2017-2018
VIVA Presentation
In my VIVA presentation I created a powerpoint showing my peers what I had completed in the previous term and some of my artist influences. The feedback I received from it was that my double portrait of my dad generated some interesting and productive discussion. Some people to research in the future were suggested. It was also pointed that although I enjoy using charcoal, do not abandon using paint as people reacted well to my paintings, and believed them to be successful.
Studio Work
During this term I mulled over what I have completed over the last term and again found myself solely focused and interested in portraiture. Last term I was researching ideas based on obsession. I struggled with how I might develop this idea further so I decided I would look toward other ideas.
I have always been mesmerised by the concept of memory. I really wanted to include this in my art. Whether this be a face that I recall, but do not remember how, a name that has somehow been lost in translation and the memories involved in this. Obviously this related to my portraiture work that I have completed in the past as it was, again, focusing on the human psyche and the human form.
When researching, I read the book Camera Lucinda by Roland Barthes. The overall aim of this book was to establish a new way of observation and thus a new consciousness in terms of photography. Barthes wants to move further away from the norm facing how a photograph should be looked at. He, therefore, aims to create a unique framework that understand the essence of a photograph. Barthes believes that a photograph represents what it is and that it is made simply for reproductive reasons. He also talks about how the subject that is photograph is made into an object and thus becomes ‘Death in person’ (p.14). Barthes rejects the ideas surrounding art or technique in photographs and instead draws an absolute subjectivity which gives the photographs an anonymity about them as he aims to prove photos deny meaning. He believes however you can find identity in a photograph as it depicts the object as a photographer ‘makes permanent the truth’ (p.110). I thought this was a very interesting read as it talked about a simple representation that just existed. When choosing my images to work with, I am less concerned with where they originate from, more the outcome that I create in my artworks. I am not concerned with the meaning behind the photograph, but more who I portray this in my drawings or paintings.
I also read When We Are No More: How Digital Memory Is Shaping Our Future by Abby Smith Rumsey. This book explores the human species and how memory has aided our evolution, technology and culture. Rumsey explores the history of memory and how in a world with so much information, there is a lack of human attention. She talks about how data storage is not the same thing as having memories which is, in her belief, part of the future. The image she uses on the front cover of her book is one that I will talk about under Artist Influences. But that piece completed by David Szauder deliberately alters his photographs in order to create a glitch effect. He does this as his concerns are based on memory and the possible failure to reconstruct them. All these ideas, particularly the ones in Szauder’s work, I manipulate in my later works.
Furthermore, I researched the concept of the ‘Uncanny Valley’. The uncanny is the pyschological experience involving viewing an object that resembles something that is strange or eerily familiar that, in turn, leaving the viewer feeling unsettled.
Freud talks a lot about the uncanny in his essay ‘The Uncanny’. Freud says that it ‘undoubtedly belongs to all that is terrible—to all that arouses dread and creeping horror’ (p.1). This representation of the human form relates a lot to the feeling of uncertainty. The feeling uncertainty also ties into my concentration on memory, as often I feel uncertain if I remember something or not.
I looked at the artist Ron Mueck in more detail. His pieces can be seen as established upon the concept of the uncanny valley. His hyperrealistic sculptures resemble that of a corpse in many cases. There is a sense of the uncanny provoked through how they can easily be recognised as real humans, however they are not. They are simply sculptures that have their scale distorted to become either very big or small. There is an emotional provocation and confusion between the animated and the unanimated in his sculptures which can cause the viewer to feel uneasy.
Some other artists I looked at can be seen under Artist Influences, where I talk about them. All these linked into ideas surrounding the human form, memory and the human psyche. I will discuss how they influenced my work I completed over the summer term.
I was unsure where to begin with my physical artwork so I very briefly touched upon my old black and white charcoal sketches. When I was sketching I decided that this time I would not work from an original image. I solely worked from memory of the work I had finished previously. This was the result:
I was unhappy with the result. As I have mentioned before I have a poor memory so clearly after contemplating what went wrong in this piece I decided I would not move forward with this idea. I believed I had lost something from the older sketches that was not translated when trying to recreate them form memory. I much prefer physically having an original image in front of me to work from, rather than nothing at all.
