustic appearance of the work.

The placement of the second image is almost comedic as it appears as if the vase once vibrant with colour was accidentally knocked over and with that the pattern spilt out onto the table.

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nyahwilliscofa

Understanding Visual and Text

I came across these books, which combined photography, text and paintings - which is what I am doing for my assessment however in the smaller form of a zine. These works assisted me in composition and understanding how valuable text can be when combined with visuals.

MARIA KALMAN & DANIEL HANDLER

1. The MOMA series, ‘Girls Standing on Lawns’ (2014) is this unique collaboration, that combines vintage photographs from MOMA’s collections and original paintings (Kalman) inspired by these photographs accompanied by text (Handler). This monumental publication displays “this shared fascination with anonymous snapshots and the rich lives, memories and stories they evoke.”

“Growing up, my house had two lawns. One lawn was for playing and taking pictures. My parents planted a tree when I was born and when my sister was born and we would take pictures…standing in front of the trees. The other lawn was for nothing.” - Daniel Handler

This publication references how this idea of standing on lawns and having your picture taken is something that is done and always has been, whereby we consider this act to be a normal and something almost ritualistic in nature. The photograph collection acts as evidence that has notion occurred for some time, while the paintings are humorous and playful depictions filled with vivid colours embodying the happiness of youth. However, the act of acknowledging that girls stand on lawns for their various reasons, gives this act meaning and new purpose that once seemed so trivial.

2. ‘Hurry Up and Wait’ (2015) the second volume in a series of collaboration similarly referencing this acknowledgement of human nature, more so ‘the human race’, how we are all busy going places in which we barely give ourselves time to stand still as we are always moving.

“How long can we stay here? We hurry around for a while and then it’s time to go. Time to go. Everybody says it. Time to go. And then we do.”- Daniel Handler

Some other considerations for my assessment include the title, as both “Girls Standing On Lawns” and “Hurry Up and Wait” are extremely successful in conveying their idea. The viewer will be influenced by the title as they view the series, therefore it must be carefully considered.

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Artist Reference

I enjoy this “combine” of photograph and painting being used by the following artists; as such this could inform the outcome of my own assessment 2 works.

Assemblage Painting 3 & 4

With expansive abstraction in mind I wanted to recreate the floral patterns observed in the third assemblage. The first painting references the background floral layer of the work but abstracted even further focusing purely on shape and colour. The second painting mimics the floral pattern found on the two vases and is busy in it’s placement. I think these experiments were successful however I would like to focus on composition in the future.

Assemblage Painting 1

This painting was made in taking the one element of colour from my first assemblage (purple, yellow, orange and blue) and is thus a reductive abstraction. I did like the almost blurring affect achieved - it was created by applying a base of white watercolour to which the four colours were then added. As an result of this excess of water the colours were forced to merge and bleed together. This experiment was successful however I would like to explore perhaps something more representational in the future.

Assemblage Painting 2

Similar to the previous experiment the process for this painting was done in the same manner however instead I referenced the floral motif seen in assemblage 2 instead of random acts of mark making. I think more detail could be achieved using this technique, however more experimentation would be needed.

Week 7 - Assemblages

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