Week 13 - Micro exam

For the micro exam we had an hour and a half to produce an outcome based on our personal investigation that we had been doing in throughout the term. I continued to focus on my Dad's service and the loss of identity. I refined my practise by only having one piece instead of a collection, this way I can layer the idea of unanimity.

I began my cutting the card on a larger scale, and cut paper the same size. I monoprinted using green and black ink to create a darker green - representable of Army uniform. Towards the centre of the print I used a wet paper towel to remove ink from the page. The water allowed the shapes to interlink like camouflage. Moving outwards, I used a dry paper towel to remove the ink so that the outer part had more white in it, providing more contrast, so the eye is drawn to the centre of the piece.

Next I added the cut out photographs and stuck them to the centre of the piece. I also used a scalpel to cut out camouflage shapes to reveal the corrugated card underneath. To put the soldiers in the surroundings, I put a darker green around them, thus creating even more contrast.

I applied three rows of numbers to represent the identity numbers that each soldier has, across the middle of the piece. This distorts the image of the soldiers and therefore there identity is being manipulated. I used white emulsion paint for this as it is transparent so it is still relatively clear that there are soldiers behind it.

Towards the edges of the piece, the numbers become less visible and so present the soldiers' unanimity. This piece could either be hung or framed, although I think a white frame would look better.

I am pleased with the outcome of this piece, but I still think that there could be more contrast and that the images could fill the background more. I think I have created a focal point in the piece which I was focussing on a lot since my practise didn't have one and appeared confusing. The size of the camouflage shapes are a good size as they don't detract attention from the centre.

Week 12 - Evaluation of practise for micro exam

Whilst working towards an outcome, I have been influenced by Andy Warhol, by taking his idea of using camouflage and using it to present further concepts of identity loss. I have produced this piece in several parts as Warhol did in “camouflage”. I think that this helps in portraying the gradual process of identity removal more clearly. However, I arranged these vertically, with the last step at the top. The red in this part draws the viewer’s eye to the top of the series but then leads the eye downwards- therefore backwards through the process. To combat this I think I need to rearrange these pieces so that the viewer’s eye is carried through the process in chronological order.

I was happy that I managed to achieve everything that I’d planned in the short time as I was worried that monoprinting was going to consume a lot of time. However, it didn’t and the amount of texture that monoprinting provides is interesting. Along with the rigid texture of the corrugated cardboard underneath, it comes together to reveal a war-like experience. I used the colour red in the last piece of the stage to draw attention to the result of being in the forces. However, this doesn’t work well as a composition as it adds more confusion as to where to look first. I want to keep the colour red in the outcome as it compliments the green background and has many connotations of anger, death and the poppy that symbolises everyone who has served in the forces. I could incorporate the red more by using it in increasing amounts on each piece. For example, painting red identification numbers across the body and eventually the red covering the entire piece in the foreground.

Another thing that makes the outcome confusing overall is that the pieces of card aren’t all the same size. As the two middle ones are larger, it creates a focal point in the piece, but the red is already doing this so it is puzzles the viewer. Having a photograph of two soldiers demonstrates the team aspect of being in the army. I believe that any more would make each piece appear crowded and any less would appear liked it was purely based on one individual person.

Week 10 and 11 - including paper cutting

Following on from experimenting with monoprinting and polyprinting, I have incorporated this into my work.

 

Here, I stuck the monoprint to the piece of corrugated card and cut into it, revealing the textured underside. I peeled away so that corrugated and more smoother sections of the card could be seen to create more texture.

Moving on from this, I started looking at how to hide someone's identity; still using the monoprints and polyprints.

 In this image, I took the idea of collaging that I have been using and did so over the face to make the soldier unrecognisable.

 Instead of using the monoprint in the foreground as I did above, I used it in the background instead. This can only be seen where the head of the soldier would be and so it represents the frantic state of mind that the soldier has displayed through multiple marks like horizontal lines and dots.

For this I wrote part of an identification number in biro over the top of a polyprint. The shade of green that is used is too bright and should be darker to represent camouflage more accurately. Also, using biro doesn't provide a vivid or good quality outcome.

