Erika Craig

I had my blog review today and my tutors seemed to like the pictures I took of reflection in particular the water reflection image. So I started researching different artist who use water reflection in their work. One artist who I really liked was Erika Craig.

Craig created a stunning series of paintings which represent woman submerged into water.

“I paint figures underwater, immersing my subjects in their surroundings. A person’s reflection in water is a constantly changing self, a distorted image with many sides. Near the surface, the familiar blends into the unknown. Colour and shape break down. Things that seem separate become entwined”.

Reflection using tinfoil

 Since researching and studying reflection, I decided to start using different types of reflective material. Instead of going straight int usin mirrors, I wanted to start of easy by experimenting with tin foil. In one of my tutorials, one of my lectures suggested looking at the space between the layers of my first 3D piece which was the tutu made from pleated paper, netting and tulle fabric.

 I began by again, pleating tinfoil. I then started cutting tinfoil in semi circle shapes and taping them together to create a 3D semi circle. I started looking at different ways of doing this by flattening the circles, arranging it in different ways and cutting different size circles. I then wanted to experiment with paint on tinfoil so I began by taking a paint brush and flicking paint onto the tinfoil. I used to types of paint: acrylic paint and silk paint. I also mixed them together to create a less thick version of acrylic paint. I also used black and white spray paint on the tinfoil but that didn’t really work out. My apologies for the bad phototgraphy i left my camera at home and had to use my phone.

Reflection photographs

Since researching different artists in relation to reflective art I decided to take photographs of reflective materials in the space around me.

I firstly went around the college and took some photographs of anything I could see my reflection in. I also took some photographs of other student’s work that was hanging in the college which really inspired me. I also went outside and took some natural reflective photos.

Here are some example of the type of photographs I took such as reflective light, natural reflection and mirrors.

 

Jacob Kassay

After studying the work of Robert Smithson, I than began looking at other artist who brings reflective material into their work. One artist which I was extremely attracted to is Jacob Kassay.

 

Kassay uses acrylic paint and silver deposit on canvas. The thing I liked most about this is that kassay is not using clear reflective materials.The objects or being that interacts with the art piece is not as clear as some other artists I previously looked at, as the materials he uses do not distinct the figure that is in front of it. They allow the viewer or object to become distorted and almost unreadable. In Smithson’s work you can clearly see figures and details in the mirrors he uses whereas in kassay work you can only see a silhouette of the figure standing in front of it. That is what I like about kassay work, it makes you think and wonder. It is not just handed to you straight. You have to look and figure out what is being reflected both literally and metaphorically.

Robert Smithson

Looking now at more contemporary artists, who incorporate reflective materials into their work, I was very interested in the work of Robert Smithson. Smithson is most famous for his "spiral jelly" piece which he created out of rocks, sediments, mud and sand in 1970.

Smithson was always interested in the earthwork and the science behind it. He wanted to combine this into his art work. "Instead of putting a work of art on some land, some land is put into a work of art" He also incorporated mirrors and reflective materials into his work. One of my favourite art pieces created by Smithson is "three mirrors in a corner" As each mirror reflects the space around it; it multiplies the reflections in the other mirrors, creating an image with the symmetry of a crystal. Again he uses fragments from the natural world; in this particular piece Smithson uses coral. The thing I like the most about Smithson’s work is that the viewer can actually be a part of the art piece by simply entering and exiting the space. That is why I am choosing to focus on mirrors as they can capture the viewer into the work.

renaissance mirrors

I am now moving on to looking at reflective space and how reflective materials such as mirrors can alter a space. Mirrors can make a space open, it can double the size of a certain area. It can allow objects to enter it and exit it which I find very interesting.

One of the most famous mirrors in art is Jan van Eyck - Arnolfini's Wedding. I found this painting very exciting as it gives the viewer a slight insight to what was happening outside the painting. If you look very closely, you can see the painter in the mirror.

Another example of this type of work from the renaissance era is Diego Velázquez-Las Meninas. Here Velázquez also depicts himself in the painting through mirrors.

Andy Goldsworthy

This week in college, we had a lecture on 3D art work. We watched a video on Andy Goldsworthy called "Rivers and tides 3". This video was so supportive. It completely changed my view on my whole project.

Andy Goldsworthy was trying to create a statue out of rocks but each time the statue would entirely collapse. That to me, would be very frustrating and then he said something that really caught me in my thoughts. He said: "it is intensely disappointing and this is the forth time its fallen and each time I got to know the stone a little bit more. It got higher each time so it grew in proportion to my understanding of the stone and that is really what one of the things my art is trying to do, is understand the stone. I obviously don’t understand it well enough......yet."

After hearing this, I made a realisation; even the most talented artist struggle with their work and it’s not about finishing an art piece, it’s about the journey. About how you need to study and understand a subject before you can develop a finished piece. It will take time and patience but with that comes success. :)

Reflections altering space

                                                                          I finally got my camera fixed :)

So here is what I have been working on as a starting point. As I said in my last post, I began by just working with different fabrics and mediums. I liked the idea of using paper manipulation as a technique as I have never really worked with paper in this sense before. I also really liked the work of Kara Walker as i said in my earlier posts. I started by pleating very thin paper in circles. I then added netting to give the piece more volume and finally painted the background paper with brown acrylic paint by spreading the paint with netted fabric to illustrate the scratches made in the space by the dancer.

After completing my 3D art piece, I noticed that due to the delicacy of the paper and fabric, the shape and form would change quite easily simply by a gust of wind. I noticed how the different shadows would change very dramatically very easily. So I decided to investigate the shadows of dancers within a dance space. I investigate dancer’s shadows and studio space through YouTube videos. After the third video, I stopped watching the dancer and began looking at their reflection in the mirrors around them. I was fascinated by how the mirrors changed the whole view of the dance studio. Mirrors have the power to make a space look double the size it actually is so I am now going to look at reflections within space and how reflective materials can alter a space.

Space in dancing

So, after coming to the conclusion that I wanted to focus on movement within space, I began looking at different types of dancing and how they need space to create movement. I started studying different dancers and I was really interested in ballet. I thought the outfits worn in ballet were very interesting. How the tutu moves, the different types of textures it has, the sound it makes, the feeling and the overall space in the garment. When studying this I began by pleating paper in circles. I then layered the paper with some netted fabric to create an actual tutu. I really liked the sound the paper made and the touch of the fabric.

I began looking at the actual space of a dance studio and how the floor is covered in marks and scratches from the dancer. I wanted to illustrate this in my work so I experimented with some acrylic paint on netting and drew with this. I then placed the tutu in the middle of the page. Unfortunately I do not have pictures at the moment as my camera is letting me down :( but I will get them up very soon :)

I am now beginning to study the space between the layers of fabric and paper.