After deciding that this idea would not work for me I pondered over how I remember things or people. I realised I could recall little things about a person, but perhaps not their whole body. With this in mind I began some pencil sketches of snapshots of a person’s body. All the sketches feature one section of a person’s body parts. I worked from random images on the internet. This was because I was not interested in making all the body parts look like they particularly belonged together, as my focus was on memory. Some of the pencil artworks are genderless. This related to my faltering memory about certain features relating to gender. All the pieces are very haphazard:
After finishing all nine of these pieces, I deliberated over what I might do with them. I painted a large canvas, that I had, completely black and started arranging the pieces together. There was no real reasoning over the order of the images. However, I deliberately completed nine pieces, so that they would all sit together symmetrically:
I really liked what I built with my sketches I realised that I was intrigued more by the idea of snapshots resembling a memory of a person. Moving forward I didn’t like the symmetry of the pencil sketches. I realised in order to create the imitation of a broken memory I needed to disorder the sketches and future works. I rearranged the sketches:
I then began drawing more snapshots, but this time in colour and with charcoal. I have always enjoyed working with charcoal and so I wanted to see how I might manipulate it in order to represent memory. I also drew three snapshots of the same face this time. This is because I wanted more focus in what I was drawing. Moreover, in majority of my past work the focus is on a single portrait. These are the sketches:
I decided to order them again in a asymmetrical manner. However, they were placed carefully in order to create the effect of a distorted face:
I was really pleased with the outcome of these pieces put together. There was also a sense of anonymity about these works that has always been an integral characteristic of all my artworks.
I began to look for inspiration in other artists works, and came across this image PAINTING YOUR FADED MEMORIES by David Szauder:
This piece, amongst others, which I shall explore further under Artist Influences, really spoke to me. Szauder deliberately alteres his photographs in order to create a glitch effect. He does this as his concerns are based on memory and the possible failure to reconstruct them. I really liked the effect this created. So I began firstly by finding a random image of a woman on the internet. This choice of a random image was again relating to retaining anonymity of the subject. I chose this image:
I began to think how I might distort the image. I wanted to begin by only distorting it slightly in order to see what kind of effect might be created. I concentrated solely on distorting the face because that has been my key interest throughout all my artworks. This is the result:
I then completed a quick charcoal sketch of the distorted image:
In my VIVA feedback I was told that my painting had been more successful than my charcoal sketches. Based on this feedback I decided I would incorporate a painting established on this distorted photograph and sketch:
I was really pleased with the way this painting came out. I felt it had more life than the sketch of the same image. I also created a brief slideshow showing images of the process of painting this artwork: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W30ziMwfSdY
I then decided to make some more digital art working on distorting a photograph. these photographs are either of past artist influences I have used, random photos, photographs I have taken myself of people I know personally, a photograph of me or some of my old artworks. The image the left is the original image. The image on the right is the distorted image:
- This image similarly was only featuring a small amount of distortion:
- These images are not immaculate squares of distortion. I drew them in free hand to see a different effect come about:
- These images I aimed to distort a lot more:
After editing all these photos I concluded that I preferred the ones I had edited less. I felt they encapsulated the character of the people in the images more. I also had to think about where I would start to get my image from for my final piece.
Final Piece
For my final piece for which I want to display at the final exhibition, I began to look at images for this painting. I decided it would be a painting as I believed my previous painting to be one of the more successful works.
After looking at quite a few images, carrying from ones I had personally taken, to a random selection on the internet, I decided on this one:
I then proceeded to edit and distort it. I again, didn’t want the image to be unrecognisable, so only distorted it slightly, and mainly surrounding the face as this is where I wanted the main focal point to be. This is the result:
I decided that I would complete this image on an A1 canvas, and use oil paints. This is the finished artwork:
Below is the painting displayed in out studio space:
I was really pleased with the outcome of my artwork. I really liked the way i had distorted and painted the image. Moving forward I would like to push this distortion further and see where else I could go with it.
Artist Statement
Portraiture is a representation of the human form. From recording the appearance of a person, to illustrating their character through form, colour and vibrancy: I aim for all of these features in my portraits.