 I have removed the figures of two team players to represent the fallen in battle. I have done this to represent how, after so long, the deceased are no longer remembered.

 I have cut out individual numbers in the style of the printed identification on equipment like kit bags. I cut these out of a darker green polyprint and I think that this shade is a lot more representable of the military theme.

Paper cutting

 Paper cutting is where you take an image and secure it to another piece of paper, you then cut away the desired pieces using a knife on top of a cutting mat. Whilst doing this, some of the useful things I found were: cutting a thicker line adds more dimension, that cutting out a solid object creates a template and to be able to create detailed outcomes you must leave tabs around the edge of the image.

Artist Analysis - Matthew Cusick

Matthew Cusick

Matthew Cusick was born in New York City in 1970 and went onto graduate from the Cooper Union with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1993. His work has been exhibited internationally since 1996 including New York City gallery shows at Andrew Kreps in Kent. In 2006 Cusick got a New York Foundation of Arts fellowship, later in 2008 achieving a fellowship from The Bernis Center for Contemporary Art. His work is held at places like the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art and the Progressive Art Collection. Cusick is a multimedia artist, using paint and collage  materials like maps, atlases, encyclopedias and school textbooks to add more depth to his work. He is ‘known for warmly coloured paintings’* which depict a lot of Southern California including the celebrity culture. Much of his work expresses the darker side of American culture and he develops a complicated enigma of our existence by adding collage materials to his paintings.

In the piece, “Cat’s Wave”, Cusick uses inlaid maps and text on a panel. There is a collection of pieces that depict the sea, completed in 2015. In “Cat’s Wave” there is one sea wave going diagonally across the panel from the bottom left corner towards the top left which rolls to the right. There is a white splash the forms towards the back of the wave. The colours of the sea are provided by segments of maps that have been arranged to interlock and form the wave. In the background, text is merging with the sea at approximately a 175 degree angle towards the sea. This appears to be representing rain.

The colours that are provided by the maps are blue primary shades, blue violet tertiary and blue green tertiary too. For example, colours like greenish cyan, turquoise, aqua, teal and cerulean. This piece of work is 2D and has relatively strong variation light and shade between the colours to depict the many reflections that bounce of the water. Although a flat surface is used, the maps and text adds more depth to the piece. The maps are cut and assembled together so that they interlock. The viewer’s eye rolls with the wave as the eye is attracted to the lighter blue shades along the middle of the piece which leads to the wave.

Using maps expands the limits of a representational painting, creating a more complex form of existence. Cusick’s pieces provide a geographical and historical timeline within the image. I think this piece creates a motion of being lost as the sea is choppy and so presents confusion and disorientation. The rough sea displays how the weather is unpredictable, mirroring the path of our lives. I believe that Cusick is trying to portray how there is more that encapsulates us than just our achievements, like our history and our ventures. However, he could be trying to reveal using maps that people shouldn’t be so individualistic and closed-minded as he believes that travelling the world opens the mind to opportunity and current social affairs. I also think the text that appears like rain could represent the newspapers and the sea, the public. As the newspapers fuels the public to behave in a certain way and believe certain values about the world, but in effect this leads the public into confusion and turmoil which I represented by the choppy wave.

I have been influenced by Cusick to use collage and interlock images as he does. Each of the sections that form the way reminded me of camouflage shapes and so I began to look at my Dad’s service in the military. I have used maps and other materials like photographs to create objects like trousers. I was inspired to try creating tonal representation by adding collage to objects such as bottles. Cusick has also inspired me to look at the deeper meaning behind my developments and so I have started looking at ways to portray as soldier’s identity and how the country create a level of anonymity in our troops.

*www.artsy.net/artist/matthew-cusick

Artist Analysis - Andy Warhol updated

Andy Warhol

Andrew Warhola was born on 6 August 1928 in Oakland. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania into a Byzantine Catholic family. His parents were Slovakian immigrants and much of this heritage was instilled throughout his childhood. At the age of eight, Warhola contracted Chorea, a disease affecting the nervous system. Due to this, he was bed-ridden and his mother taught him to draw at this time. At fourteen, his father passed away because of having a jaundiced liver; he didn’t attend the funeral because of being so distraught.

