I've been looking at thee sketchbooks of the artist Jo Blaker and Karen Stamper to push my perception of what a sketchbook can be. I really like the idea of how a sketchbook can be valid as a final piece in itself and am particularly interested in how concertinas can be constructed in sculptural ways so a viewer has a multi viewed perspective of it.
A question I thought the other day was - can deconstructing a painting help me to see new possibilities for its direction? I wanted to explore how cutting up a painting and looking at it again within its new context of being made up of small, distinct sections can impact not just the outcome in its own right, but also how new outcomes could present.
I made this piece a few weeks ago but wasn't really sure where to go with it so left it.
I returned to it for this experiment and decided to chop it up and see if the narrative could change in doing so.
I chopped it up into small pieces, just smaller than a post card and instantly really liked how each small piece of paper had a quality that was individual to itself.
I then experimented with re ordering them and sticking them onto a long piece of folded/free standing paper which I thought was effective, except the execution of it was a bit rough and the joins didn't quite match up. If I did this again I would do it more carefully!
I'm finding it really helpful at the moment to literally re frame what a piece might be. By using discarded artwork and de constructing it as a way to give it a new meaning or purpose. I want to keep experimenting with this idea as part of my explorations surrounding sketchbooks.
November 10th 2023 (and now in Unit 2):
Today I've been working more on tracks and paths, combined with chopping and re arranging.
What constitutes too busy? How much imagery do I need? Are too many colours muddy? Is less more? As I'm working I'm trying to figure this out.
Chopping up a discarded experiment - but not indiscriminately - I look for areas that are aesthetically intriguing or clarified.
Finding the paths within the marks, but also considering real paths as I draw. At the moment, I'm thinking about a woodland burial ground and its scope for communicating the idea of re visiting, memory integration and the spirit of place.
Placing the cut up pieces in alignment, where the flow of the path is interrupted or paused. I really like this idea.
Pulling out some figures.
