I summarised in my reflections regarding the final piece that I had completed for Assignment Four that I felt that there was potential for it to be reworked. This view was confirmed during the conversation with my tutor. It was felt that there were some strong points in the work but that it didn’t hang together. In trying to pull together different experimental pieces it lacked coherence. I had tried to link the pieces together using a black background as this colour was common to most parts. This had helped to some degree but the bright yellows and golds jarred and deflected from the stronger section in the centre middle part of the painting. The re-work needed to bring this part into the whole composition and inform the whole piece. In doing so most of the remaining painting would be altered so that very little remained. The dominant colours would be various reds and oranges coupled with black. The process was completed in two iterations, the first taking the painting from the submitted work to the next stage.

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As can be seen above the background has been completely reworked and very little of the top section is now visible. Although the painting had moved in the right direction I felt it lacked drama. The brush and palette knife work was timid. Larger gestural mark needed to be made to bring energy to the work. These marks would respond to the feel of the bottom central marks and integrate into the rest of the piece. The progress is shown below before the final piece is replicated after a final coating of PVA adhesive was applied to gives the work a sheen.

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Completed painting. It now has energy and is cohesive. I find myself discovering new depths to the work each time I view it. Currently it is untitled but I am considering titling the work. This may emerge during Part Five.

Demonstration of Technical and Visual skills

To assess the outcomes that I have achieved I have broken this section down into the key elements. This is a similar approach to that which I have taken for the previous Assessments.

Materials: 

The materials that I used during Part Four expanded upon those that I would expect to use. The usual oil and acrylic paints, pencils and charcoal was supplemented by feathers and soap. For supports I used acetates, kitchen foil, greaseproof paper and linen t-towels. In doing so I fully embraced the requirements of the exercise for Part Four. In addition to experimenting with new and unusual materials I also experimented with different methods of application of traditional materials. The results of these investigation are covered in the separate blogs in my coursework.

Techniques: 

Further from the materials utilised during Part Four the methods of application had to be modified and adapted. This was particularly true where I used soap as the material. In addition a number of the investigations into the properties of both the supports and materials required thick application of paint. This in turn resulted in new ways to explore the properties of the materials and the techniques used in their application.

Observational skills: 

The utilisation of new, to me, materials, supports and techniques necessitated looking at the world around me in a new light. It was clearly obvious to me that taking a pictorial approach was not going to result in a satisfactory outcome. My observations became more concerned with colour and form.

Visual awareness: 

Being confronted with the challenges of the exercises, and my approaches to them, has resulted in an expansion to how I see things and how I respond to the visual stimulations. I have found that I am looking far more a the textures of objects and trying to find ways to replicate what I see in my own way. The evidence for this is in the preparatory work and paintings that I have completed as part of my Parallel project. The focus of which has changed to the effects of deterioration rather than placing the impact in a setting, usually a landscape. I am now interested to explore this further.

Design and compositional skills: 

Following on the from the change in focus on the impact of deterioration and ageing on objects I have changed how I try to convey the subject. My focus has moved into trying to pick out the colour of decay. In doing so I have tried to maintain elements of composition. This is evident in the way I try to give the impression that the decay is happening to something real. Aspects of the object will still be evident but its full self is not revealed. I haven’t resolved how far I want to move ways from the object itself and into more abstract composition. At present I’m hovering between the two and enjoying the conflict.

Quality of Outcome

The quality of the work has been extremely varied. some of the experimental pieces have been poor at best but still worthwhile. Of the successful work two of the pieces, which are not paintings, look like they will be part of my studio display for some time. On the positive side I feel that some of the paintings I have produced are some of my best work. My aim now is to expand upon these successes and take them through to the work that I am looking to complete for the Parallel project.

Demonstration of Creativity

In all parts of Part four I have looked to find new ways to explore the exercises. I have tried to use materials, supports and techniques in a range of unusual ways. Exploring their possibilities, testing limitations and working in new and inventive ways.

Context

I have reflected in my learning log / blog my thoughts and reflections on both the work that I have completed and my thought processes and the results. As I approach the end of the course it is my intention to expand my contextual reflections. This will be particularly required for the Critical review. I have completed some initial research in this respect which I will be expanding on. It has been a source of frustration that visiting exhibitions and galleries has not been possible. Whilst I note that there has been a concerted effort by the art world, particularly galleries, to offer an virtual alternative to physical visiting, I find that these are a poor substitute to being able to observe work in the flesh. I have continued to research new artists and write up my thoughts and experiences. These tend to be quite short pieces. I will look to expand some of them.

Summary

The volume of work that I have completed during Part Four is testament to the enthusiasm that I have felt towards most of the challenges. The encouraging aspect is the new avenues that I have opened for exploration. I also look back on some of the work created with satisfaction.

My aim in the completion of this work was to try to combine a number of the pieces, that I had completed during Exercises 1 & 2, into a more considered final piece. To do this I would look to deconstruct some work, and add it to other pieces. The support for the work would be a 84 x 59 cm board. I was looking for both a cohesiveness in the colour and to the feel of the work but at the same time wanted some clashes of colour to excite the eye of the observer. The nature of needing to take deconstructed parts of other paintings and applying them to another support meant that the surface of the new work would have a textural quality. This in turn should make the surface have some life and interest as different light would have an impact upon it.

The process involved using three experimental paintings completed for Exercises 1 & 2 in their complete form. To these were added parts of other works that were torn apart, arranged and re-arranged until across the support until I had a composition that I felt worked. The result was then adhered to the support with PVA adhesive. Further black acrylic was added which was also painted over with a diluted layer of PVA adhesive to try to create a harmonious surface.

The completed work is a collage but in its finished state this is not is not immediately obvious. It has been brought together into one coherent work. There are elements that to tend to try to work against the coherent whole. These are the more reflective sections which catch the light and can distract from the whole. This is tempered by the consistent black background which holds the piece together.

An issue that I hadn’t encountered previously, with my work, was the difficulty in photographing the work. The reflective parts coupled with the size of the painting made it hard to get a consistent light over the whole painting. The reproduction below is the best that I achieved. When confronting the painting in the flesh the observers eye automatically makes adjustments for the light as it roams across the painting. The whole work is only momentarily contemplated.

Summary: I feel that there is an argument for expanding the colour from the separate collaged parts of the painting over some of the back background. Would this further enhance the cohesiveness of the work? I will await feedback on this thought. As it stands it is a good representation of the work completed for this part of the course.