Research Blog: Entry 1

 I’m currently halfway through my second year of a Fine Art degree, and have so far produced a body of work that covers traditional painting and sculpture, alongside modern videographic and digital media. As an impulsive and easily distracted individual, I rarely plan out my projects prior to execution. Nevertheless, by looking back at these works, a vague pattern can be discerned within my poor organisation, exposing the underlying decisions and thought processes. I’ve always enjoyed drawing and creative projects, so attending a course that allows me to focus on these adventures has profoundly impacted my ability to combine materials and craft them into a personal expression of my own imagination.
 My favourite exercise is attempting to draw from within, to capture that which is immaterial and unseen. Most of my paintings have been influenced by the techniques of contemporary artists working within the surrealist movement of Abstract Expressionism. Their emphasis on spontaneous, automatic, and subconscious creation, almost perfectly reflects my own haphazard work ethic of following intuition over organisation.

Abstract Expressionists value expression over perfection, vitality over finish, fluctuation over repose, the unknown over the known, the veiled over the clear, the individual over society and the inner over the outer. (Seitz, 1984)

 I’ve always found that the hardest part of creating a new piece of work has been the start, whether it be standing in front of a blank canvas, or opening a new document on my computer. Much like jumping off the highest diving board at a swimming pool, I have to clear my mind and step forth with blind faith, so that once I’m in the air my momentum will carry me forward. In that rush of limbo between jump and splash, my subconscious responses guide my hand and create the imprint of something I simply couldn’t have predicted or expected. Although it may sound pretentious, this is a coping mechanism that carries me from the stage of ideas to execution.
 Since I don’t plan my projects in advance, my usual method of preparation is gathering objects that aren’t essential or necessary but that contain potential. Whilst walking though streets and charity shops, I’m always scouring and rummaging around to find those diamonds in the rough, and unwanted or forgotten objects that call to me. This desire to breathe new life into unconventional materials that have lost their meaning by giving them a purpose and incorporating them into my work echoes another contemporary art movement, called Arte Povera. Their use of impoverished materials attempted to break down the hierarchies of “art” and common things.
 By now it should be obvious that I’m still uncertain about my own intentions for projects in the future. Throughout the remainder of this art course, I hope to somewhat develop my planning process by focussing on an initial theme or idea that improves the coherence of my works’ interpretation by a wider audience. I’d also like to collaborate with other artists to gain insight and experience from external influences. Reading about art history and theory has improved my technical vocabulary but now my overarching goal is to begin exercising this knowledge by communicating with other artists and work towards creating a diverse portfolio of diverse and impactful works.

References

Seitz, W. (1984). Abstract Expressionist Painting in America. Cambridge: Harvard U.P. for National Gallery of Art.