Artist Talk Magazine - issue 11

“Man’s task is to become conscious
of the contents that press upward
from the unconscious” - (Carl
Jung), is a statement which I find
thought-provoking and often
at the forefront of my initial
exploration.
This investigation into unlocking
the all-inclusive hidden parts
of oneself and exploring how
to communicate these visually,
leads me on a personal journey to
understand the essence of self.
SUNLIGHT ON THE SEA DETAIL
SUNLIGHT-AND-THE-SEA
In most recent times I have begun
working on a new body of abstract
landscapes which are challenging
me to observe and interpret vistas
not only on an emotional level, but
to also give the viewer, through
descriptive titles and imagery,
something they can clasp and hold
onto even though they remain in
abstract form. While still using
shape, line and colour familiar to
previous collections, artworks are
easily identified as one body of
work.
Appealing to both the need for
limitless spontaneity coupled with
the need for some semblance of
order, my process is my enabler to
freedom. The uninhibited self and
the esoteric self are represented
by loose and free paintwork
controlled by meditative threadwork.
The simple square as a
visual reference to the esoteric
shadow self, is often found in my
work. Whether it appears as a
solid form, covered by thread or
boarded by thread; or whether it
appears purely as thread-work in
a net-like construction, a feeling
of safety and security are mentally
and visually felt as the esoteric is
protected. The uninhibited is left
exposed and the esoteric hidden
away.
As a process driven artist, I enjoy
experimenting with a combination
of paint, ink, graphite, charcoal
and thread. My paintwork often
embodies a fabric like quality as
it is removed from one surface to
another and hand-stitched and/or
adhered into place. This rather slow
aspect to my process, enables me
to settle into a piece; quietly and
methodically stitching calmness
back into chaos. Placed on either a
solid background or an expressive,
loose background, my solid paint
‘fabric’ offers an original application
of mediums. As light bounces
off foil and metallic thread, I am
attempting to draw the viewers
eye back, causing them to pause,
reflect and re-examine the artwork.
I endeavour to walk a fine line
between art and craft, negating
a division between these two
practices. The Vienna Secession
has been a relevant movement to
my practice. By giving applied art
equal standing and value to purely
painted works, it has given me the
freedom to experiment combining
both processes and not to undervalue
my own discipline. Balancing
both the pure paint element of
my works and the almost handcraft
element of my thread-work,
I have endeavoured to give each
component equal merit and
meaning without one dominating
the other. I believe this ‘Decorative
Function’ draws the viewer in. It is
not for its own sake. It is to move
the observer deeper; to attempt to
engage them with the very essence
of the work.
DISCOVER MORE
www.chaosandthread.com
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