Initial Proposal

One of the primary things I want to do with this course, I think, is to develop processes 

and techniques for generating more specific starting points, and also ways of working that are more experimental and developmental; rather than outcome focussed.  I feel that my primary problem is being interested in lots of things, and having very broad and complex underlying themes.  This lack of specificificity makes it hard to find a subject on which to focus, or to choose a starting point and parameters to work with.  This causes some inertia and a feeling of not knowing what to do or how to express  myself.  This is not helped by being interested in a variety of media and processes, but not having particularly well developed skills or experience with any one.  Without a ‘real world’ subject as a starting point , (people or landscape for example) I feel the need for something to respond to, as I feel inhibited in just expressing myself onto a ‘blank canvas’.  Previously I’ve tended to come up with ideas that are close to fully formed, then worked towards realising them.  These ideas come somewhat randomly, usually whilst daydreaming or doing something mundane.    I want to develop some clearer methodologies for generating work;  particularly ones that involve a bit more thinking through doing;  rather than planning to realise conceptual ideas.

The underlying themes to my work are very personal yet also universal I think; the need for self expression and struggle with self identity.  In my case this is in the context of having a complicated mix of emotional and psychological ‘issues’ relating to mild neurodevelopmental disorders, deafness, childhood bullying and problems with attachment/intimacy, head injury and depression.  I’m also interested in the sense we experience whilst dreaming, where space is infinite yet non-dimensional and time is not linear, where substance is interchangeable with, and sometimes indistinct from concept; where the distinction between individual ‘entities’ and the surrounding ‘matrix’ is not always clear.   This all relates to the global concepts of identity vs annihilation; clarity vs mystery; chaos vs control; understanding vs confusion. 

I think my work to date has been a kind of symbolic surrealism.  Conceptually, I’m not sure whether I want to pursue this metaphorical approach, or work towards being more purely expressionistic.  On a purely visual level, I’m drawn to bright shiny colours, mysterious or intriguing patterns and textures, and biomorphic shapes that evoke ideas of sea creatures and plants.  I’m always drawn to ceramics that combine abstract glazing with non- or semi-functional form.  I particularly enjoy the mysterious where there’s just a hint of something recognizeable or understandable.

From all this, a couple of key ideas I want to work with are:

– a sense of tension and/or pressure; as between opposing forces, or an irresistible force and immovable object, or between opposites that threaten to annihilate each other

–  the juxtaposition of a clearly defined, discrete ‘entity’ and an ill-defined ‘ground/matrix’ of complex patterns and textures

I want to explore this with both 2D and 3D work, and also by combinations of the two.

The potential of a relationship between ‘painting’ and ‘sculpture’ in a single piece is very interesting. 

Summary of work I want to do

With this first Practice I. module I want to work more on painting and printing I think.  I find this more difficult and exposing than working with sculptural materials, but I want to develop the use of colour and pattern to create a sense of depth, space and mystery.

I think I’ll keep to totally non-figurative work to investigate the emotional effects of colour and pattern alone.

Alongside this I want to work with plaster, clay, paper and canvas to develop forms for future sculptural work, and also glass fusing and slumping and ceramics to start to link colour and pattern with 3D forms.

I also want to work with chance techniques and what Max Ernst called ‘liberating procedures’; things like automatic drawing and frottage.  

Types of research I plan to do

Much of my research into colour and pattern will be through painting directly, but I want this to be informed by current theory so I’ll be reading around this in terms of both the technical, (eg colour perspective) and the psychological.

I’ll look for exhibitions to visit where there’s work I think will be interesting; particularly in the context of colour and pattern enquiry.

To find out more about practical and psychological methods, techniques and processes for generating starting points and developing ideas I’ll be searching literature, online videos and talks, and the web pages and publications of other artists.

I also want to investigate the use of meditation and listening to music as forms of research