Roland Barthes writes in his book Camera Lucindathat you can find identity in a photograph as depicting object ‘makes permanent the truth’. He talks about a simple representation that just exists. My concerns within portraiture concur with this statement as my main focus involves that of anonymity. Anonymity can definitely be regarded as a simple representation that for me is equivalent to truth.
When pondering what medium I might use this term in my artwork I contemplated the use of both drawing and painting. I initially completed several pencil sketches, charcoal drawings and a painting. These all encompassed my intention to recreate snapshot memories depicting the human form.
The human psyche occupies a large section of my artwork. I became enraptured by the concept of the uncanny. The psychological experience involving viewing an object that resembles something that is strange or eerily familiar leaves the viewer feeling unsettled. This key characteristic is evident in many portraiture works. Freud says the uncanny ‘undoubtedly belongs to all that is terrible—to all that arouses dread and creeping horror’. The representation of the human form arouses this feeling. This can be seen in the artwork of Ron Mueck, Alice Neel, Otto Dix and John Currin.
Abbey Smith Rumsey comments on how memory has aided our path to evolution. David Szauder coincides with this important concentration on memory and deliberately alters his photographs in order to create a glitch effect. Szauder’s concerns surround that of memory and the possible failure to reconstruct them. I also aim to manipulate similar ideas, regarding memory, in my artwork. The ambiguity of Szauder’s images also link into my running theme of anonymity. He says “Our brains store away images to retrieve them later, like files stored away on a hard drive. But when we go back and try to re-access those memories, we may find them to be corrupted in some way”. These artist influences tie in with my thoughts on how our memory is the center of information with which we encode, store and aim to retrieve. I portrayed this through the use of distorting photographs that have been either randomly selected, taken by myself or another person. My concentration in my art is more about what I create as an outcome, rather than where I source my photographs and what their meaning has been previously. I manipulate the photograph in order to achieve my desired effect. Through different mediums, theoretical influences, and distortion I believe have created successful artworks that encompass my established involvement regarding anonymity, memory and the portrayal of the human psyche.
2016-2017
Studio Work
As I moved into the Summer Term I began to think about how I might like to progress my artist practice. Although I had enjoyed painting I didn’t feel as though I wanted to continue with it. I began considering what other material interested me. After completing a sketch in Biro, pencil and in charcoal I concluded that I would carry on with charcoal. I had used in the past and really enjoyed working with it. Moreover, I liked how you could create dark shadows and deep tones with it. Below are the quick preliminary sketches I completed, with some being based off a photo shoot I did with my sister below.
Pictures I took:
These images of my sister in different positions were based on different variables. Firstly, continuing with my interest in people from last term was a main factor. I also wanted to keep a certain intimacy about the pieces. They were also based on influences which can be viewed under the Artist Influences tab. What I was aiming to capture in these images was a sense of isolation and anonymity. I believe this particularly came across in the charcoal drawing due to the solidity of the harsh black against the innocent white. I began to create more pieces in a similar, large scale A1 style:
(above: A close up portrait in charcoal concentrating on the isolation and anonymity of the person. Although it is an intimate portrait of my sister I wanted to convey that this person could be any one of us; friend, family or stranger. Due to the piece not being glamourised; its nature remains stoic and caught in a moment where nothing in particular stands out, except the solidarity and pensive, loneliness of the portrait.)
(above: Again when thinking about the isolation of this piece I wondered how I might heighten this feeling. Having looked at the work of Morandi’s still life pieces I concluded that including these ideas would be beneficial. The material of charcoal and scale stayed the same in this piece.)
(above: After completing the previous drawing I decided that incorporated colour into the charcoal drawing would give the people greater life. I felt that perhaps the black had become slightly all consuming and that it took away slightly from the mining of the piece. Instead of it being all ethereal, i thought it became slightly too heavy. Therefore, I moved onto the piece above concentrating on adding only a little colour as I still wanted to retain a main theme of black and white. Hence, I only really did the eyes in colour, with slight gradient around them.)
All of these pieces, above, remain without a background. I considered including one originally but decided that they projected a heightened sense of isolation when there was no background.
