Even with a busy 9-5 schedule, I’ve managed to find some time to experiment. I focus on recovery and taking care of my well-being during downtime. I’ve experimented with creating new items, like transforming my paint skins into brooches, necklace pendants, and cuff links.
I’ve also been painting with alcohol inks and love the wispy ethereal abstract results I get.
I’ve started to understand the ethos of my mark-making. This allows me to start asserting the components of an artist statement for my creations. It’s all about providing an opportunity to focus on the mess.
What do you think about choosing art that portrays the reality of messy situations vs clear, crisp representations of things? It speaks to my critical realism.
The AI created the above featured image after a few attempts of not getting it quite right. I then asked it to show me an image of a black woman doing finishing touches to artwork and photography. I give it 8/10 this week.
This week I was able to do finishing touches, like mounting an abstract painting on paper onto canvas and setting up for product photography. I also completed the remaining x15 A5 sized artworks on art board.
Doing product photographySome of the x 15 abstract collaged monograms sculpted paintskins on canvas board
Love this mixed abstract painting using acrylic inks on paper mounted on framed canvas.
It has taken over a year to complete the series of about 30 + mixed media artwork featuring paint skins for texture. I’m also glad to have come up with the concept of paint skin to create abstract versions of the monogram underpainting.
Making an abstract monogram from sculpted paint skins
I love the interesting mix of textures that the offset mosaic like arrangement in the colleage creates.
The knife-sculpted paint skin allows me to extend the boundaries of the canvas, reminding me of overgrown nails. 💅🏽, which I later trimmed down. This has inspired future works.
The featured image above was generated by AI after it analysed all the images on this post. Interesting 🧐 not sure I like it this week.
Now that all the lamps have their feet attatched the look is completed. I like that the feet echo the organic black shapes in the poured skin that surflaces the barrel of the lamp.
In creating a series of painted and poured skins and assembling each onto lampshade making backing I first thouhgt I was a bit crazy, but I didnt mind because people had volunteered that they loved what I had created. I later discovered that I am not solitary in making sculpural forms out of paint integrating a clear foundation for a more etherial spirited look. I had learned about sculptural skins before as we were taught that in my mixed media class at Central Saint Martins. But I hadnt come across an artist who had had integrated the clarity of acrylic sheeting in their work.
Poured paint sculpture lamps: The first trio with all their feet fitted, allowing paintings to be formed into semi transparent tablelamps15 cm acrylic abstract poured on PVC formed to tablelamp signed on the back..20cm poured acrylic and ink laminated on PVC framed with black cotton formed to tablelamp
Yet, this week I found new company for this sculpural element of my artwork in the work of Lillian Thomas Burrell. This American artist born in 1927 and five years younger than my mother, wrote a book called From Painting to Painting as Sculpture: The Journey of Lilian Thomas Burwell, by Lilian Thomas Burwell, Hampton University Museum.1997. I have orded a signed copy of it.
I learned about her this week, when Kitty Gurnos-Davis of @artistic.identities posted a reel on IG (16th August 2024) talking about the work of Lilian Thomas Burwell (saying she was ashamed to not yet had discovered her). From watching this reel, I entered into a new world. My internet research took me on a journey. I discovered the images of her sculptures made of painting canvas over a wooden form. There are also images and videos of her use of acrylic sheets with wood in her paintings on canvas.
The Lillian Thomas Burrell exhibition at Berry Cambell Gallery from You Tube
My prior career as a management academic allows me to understand the importance of asserting and connecting with the seminal works in my field. I know that using paint skins is something that is a constant in all my work. Seeing and using paint’s sculptural potential is what only a few artists do. It was encouraging to digitally meet the work of Lilian Thomas Burwell this week. I’ve downloaded the book to discover more about this genre and even asked for a signed copy so I can have it to hand for future reference and inspiration..
I shall be making more of these poured paint sculpure lamps in other colours. Purple and gold was requested on instagram and I might do a deep red and organic green and even a yellow and blue later.
I was thinking 🧐 of contrasts and reducing my colour palette recently. Below are a couple of images where I played with new forms and hues. This week I was struck by the work of Mexican artist Sandra del Pilar and British artist Sahara Longe. Both seem to assert figures of humanity in subtle ways. I like how their figures seem to give way to the paint and colour form.
I visited Wales this week and happened to drive by Cardiff castle 🏯.
Cardiff Castle
I first noticed all the Japanese business people walking past and admiring the different gargoyles and statues on the castle as they walked hurriedly in their smart business dress. I too thought about the makers of the stone and metal castings and carvings. But I wondered about their daily toil. I imagined the working conditions of those aged artisans who made their creative marks luckily lasting 100s of years.
You must be logged in to post a comment.