In 1949, Warhola got a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and moved to New York, dropping the ‘a’ at the end of his surname to become known as Warhol. He worked for Glamour magazine and became one of the most successful commercial artists of the 1950’s. He debuted the concept of Pop Art, which is the mass production of commercial goods. Pop Art recognises the persuasive nature of materialism and consumerism using flat imagery and usually bright colours. The Pop Art movement began as a revolt against traditional views on what art should be and was inspired by consumerism, pop music and Hollywood movies. During this period, in 1964, Warhol opened his own art studio which was named “The Factory “.  In 1968, Warhol was shot by an aspiring writer and feminist and was seriously injured. While recovering, he spent weeks in New York hospital and went onto publish books in the 1970’s like The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. This event could’ve perhaps made Warhol feel that he had to isolate himself from the outside world because if not, he would be in danger. It could’ve made him feel like an outcast and so he perhaps used camouflage to remove his identity and appear as more of a part of general society, rather than having morals which oppose the majority view.

In the piece “Camouflage”, Warhol uses acrylic paint and a silkscreen print. In his other work, he also uses a blotted line technique and rubber stamps. Silkscreen printing is also called screen printing, this is where a screen is used with a template on and ink is pushed through the screen and onto the selected surface. The image that is revealed in crisp and neat, it can also be replicated many times to produce several prints. He depicts everyday consumer goods like Campbell’s soup and Coca-Cola. In “Camouflage” there are 4 silkscreen prints of camouflage lined up horizontally. From left to right, traditional camo colours are used, followed by red, pink and white, then blue, grey and yellow, then dark red, dark blue, blue and off-white.

The form of “Camouflage” is 2D and each print is 1830mm x 1830mm. There is a strong contrast between darker and lighter colours in this piece. The far-left print has colours such as olive, canary, antique pewter and obsidian. The left-middle print is red, coral and terracotta, the right-middle is cyan, aqua, yellow ochre and cerulean. Finally, the far right is ivory, crimson, royal blue and violet. The work has a smooth texture as it is a silkscreen print with acrylic paint, this gives it a sleek finish.

Multiple prints allow multiple colours to be used, along with acrylic paint.  As the prints are arranged horizontally, they are viewed left to right as this is what we naturally do. This also occurs because the eyes are drawn to the first print as is it something that we recognise as it is in traditional camouflage colours. As you look along, the colours get further from reality. Repeating patterns appeared to interest Warhol, as it is seen in many of his pieces of work. By varying the colours of the camouflage, the military symbolism is removed and emphasises the idea of hiding your identity or perhaps sheltering yourself from the outside world. Warhol was known for hiding his identity, for example his homosexuality when he was younger. He also wore makeup and wigs to cover any of his personal insecurities. He was also known for being quite closed, this was shown in his interviews where he would give one word replies or short responses. Furthermore, he could’ve reprinted camouflage to remove his own identity as a push to try and become what you would expect of an American citizen. He may have done this to conform with the majority view of the country based on morals. However, Warhol may have produced this piece in a protest to conformity and to promote individuality. As the colours of each print become more differentiated from the expected camouflage ones, it suggests that people shouldn’t be afraid to be individualistic and challenge society’s standards.

I have been influenced by this idea of camouflage and hiding. I have been collaging photographs of my Dad’s service in the army in the shape of camouflage, to form objects like trousers and broken bottles. I have been using black and white to create tonal representation like Warhol does. However, I am going to look at creating more tone by using stronger contrasts between dark and light colour. I am looking at the idea of hiding by having different backgrounds and using the camo-shaped photographs to cover parts of this. I have used painted backgrounds in colour and white, I have also worked onto flat card and corrugated card. The corrugated card gives more texture than Warhol’s prints but the amount of dimension this gives interests me. Warhol’s work has inspired me to think about the deeper meaning of hiding behind camouflage and this is what I intend to explore.

