I made an edit of the poem ‘Forests forever’ that I had used for one of the painting titles in Exercise 3.0. The edited poem was split into three sentences which were then added to three paintings that I had painted during the course but had not used. The paintings with text were pulled together to create a brief slideshow.

The resultant words and images compliment each other and form a collective piece.

Having completed Exercises 3.0 & 3.1 I have contemplated the use of words in my own work and in the work of others. My thoughts were initially focussed on whether I should use a system for titling my work. At this stage I have reached the conclusion that for paintings where the subject is identifiable I should use a title that explains what, where and when. An example of this would be ‘Old Barn, Chatteris, Spring 2019’. This locks the painting into its time and place and identifies what it is. To call it something like ‘The erosion of agricultural heritage’ is to falsely give the painting an aura of gravitas that becomes pretentious and I feel detracts from the painting. Its better to inform the observer.

For my paintings where the subject is either obscured or the work is abstract I will employ a system where I will use song titles. My thought at this point is that the addition of a title, which may not initially have any connection to the painting, creates a moment where the observer has to stop and consider the title. This break allows the painting a brief respite from its examination. The observer considers the relevance of the title in comparison to the painting. The connection, if one is formed, is with the observer. I am conscious that this could get tiresome for observer and after a while there could be a switch off.

Connecting words and art can be a very powerful device. The image with a strong message can create new meaning to both the words and the image. Whether it is political propaganda, advertising, humour or telling a story the connection can reinforce both the words and the art into an entity that is much stronger than its constituent parts.

• Part 5 - Working with words