Mapping the Territory for me has changed or rather has developed in my mind over the last two attempts. I still want to use the idea of the human cells and the internal workings of the body is interesting to me, furthermore I have been interested in how plants and microscopic views have a visual connection towards the internal human body. So this is what I wanted to create as the visual impact of the piece.
I started this piece in a left hand corner, because I wanted this piece to grow organically, this literally covered a main wall in my room. I also wanted the colours to be more subtle compared to the other pieces I have made for this project. So I have used bronze and brown and black leading to grey tones.
I began writing about the paints I use which are oil paints usually and I wrote the statement 'Oil paints move and allow movement, vibrancy and colour' this statement is what I believe and do generally find oils really do allow me to create interesting work, furthermore the use of oils are able to move and mix the colours enabling blending. This is especially useful when painting portraiture.
I have included the artist Tomma Abts, not because I admire her work, however I am interested in the abstract essence of her work because of my interest in the internal aspect of the human body, so I did ask 'Could I include abstact shapes in my work' especially the mixture of science and art.
I do question whether or not I could enquire whether or not I could create abstracts relating to my main job working in Blood bank, is this a new direction? Because I do believe that the body is amazing and beautiful structure and under a microscopic viewpoint has a abstract element, furthermore as an artist I am interested that I could create work that could allow to use real elements that could be interpretated within an abstracted element.
"The organic line is a line that has not been drafted or carved by anyone but results from the contact of two different surfaces (planes, things, objects, bodies or even concepts) it announces a way of thinking beyond the logic of true or false. (2006:209)
Art after Conceptual Art, The MT Press, London
When I think about creating work around internal aspect of the human body and when I read the book Art Practice as Research. I found a quote that really explains what I feel about exploring the differences between the sciences and the arts.
"Traditional research methodology, which is quantitive studies is linear, iferative, and confirmatory and which in quantitive inquires is cyclical, emergent and discovery orientated. Visual arts on the other hand is dynamic reflecive and fluid as creative and critical practices are used to shed new light on what is known and to consider the possibility of what is not (2010:192).
Sullivan. G (2010) Art Practice as Research; Inquiry in Visual Arts. Visualising Practices. SAGE Publications Ltd, London.
I do believe that a successful artist to me is someone who can sell their work and make a living enabling them to continue to create.
This maybe a simplistic view but it is a true reflection on what I believe.
I then extended this piece by adding some of the artists that inspire me for different reasons, the artist Gerhard Richter is an artist that has developed an incredible extensive knowledge and extensive practice and developed pieces.
Rothko was an artist who's work has an absolute incredible not only visual, his work has a profound presence on me personally when I entered a room containing his work, however my friend who was with me just felt nothing, no emotional response at all, this was an issue that we discussed for hours.
Jenny Saville inspires me because of her painting style and technique, also her interesting subject matter I am constantly inspired when I see her work.
Furthermore the work of Francis Bacon excites me, I remember the first time I saw the work of Francis Bacon at the Birmingham Museum and I can't explain how I felt, I just know that if I can ever get to being the artist that can explore and react the way that Bacon did, this is something that drives me forward.
I am fascinated by the work of Peter Doig because I went to see his Retrospective work at the Tate Modern I found his work interesting because of his use of diverse interest in images, he uses images not only from photography but also from films, in fact alot of different collective imagery feeds into his work.
I have included the artist Vincent Van Gogh because he was the first artist that truly inspired me to attempt to be an artist many years ago.
Furthermore Tracey Emin is an artist who has interested me for a long time due to the basic honest of the situations that she had found herself, and something that I find interesting becuase I do believe that most of us within our lifetimes do things like smoke and drink too much and then do the most toe curling things which we would rather not admit to and hope that no-one ever finds out.
Tracey Emin lays her mistakes for the world to see and sometimes because of the mistakes I have made, and in the past I have suffered from depression as well as a period when I was not in control emotionally, financially I would like to explore those times through a creative medium, I believe that this is an area that I will attempt at some point.
I continued this piece looking at the work I have created since starting the M.A which are based on encounters and memories that have happened to me, and I have explored some of these situations through paintings.
As I have also stated in this piece that my paintings are my reactions to the society within which I live, so these pieces are a reactive and reflective reaction to situations and once again I hope to extend on this.
"That images and sense impressions are exactly that never the real thing making it difficult to distinguish memory images from those produced by the imagination".
Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials (2007:2)
Furthermore I have added the statement that 'I paint encounters that effect but do not traumatise me' and this is a true reflection once again as I explained earlier I would like to explore those times through a creative medium, I believe that this is an area that I will attempt at some point.
I use memories however I have added a quote that refers to how it can be difficult to distinguish between images and impressions and that can be difficult to distinguish memory images from those produced by the artist's imagination, and this is what is interesting to me and I believe that the tool of imagination is upmost of importance for the artist because it is this in this place that we can explore our pasts, our situations and emotions in a artistic representation that is truly individualistic and unique.