Week 9

This week I have looked at different ways of printing as this is how Warhol created most of his work. I first of all looks at monoprinting and produced a series of subtractive and additive prints. I preferred using the subtractive method as it is more striking.

However, I went on to use subtractive and additive methods together and found that this created a more interesting composition. I printed this on to wet paper and used a wet paper towel to take away ink. This allowed the shapes to bleed into one another and represented camouflage more as the shapes were attached.

Furthermore, I experimented with polyprinting. I found that with this the same print can be made over and over again, like Warhol did, however these don't produce the same tidy finish as his methods.

I used two colours in this and liked how the black sections aren't just a block colour. This fragmented look almost makes the camouflage appear distorted. I then looked at the difference between positive and negative space in the following prints.

The first print is more prominent as I used enough ink, however I like the second print as this isn't limited to one area, like the square around the first one. The first print connotes isolation and I don't believe it should as soldiers are the people who gave us freedom in this country following the World Wars. Although, this isolation could present the mental disorders that many suffer after serving in the forces. The second print could be repeated again and again, perhaps in different shapes to present other objects, like medals.

Week 8

In this week I have been working onto a different surface; cardboard. I began with collaging camouflage shapes onto the surface, but found that this didn't provide much depth.

Then I went on to stick camouflage shapes onto square pieces of card and layered these on top, giving the composition a more fragmented look.

As this isn't what I was trying to achieve, I developed upon this and cut around the card in the shape of the photograph. I layered this on top of the first layer but found that this composition is too busy with the same idea of collaging camouflage.

To combat the busyness, I used the same technique as in the previous experiment but instead I arrange them differently - I created one surface of camouflage. This makes the photos that are on card more prominent.

I began to look at backgrounds and sampled different techniques using white emulsion paint. I used a sponge for one and a spoon for the other, whilst forming camouflage-like shapes. I used the collaged the photographs that were stuck onto card and arranged them in a single layer.

This composition looks more interesting as there are two layers of camouflage in different textures; photographs and paint. The paint appears expressive and gives a sense of confusion. This effect is successful as it shows how a uniform hides the idea of having sporadic thoughts and possible lack of certainty as to what happens whist on tour.

I next decided to pursue using a sponge to create a softer, almost fabric-like texture.

 I used the colours of camouflage (black, green and brown) and applied the acrylic paint with a sponge in patches. By using corrugated card, there is more texture and the composition has become to represent the framework of an Anderson shelter which was used in the Second World War. By layering the photographs on top, it makes it presents how the troops are protecting civilians at home in the Anderson shelters by fighting back against the enemy.

Artist analysis - Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

Andrew Warhola was born on 6 August 1928 in Oakland. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania into a Byzantine Catholic family. His parents were Slovakian immigrants and much of this heritage was instilled throughout his childhood. At the age of eight, Warhola contracted Chorea, a disease affecting the nervous system. Due to this, he was bed-ridden and his mother taught him to draw at this time. At fourteen, his father passed away because of having a jaundiced liver; he didn’t attend the funeral because of being so distraught.

In 1949, Warhola got a Bachelor of Fine Arts and moved to New York, dropping the ‘a’ at the end of his surname to become known as Warhol. He worked for Glamour magazine and became one of the most successful commercial artists of the 1950’s. He debuted the concept of Pop art, which is the mass production of commercial goods. In 1964, he opened his own art studio which was named “The Factory “.  In 1968, Warhol was shot by an aspiring writer and feminist and was seriously injured. While recovering, he spent weeks in New York hospital and went onto publish books in the 1970’s like The Philosophy of Andy Warhol.

In the piece “Camouflage”, Warhol uses acrylic paint and a silkscreen. In his other work, he also uses a blotted line technique and rubber stamps. He depicts everyday consumer goods like Campbell’s soup and Coca-Cola. In “Camouflage” there are 4 silkscreen prints of camouflage lined up horizontally. From left to right, traditional camo colours are used, followed by red, pink and white, then blue, grey and yellow, then dark red, dark blue, blue and off-white.