When thinking about what I might do to draw all my ideas together I began to think hard about how I would encompass all my ideas but push it that little bit further in order to achieve full effect. When looking back on all my previous charcoal works I came across a piece I had completed a while ago:
I remember having enjoyed completing this piece and thought it was an interesting effect it bring into my work. When looking at the works of Andrew H. Walker, the portrait were almost displayed as if in a mirror. I still wanted to keep the style of the detailed portraits I had completed before but whilst also adding a different layer to the piece. I decided on a two part mirror styled piece. I also looked at Morandi’s etchings and completed a copy of one of his pieces:
Similar to my life drawing above this sketch, the shadows and objects have been swapped around. I thought this would be a useful task to undertake in order to practise for progressing my technique.
Therefore when thinking about this final piece I wanted to draw in all the ideas throughout the entire term, but without overwhelming the canvas. I decided on two parts to the piece. On the right would be a similar piece to the very slightly colour infused (just the eyes), black and white charcoal drawing. Then on the left is the replicated image in the style of my life drawing and the Morandi piece. There will be a slight overlap in the two images where they will both hold the same pot. When displaying them I will separate the two images slightly so that they appear disjointed and isolated. I began by taking these pictures of my sister as aid to the final product:
Although fairly vague representations of what I finally achieved in my work below, I really want dot concentrate on the works I had completed before and channel them when drawing out my final piece, especially the use of the pot. Here is the result:
(above: here is how my piece was presented. I believe the piece worked really well as a whole. Moreover, the small separation in between the two piece, interwoven by the shred holding of the pot, created an eerie isolated atmosphere that I loved about the piece. Overall, I believe it was a success.)
(above: replicated image in the style of my life drawing and the Morandi piece.)
(above: very slightly colour infused (just the eyes), black and white charcoal drawing.)
Artist Statement
Continuing from the previous term I knew that I wanted to carry on with my interest in portraiture. After using the medium of paint for a while, although enjoyable, I decided on making a change. I knew that I wanted to move into drawing but unsure of which material to use I experimented with biro, pencil and charcoal. My conclusion of charcoal portraits still aimed to exude the figures personality but also their stoicism, anonymity and isolation. Their eyes remain somewhat enlarged and are rendered unfased, thus replicating a haunting atmosphere, similar to that of my paintings. The figures are again centred on the A1 sized paper.
Much like my paintings the drawn figures aim for the audience to see themselves in each one. However, this term I concentrated on only depicting my sister in the charcoal images. Having drawn Isobel, my sister, in the past and feeling the obvious connection to her, I believe the portraits took on another life form. Although based on Isobel, I altered her features in a more generalised sense, where the eyes were enlarged again and where she looks almost perfectly sculpted. Due to me believing that the soul is in a person’s eye, I unwittingly kept these features the same. In my portraits I wish to achieve the representation of mistrust, self-reflection and emotive reactions. This type of work interested me further due to the discoveries you find out about people’s inner psyches. This is my intention for the pieces, whilst perhaps also bringing a feeling of solace to the viewer, in terms of them not feeling so alone.
The pieces I have completed over this recent term have maintained a similar style, however, adding the use of still life objects, a black and white theme with small additions of colour and use of various techniques. After considering previous artist influences of Ellen De Meijer and Caravaggio I wanted to refine my thinking for progressing my artworks using my own personal style preferences. I began to look at photography and Andrew H. Walker’s Celebrity Diptychs where their public and private personas were revealed to the public. Moreover I studied the works of Lorna Simpson and Eran shakine. In all these new artists I found myself particularly interested by their different depictions of isolation and anonymity.
After considering these different artist influences I again thought about the aims in my work. I concluded that I still wanted to concentrate mainly on the human form, but whilst again seeking the conceptual idea behind the solitary being. I decided that the use of charcoal greatly interested me, and specifically with the harsh black tones against the simple white backgrounds. I believe this again, like in my paintings, aided in projecting an ageless and almost doll like quality to my works. The similar innocence to the drawings is captured by the immaculate and smooth portrayal of the people, whilst also contrasting the harsh conceptual ideas behind the pieces. Overall, the theoretical and physical influences I have drawn together have defined my art to greater extents in my charcoal drawings.
