Central St Martins, – Home Office Charm

Poured Paint Sculpture Lamps: Embracing New Artistic Influences and Future Creations

About My Art, Art Exhibition, Artists, Creativity, Home office decor ideas, Inspiration, Lillian Thomas Burwell, Making process, Poured painting

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 tablelamps*

*15 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.

What colour would you like to see?

Considering the art display situation: Is that so wrong?

Art-lessons, Creativity, Home office styling, Paintings

I was filming my art and editing the MP4 files for a long time (see picture below). Then after a week, I decided that I wouldn’t say I liked the movies and thought these images of the painting as originally imagined being placed (see the project showcase (https://homeofficecharm.com/portfolio/snaps-of-the-lampshades-in-situ-as-imagined/).

Image of black screenshot of my Camtasia editing. To illustrate how I edit my movies. — I used Camtasia to edit movies for reels but didn’t publish them in the end. I think IG might have an easier editing function. I’m sure Camtasia is great for other things.

All the editing gave me time to reflect. I make the paintings small so that people like me still doing online teaching or online meetings can adorn their shelves with some backlighting that will sit on the shelf. I know that as an artist, it is a big no-no to consider the end user. But I cannot help it. Just as you consider the support for the artwork, I believe you should also consider where your artwork will be placed in your home or office, probably because of my business background. And thus, I’ve always found it easy to imagine where people might place my art.

Increasing my Marks

Art-lessons, Creativity, Mixed media

I recently did an intense course at CSM. It was nice to return to UAL, but to be a student this time.

It made a nice change to discard my old identity as of teacher there and allow some time to learn new mixed media techniques and sharpen my painting focus.

The images show the canvases I am working on and the development of ideas.

The work includes photo transfer, collage, dropping, pouring, oils acrylic, resin, quartz, sand and using paint skins. It was good to have an established artist give voice to my ideas and my approach. I feel more confident in labelling and placing the context of my artwork and how it fits into artworks that have gone before.

I learned and developed my technique so much. It was fascinating to note how the choice of support, whether canvas, board, and the type of gesso, are also part of the media as they impact the overall effect and desired look and feel of the painting.

Watch this space (project showcase) for how the course will influence my future paintings. I’ve got so many ideas and cannot wait to share them with you.

On film

The college’s media person captured my making process and came back to ask if I would do an interview that they would film. I declined the interview for a range of personal reasons. But I am happy to say you might catch sight of my hands painting in the future ads and social media content for Central St Martins when they promote their courses.