The form of “Camouflage” is 2D and each print is 1830mm x 1830mm. There is a strong contrast between darker and lighter colours in this piece. The far left print has colours such as forest, avocado, banana and obsidian. The left-middle print is red, coral and goldenrod, the right-middle is carribean, splash, yellow ochre and shadow. Finally, the far right is ivory, crimson, deep azure and violet. The work has a smooth texture as it is a silkscreen print with acrylic paint, this gives it a sleek finish.

Multiple prints allow multiple colours to be used, along with acrylic paint.  As the prints are arranged horizontally, they are viewed left to right as this is what we naturally do. This also occurs because the eyes are drawn to the first print as is it something that we recognise as it is in traditional camouflage colours. As you look along, the colours get further from reality. Repeating patterns appeared to interest Warhol. By varying the colours of the camouflage, the military symbolism is removed and emphasies the idea of hiding more. Warhol was known for hiding his identity, for example his homosexuality when he was younger. He also wore makeup and wigs to cover any of his personal insecurities. He was also known for being quite closed, this was shown in his interviews where he would give one word replies or short responses.

I have been influenced by this idea of camouflage and hiding. I have been collaging photographs of my Dad’s service in the army in the shape of camouflage, to form objects like trousers and broken bottles. I have been using black and white to create more tone like Warhol does. However, I am going to look at creating more tone by using strong contrasts between dark and light colour. I am looking at the idea of hiding by having different backgrounds and using the camo-shaped photographs to cover parts of this. I have used painted backgrounds in colour and white, I have also worked onto flat card and corrugated card. The corrugated card gives more texture than Warhol’s prints but the amount of dimension this gives interests me. Warhol’s work has inspired me to think about the deeper meaning of hiding behind camouflage and this is what I intend to explore.

Week 7

During the previous week I looked at a different artist called Pio Abad. He looked at conflict in the Phillipines and this is what influenced his installation '105 degrees and rising' - referring to the tension between the two opposing sides.

 

I used the colour palette from my walk to the Slough as a background, focussing more on the brighter hues like green and yellow.

I layered photographs in the shape of camouflage over the top to create the final product.

The overall outcome has come to look messy as it doesn't have a determined shape. The shape of this is random, but I will look at creating different shapes, perhaps of military related objects. Collaging the photographs in this way is something that I will extend further in my work.

I want to work on a different surface next so I am going to use card in various ways.

Half-term visit to the Herbert Art Gallery

In the half-term, I visited the Herbert Art Gallery hoping to take a look around at the War Games exhibition. However, this was not the case as this had left by the time I got there. Luckily, there was still the exhibition based on Coventry in World War II for me to delve into. I looked at the Home Front during this period and the effects of the war, for example the severe attack on 24 November 1940, when a bomb raid left the cathedral as a burning shell and over 554 people were killed, with over 1000 being injured. Despite all this, the city continued to produce war machinery, with the factories being operated by mostly women 24 hours a day. This proves that morale was kept high throughout the city and so I decided to look at the propaganda surrounding this issue. I found a poster that promotes saving energy, like coal, electricity, gas and paraffin to help ration power.

I have researched the propaganda that was used during World War II to encourage men to join the military and for citizens to contribute to the war effort. The poster above is of Lord Kitchener, one that is famous for driving recruitment in Britain. Propaganda was also delivered over the radio in political speeches, in the newspapers and in leaflets.

While I was there, I also photographed a baby's gas helmet and the old cathedral from the outside. Unfortunately, due to an event being set up inside, I couldn't enter the old cathedral.

In this week I drew a line drawing of a section ofa camouflaged uniform and captured the shape of the pocket. I did another study on a section of uniform and added newspaper, photographs and marker pen to distinguish between each colour in the material. After this, I added more detail with biro, for example the stitching and shadows in the trouser.

I took inspiration from the rationing poster and mimicked the red pattern over the top of some photographs. I applied part of the name and identification number using my finger. The red seems to create an alarm of danger in this because of the photographs being of soldiers, rather than creating an alert for help like in the Coventry poster. The red is very vivid and this comes to be explosive, which I like. The identification number doesn't stand out a lot but I like how it is engulfed by the explosion of the red. To improve this is I would organise the photos in a more collective fashion as they are quite spaced out.

