During the Easter break, I did a two week residency at Griffin Gallery located in the ColArt headquarters in London. The Fine Art Collective (TFAC) is home to a collective of art material brands such as Windsor & Newton and Liquitex and it was fun to see chemists at work while I painted with their creations. This residency offered a platform to explore materials. I delved into ink, acrylics and really became interested in working with paper- pushing the material to the brink of it capabilities by warping, painting, constructing and deconstructing. I was quite satisfied with the results and realized that giving myself boundaries is useful in my work. With the time limitation of two weeks and limiting my materials to paper, acrylic and ink- it gave me a structure which guided my process. Because I tend to incorporate so many different elements- it was actually quite satisfying to realize how much I can do with acrylic media and that it can be a means to an end. This first year of my mfa I’ve been so eager to try everything, that it was sort of a relief to simplify my materials.
Speaking of simplifying- probably the most exciting discovery was warping one large sheet of arches watercolour paper. I almost felt guilty to do such a simple thing with an expensive piece of paper- but in the end- the simple act of curling it was the most exciting thing. I am really intrigued with its form and rigidity, I hope to do more with paper in that way. Overall, it was a great experience which gives the freedom to explore materials without the pressure of resolving anything or worrying about the idea of preciousness in a piece.
Here are a few highlights from my residency:
