I took a slightly different approach to the creation of colour studies. rather than making the colour studies I used some thick coloured paper from which I cut shapes to match most of those that were on the table. I used black to mirror the colour of the cloth and then spent some time arranging the shapes into different compositions. The cut-out are not exactly to scale but approximately keep a similar relationship to each other. Apart from the two drums, where I have included both the top and side of the drums, The shapes are created as simple shapes. My first attempt was to arrange the cut outs in a similar layout as the objects on the table.
With this arrangement the cut-outs appear to be more cluttered than the actual display. The space around them has been reduced due to their flattening out. The three dimensions of the objects has been reduced to two and therefore one dimension of space has been taken away.
With this arrangement I looked to place the cut-outs in a manner that would not be possible with the objects themselves. Either on top of each other or spilling over the edge. I did similar with the next arrangement which is in a landscape format.
For the next arrangement I returned to the Portrait format. This time my aim was to keep all the cut-outs within the confines of the composition, nothing spilling outside the edges.
Thinking about other ways to display the cut-outs I arranged them in a regimented line up. This necessitated having to have overlaps.
Next was to move the objects to the edge and create a composition whereby the cut-outs were mostly outside the edge. This was followed up by grouping and overlapping them all in the centre.
The cut-outs at this stage seemed to have taken on their own life and appeared to me to have a cartoon existence. I could imagine a time-lapse film whereby they marched across the screen forming different patterns amongst themselves.
Having, for the time, reached an end point I noticed the remnants from the cut-out process. The discarded pieces of coloured paper. I used these to create three compositions where I dropped the remnants onto the surface in a random manner. The three compositions are shown below. These have some interest but I feel that it is more to do with the shapes and colours than it is do with any representational look.
I hadn’t previously considered randomly dropping the cut-outs and now set about doing this. I feel that this process didn’t work and there is no cohesion in the resultant images.
How would someone else respond to the challenge of making a composition from the cut-outs? To this end I asked Marian to arrange the cut-outs in a manner that pleased her. She came up with the arrangement below and also gave it a name, Musical direction. It was interesting to learn that the cut-outs were seen to represent the objects that they were based on. It was also interesting to note that the cut-outs had been arranged separately from each other, no overlaps. I had moved away from this and had begun to see them and shapes and colours with which to create patterns.
For the last composition I returned to the remnants and this time made a considered arrangement.
Final thoughts. The experimentation that I have worked through in exercises 1.0, 1.1 & 1.2 has reconnected me to trying to look at objects and views and to consider different ways of representing them. In some ways it is a repeat of some of the work that I carried out during the early part of the ‘Concepts in Practice’ course that I successfully completed in December 2019. I note that the next research points look at Cubism and Henri Matisse it will again be interesting to re-engage with these. I have an urge to move my practice further away from representational work and take these opportunities to explore different ways of working as a way in.
Mark Taylor 'Studio Practice' 