New pen and ink drawings on paper.

'The past lives on in art and memory, but it is not static: it shifts and changes as the present throws its shadow backwards. The landscape also changes, but far more slowly; it is a living link between what we were and what we have become. This is one of the reasons why we feel such a profound and disproportionate anguish when a loved landscape is altered out of recognition; we lose not only a place, but ourselves a continuity between the shifting phases of our life.'  (Drabble, 2009; 270)

 Having reflected in a previous post on the relative successes of 
the silk screens I produced as a direct response to the changeable and ever shifting landscape of the North Norfolk Coast of Burnham Overy Staithe's sand dunes and salt marshes I was keen to experiment with alternative ways and processes in order to depict the subject matter. I experimented by rendering these images on a much larger scale of 70 x 100cm. I was keen to see how this would compare to the silk screened versions and whether the much more labour intensive, hand crafted versions added anything to the process of experimentation which related back to my original research interests.

Photographs of the coastal landscape after being subjected to distortion via the process of scanning.

In order to inform these images and as subject matter I used the same process of manipulation that I used in order to inform the imagery for my silkscreens, which involved re-scanning print outs of photos taken during a walk at Burnham Overy Staithe which I moved around during the scanning process in order to create a sense of movement and distortion. The three images I have posted directly below are the results of rendering these images using black rotring ink on fabriano paper.

Tracing the Archetypal, Pen and Ink on Paper, 70 x 100cm

Counterfeit Landscape, Pen and Ink on Paper, 70 x 100cm

Simulacrum, Pen and Ink on Paper, 70 x 100cm

Claude Heath (1964 -) questions the relationship between the world of sensation and ourselves within his work. Heath's wall drawings move between being the subject and object of the artists and our imagination. 

Claude Heath, Waterfall 2013, Installation Shot, Wall Drawing.

  

   Claude Heath, Waterfall 2013 (detail)

Claude Heath, Waterfall 2013, end wall.

Heath drawings look like various things - high-density doodles, computer printouts bearing multi-dimensional information. But you don't need to look at them long to see that they are, at least, not free-form abstractions. These intense, hairball tangles of spidery lines, often in several different colours, seem to grope their way towards some kind of legibility or materialisation.

Yet they remain phantoms of the forms that they represent; firstly in the sense that they have a ghostly yet still recognisable relationship with the object they are based on and secondly they are born from an absence (the artist's gaze onto the page which he is drawing). There is as a result, a purposely unresolved and awkward fusion between that which is real and that which is imagined. 

I felt that there were many positive and some negative factors emerging from my recent drawings in relation to my earlier silk screens. Whereas the silk screens were executed on a scale of around 26 x 40cm the pen and ink drawings are operating on a considerably larger scale. When combined with their hand crafted quality alongside the length of time it took to execute them, they felt much more finished and resolved and alot less like experimental pieces. As with Heath's Waterfall wall drawing I am interested in the interplay and exchange between the reality of the scene being depicted alongside the changing and shifting nature of the image as something that has a dreamlike appearance, a few steps removed from reality.

One of the positive qualities with regards to the silk screens was the fact that although executed relatively quickly they created an impression of spontaneity and crudeness which combined effectively with some of the marks and mistakes from the silk screen process as well as the movement and distortion created as a by-product of the scanning process. This contrasted with the graphic imagery created via the use of pen and ink, with the potential for it to be interpreted as more formulaic with less room for spontaneity or errors. However the time taken to produce the drawings, the quality of the mark making and the ambiguity of the subject matter meant that they possessed a much more finished and satisfying quality in relation to the more sketchy nature of the silk screened images.


I took the opportunity to visit the Sigmar Polke exhibition: Alibis, 1963-2010 at the Tate Modern. I was particularly interested in the fashion with which Polke utilised technology within his work as a way of creating distortion within the imagery as well as the fashion with which he juxtaposes both painterly and printed marks.

Sigmar Polke, Untitled (Triptych) 2002, polyester resin and acrylic paint on fabric

From his earliest practice Sigmar Polke emphasised a dynamic tension between expression, gesture and mechanical reproduction. His paintings combined found printed images with more organically made painterly marks. Making use of half-tone photography from newspapers and magazines Polke enlarged and reproduced the imagery often corrupting the original beyond recognition. 