Furthermore, I stuck newspaper to the page and applied coffee stain in the shape of Nuneaton bus station. I drew the metal bars of the station in pencil, however, I used a solid tone and therefore it isn't recognisably a metal frame. I layered camouflage on top of this using chalk as it is a soft medium and makes the writing stand out more. I painted the word 'Britons' at the top of the piece like in the Lord Kitchener poster using acrylic. As a composition, I think that the frame of the bus station becomes to look like a tunnel that the men signing up to the army are lead down. The camouflage at the bottom suggests how the uniform removes their identity after pursuing the route through the tunnel of the army.

 

Week 6 - working in the style of my artists and incorporating the military theme

I began by looking at Tyrone Dalby, an artist who works onto surfaces such as maps.

I found that working straight onto the map was difficult as the light reflected off

the graphite. So instead I focussed on a section of the bottle and did a more tonal

study of the bottle. I then added the maps to suggest tone and I think that this method was a lot more successful.

I then did a study of the soda bottle and added military photos to it to suggest tone. These photos are black and white and so the study has a lot of contrast. I should have added more tone using a pencil or biro as well as using the maps so it looks like glass.

Following this, I experimented with collaging the images in different ways. I tore the image into strips and stuck each piece in the order so the original photo looked disjointed. I then drew the bottle over the top of this. I wasn't happy with the outcome of this as I think that the way the image is placed, it suggests the idea of unharmonious working, yet in the military everyone is supposed to support one another. I then tore the image and layered it on top of each other, creating a circular shape. This suggests commitment and togetherness rather than a divide between individuals in the first experiement. I drew the bottle over it and noticed that the bottom part of it is the most noticeable as it is on the paper. Next time, I am going to add a thin layer of white emulsion over the image so that there is more contrast as it is currently difficult to see the biro drawing on top of a relatively dark image.

I have began to start experimenting with materials to use when representing uniform. I started using chalks and found that layering colour and smudging it creates a more fabric looking texture, rather than harsh or soft marks made directly with the chalk. I have also used oil paint and found that the colours were a lot more vivid.

Week 5

I looked at using mixed media again to represent my object. This time incorporating coffee to add tonal value, along with biro and graphite. I think that I could've used the biro more in the bottom half of the bottle as there isn't much contrast. Although I tried to use the coffee granules to add tone, I don't think this was very effective as applying them with my hands didn't provide much precision. However, the outcome reminded me of the fizz in this drink and so it could be used to reperesent this if I was to look at carbonated drinks.

With this, I tried to portray movement. I focussed more on capturing the shape of the bottle rather than the tone, because in movement the shape is more likely what you would see. By drawing this at different angles, applying less pressure with the pencil, it looks like the bottle is being shaken. However, when it came to drawing the bottle in a darker way, i think it would've been easier to use graphite rather than a pencil. I was surprised by the outcome of this as I didn't expect it to portray movement so well just by layering drawings at different angles.

I abstracted the curvature of the bottle and responded to it, using graphite newspaper, white emulsion and coffee. I used a lot of curved marks, but I think that this piece is still too focussed on the bottle rather than an emotional response to it.

I went onto responding more to the bottle and created more contrast by using black emulsion and biro. I began by mapping out sections of shadows on the page, and went onto layering the sharp edges of the bottle top over it. I used the harsher shapes of the bottle and the curved line to juxtapose each other in the composition. Overall, this piece portrays confusion and conflict, as the layers of different marks create a sense of turbulence.

I chose another object to study, and decided to do a pencil drawing first. This bottle is one that we (myself, brother, Auntie and Uncle) found on the old site of a factory when walking to my Grandad and Grandma's house one evening. The site was covered in shattered bottles, this being the most intact one we could find, and broken clay pipes. The drawing doesn't capture the shape of the bottle very well, as it isn't explicit that it is round. Also the layers of glass cannot be seen, perhaps a mixed media study will be able to capture this better.