More works based on photos of craftsmen polishing jade in Beijing 1986.
China 86 – Jade polishers
found images
China 86- the Jade factory
Here is a work based on a photo of a craftsman at work in a jade factory.
China 86 – a diptych
A diptych based on images from China in 1986.
China 86 – a more painterly approach
This work reflects an attempt to take a more painterly approach to depicting the images from photographs taken in China in 1986.
Another found photo_China 1986
This is another painting based on a photo I took in China in February 1986. Painted on a wooden board, using Golden’s Open Acrylics. The key challenges are how to convey nostalgia, the fragmentary nature of memory and even the photographic source, whilst avoiding a naive effect.
Found photos_China 1986
I have been exploring how to use Golden Artist Colors ‘Open Acrylic’ range to achieve the effect of oil paint. Here are 3 example of paintings on wooden board using these amazing acrylics. The images are based on photos I took on a trip to China in February 1986. This exercise has also sparked my interest in found photographs as a source of images and ideas for art works.
Experiments with found images_naval images from 1930s
An old photo album dating from the 1930s has yielded a treasure trove of images from 1914 to 1932. The album was a gift from a ‘sailor son’ to his mother. Here are some experiments based on two striking images of naval vessels lit up at night in Hobart, circa 1930.
Painting project_sea found, bound forms #1
Inspired by a recent museum visit (TMAG) (see images below) I decided to create a ‘curated’ still life by posing natural objects in a museum type set up. I set up a still life based on cuttlefish found years ago at Venus Bay. It turns out that cuttlefish are quite fragile, as I found out when the board on which I had hung them flipped in the wind. Two new cuttlefish and lots of string later I had a novel still life. I dropped the idea of a label as this would create too obvious a link to the museum context.
This is the start of a series of natural forms bound, constrained or assembled in a non natural way. I plan continue the series using drift wood, sea urchins, elk horns and large lotus seed heads, amongst other objects.
Below are photos of the 3 versions of the still life, plus the painted result.
The mapping narrative – from A to Z
A recent project involved creating a map of a journey from A to Z (actually from work to VCA for class). I approached my project from the conceptual rather than the literal level, drawing on the journey of exploration implicit in attending art school. The work incorporates classic exploration symbols such as the much folded map, the pith helmet and the resultant book….
In creating this work I was inspired by the work of Matthew Cusick and Joao Machado, both of whom work with maps as the ‘palette’ from which to create images.