2015-2016
Film Project
In our group we began by chatting amongst ourselves about the idea for our video should be based around. After much consideration we decided on the location of a toilet. Having brainstormed further we decided that we could make a really interesting political piece around this. The idea was that we would take ridiculous things that politicians have said and mock them by placing them in a loo. In effect this would create the notion that what this say is full of shit, much like in a toilet. We decided that we would include David Cameron’s tampon tax and other things he has been quoted to say, as well as Margaret Thatcher’s policies on capital punishment, homosexuals and Socialism.
We began to contemplate what style we would film and edit it in. We chose to focus each character on one particular spot in a toilet. Cameron sitting on a loo and Thatcher standing by a urinal. The aim was to make them look or seem out-of-place. This is further emphasised by the choice of outfit and props. We chose to do the piece, mainly, in black and white to give the effect of old-fashioned horror films, as well as a grainy picture. There were also small clip taken from the horror film The shining. We also played haunting music over some parts of the film.
Below is the link to the video me and my group created:
Stills from the film
Below are some of the shots we used and effect throughout the film that were involved.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable process of filming and editing, one that I have not tried before I would definitely try filming again. In the end, I believe that our final piece was what we were hoping to aim for.
Impossible Sculpture Project
I began with thinking about my impossible sculpture text. I was sitting in my room when I saw a wine glass and the thought popped into my head. I completed the sketch below for my idea:
This impossible concept was that the wine would be free-standing and floating in the air without the support of the wine glass. The idea behind this is highlighted in my artwork statement.
When coming to think about making this into a fragment of a sculpture I had to consider what it might be made of and how colour and display would be included in the process. Below is what I came up with:
Process and Placement
The first image below shows when i was trying to get all the wax figures, of different weights, on the same level. The second shows the contraption I made to hold up the wax forms that hangs on a peg on the ceiling. Both of these were very fidley to adjust and place correctly, but as you can see in the final images of the sculpture, above, I manged to complete it.
Furthermore, below are close up images of each wax piece with the glass below. I have also included where and how I positioned the glass. It involved balance and precision.
Impossible Sculpture Artwork Statement
I began my impossible sculpture project by brainstorming ideas. My main idea I finally decided on, was a wine glass cut in four resting on a surface. Floating above this, red wine in a wine glass shaped form, with nothing surrounding it. I concluded my piece would be called ‘Threshold’.
After much consideration and research I decided to work with wax sculpting in order to visually recreate this. The idea behind the material decision was due to the physical properties of wax. Firstly, it is a malleable material that is relatively light, it’s easily melted and reshaped and can be sufficiently tinted to an appropriate colour. Moreover, I had the fairly obvious choice of using glass for the glasses and bottles. Instead of cutting up the glass though, I decided to smash it. This would effectively remove the glass from the wax inside whilst also creating an effect of harshness, which after much thought, I much preferred to quartered glasses. To create the visual image of floating wine I decided to use fish wire. This transparent look was ideal for making the wax appear to look as if it were floating in mid-air. The fish wire was used to attach and hang onto hooks that were placed on the ceiling. The shattered glass from each bottle or glass was collected and placed directly below each hanging wax object, in small circles.
Overall, there were two bottles that I used; one white, one red and I used a wine glass for red wine and a normal glass for white wine. I wanted to try different glasses in order to see the alternative outcomes of each shape. The process involved melting the wax in a pan, separating it in half, and then colouring half of the white wax slightly yellow and the other half red. This was in order to replicate the colour of the wines.
The piece was based around the fragility of life. The wax part of the sculpture represents the main body of a human being with the glass representing life and how easy its can be taken away. The fact that the sculpture is floating reinforces this. I believed wine to be relevant to this as it links to alcoholism; one of the troubles many people struggle with in life.
I was influenced by the works of Petah Coyne and Urs Fisher and was inspired by their choice of medium. In particular Coyne’s hanging wax creations gave me insight into how I might display or hang my sculpture. However I decided that a more subtle approach might be more effective seeing as the mass I decided to use was much lighter and represented the floating idea I was trying to portray. I also hinted at the work of Robert Smithson in my piece as he concentrated on a series of broken glass pieces, which seemed relevant to my work. Overall all these features took an influence in my impossible sculpture artwork.
Emma Gibbs 