I started my experimentation looking at the physical act of hiding and asked my family to hide so I could photograph them where they naturally felt the most concealed. I wanted to work on making my paintings more contemporary, so I looked at Na Seo Il’s work because I like the mix of media and thick paint. I stuck thread and paper onto cardboard to make a more interesting surface and then worked with layers of thick acrylic paint. I really like how these turned out- the bigger brushstrokes forced me to think more about colour and shadows than small details. I focused on the important elements rather than realistic backgrounds, which makes the paintings stand out more. I then looked at John Baldessari’s work and decided to separate my figures from their backgrounds. I stuck them onto photos of remote landscapes to give context to their hiding.
^ Na Seo Il mixed media paintings
^ ’The Duress Series’ (2003), John Baldessari
I then focused on a local remote landscape and created a quick fine-liner sketch which I added some acrylic paint to. I photocopied the image and collaged it in 3 different ways. I started by making a door and a forest scene, using imagery from my visual research. I then made a more random composition, which I preferred because I find it difficult to make proper images with collage, without them looking immature. I looked at Carol Gove and in future I will work back into my collages to make them more abstract and bolder like Gove’s.
^ ‘Rush’, Carol Gove
Finally, I decided to explore camouflage and painted my hand to match a brick wall. I found it interesting to match the colours and textures and I could use this technique to create interventions in future. I presented this on some print work I did of a brick wall. I used potatoes and paints because I wanted to experiment with materials I could easily get hold of for future reference.
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