Assignment 5, on the theme of environment, comprises five pairs of paintings following the demolition and rebuilding of my conservatory/studio over four months in 2020/21.
The pairs further comprises a primary painting and a folded print of that piece as individual layers or blocks of paint were applied; and each pair reflects a different stage in the build.
By evolution rather than predetermined plan, the pairs also reflect different artistic influences from Chinese to architectural. These are accompanied by texts – the ones on the painting tending towards the more pragmatic or factual, and on the print, rather more mystical or fictional. Texts have been applied in ways reflecting the first pair of images which was underpinned by the lines generated by the I Ching.
The pairs are presented below with brief annotations and links to blog pages detailing the developmental process. Beneath each are animations predicated on the art work.
First pair.
Acrylics on primed cartridge. Painted half fold of A1 sheet.Printed half fold of A1 sheet.
Acrylics on half fold or primed A1 cartridge. I had rejected this version in favour of a second, more sparse iteration, but now find I prefer it for its colours. Fold print from the painting above.
Second iteration – painting on the left, print on the right. I found the print in particular rather weak.
Links to the process – first iteration,second iteration. The first link also includes the initial developmental process for the first pair.
Third pair.
This small area of paint applied with a flat brush appeals, as does the texture of the remnants of shower sponge on the right.Third pair of paintings and fold prints. I am less happy about this as a whole and as two halves, but there are moments, above and below, that have some merit I think. I’ve presented this as a whole piece, using the curve shape around the garden area as the central feature. Hearts are everywhere at the moment and this one is serendipitous.Again, it’s the residual texture from the shower sponge that I find attractive, and perhaps the small section in the half heart shape towards the right. The rest feels quite nondescript.
I designed my driveway as a river flowing down from the road towards the house. My builder painstakingly made it for me.
Fourth Pair.
This pair is presented as one piece. On the right is the substantial image, part of which is made in sections of film, the fold of which sits in the centre of the A1 support. The text is from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. On the left is the fold print which is much more spare. The text here is from Galvanise by the Chemical Brothers. The medium is acrylics in T white and Payne’s grey, the text is made with acrylic pens and the introduction of red reflects the running theme of this series – limited and muted palette with dashes of bright red.
At this point, there was no roof and so the floor area filled with water.
Fifth Pair.
Painted soft pastels on A2 sized cartridge primed with white primer and textured with a towel. The figure is made in T white acrylic printed from a tracing on film of an enlarged photo of one of the builders working on my studio. The text is from NASA’s information video of the Perseverance rover’s landing site, Jezero crater on Mars.Fold print from the painting above, enhanced with further application of soft pastel and with the astronaut outlined in fineliner on film, cut out and glued in place. Text is from HG Wells War of the Worlds.
Strayfish Arts 
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