Sigmar Polke, Fear (Black Man) 1997, Synthetic resin and lacquer on polyester fabric

'Printing Errors,' were a large group of paintings Polke created between 1996-98 in which he examined, much enlarged, minute ink slippages and spillages that read as errors on the printed page. Polke made others by manipulating photocopies during the copying process to create distortions of the imagery he was copying such as the image above, Fear (Black Man). Some errors bore close resemblances to details in the images in which they occured. By making use of a half-tone printing technique he helped to convert the visual image into a pattern of even-sized units consisting of a dotted diamond pattern.

Perhaps most intriguing for me is the fashion with which Polke has created a sense of tension within his work by combining a number of opposing elements including the mechanical nature of the printed imagery alongside the more organic painterly marks. In moving forward I am interested to see what would happen within my own work by combining gestural painterly marks alongside the more structured, precise marks created via the process of silk screen printing. Similarly I am also interested in experimenting by re-introducing areas of colour into my compositions which would be interesting to juxtapose alongside the monotone areas with the aim of creating an underlying tension, dynamic and interplay between a variety of opposing elements. 

Drabble, M (2009) 'A Writer's Britain.' London: Thames & Hudson.

Circular tondos vs rectangular picture compositions.

In going forward, I am interested in addressing which is more effective in terms of my experimentation, the circular tondos or the rectangular compositions as a way of addressing my research interests. Although I have rejected the overlayed geometric patterns which were the product of my initial experimentation, I have included these in the mock ups below as part of my work in progress in order to critique the elements I consider to be effective alongside the elements that I consider to be less successful for each of the compositions.

Circular tondo vs a more conventional rectangular composition:

Circular composition:

Round, spherical objects in nature are considered to be perfect, complete and stable. A round or spherical composition is an effective way to depict another world, the circle helping to accentuate the otherness of the composition in order to give the appearance of looking through a portal or window and capturing a particular moment in time.

Rectangular composition: 

A rectangular or square composition is less ambiguous and open to interpretation on account of the fact that it has a top and a bottom as well as being read from left to right and vice versa. In the same fashion standing in a landscape is characterised by having the sky at the top and the land at the bottom. Similarly it functions in a different fashion to the tondo on account of the fact that it has been used regularly throughout art history and is therefore more conventional and easier to relate to.
 
How does this function in relation to my research interests:

My research to date has very much been about the experience of being in a place. The places that I have chosen as my subject matter are places that I have visited over an extended period of time throughout my life. I feel therefore that the experience is very much about being situated within the present day as opposed to the past! As a result the circular tondo composition which is able function as a portal and way of looking back in time is not necessarily applicable. The more conventional rectangular composition however I feel is more applicable on account of the fact that it is easily recognisable and able to contain a personal narrative on account of the fact of it having a top, a bottom and sides and therefore relating directly to the landscape. 

Observing the two mock ups above I feel that there is a much stronger sense of place attached to the composition containing the rectangular images due to the fact that the imagery is more recognisable as being derived directly from the landscape. This has also resulted in a stronger sense of narrative, which can be attributed to the pieces. The circular compositions appear much more ambiguous in terms of their interpretation which is accentuated on account of their roundness meaning they do not conform to how we imagine the landscape to be. 

Going forward....

I feel that my experimentation with the tondo compositions has been valid and worthwhile but in going forward with future work do not feel that they are a suitable format for the outcomes that I am aiming for in terms of the experience of being in the landscape. I feel that the rectangular more conventional compositions offer this in a much more effective fashion.

  

Experimentation with Silk Screen

As discussed within my previous post I created a series of images derived from the coastal landscape which I manipulated via the process of scanning in order a sense of disortion and displacement. In order to create more of a hand finished quality I experimented by silkscreening the images onto sections of board to see how this would change the nature of the imagery and what effect it had in relation to the landscapes that I was depicting.

Irregular Fluctuation, 2015, Silkscreen on MDF, 25 x 36cm

Slippage, 2015, Silkscreen on MDF, 26 x 40cm

Drift, 2015, Silkscreen on MDF, 29 x 40cm

Dunes, 2015, Silkscreen on MDF, 24 x 36cm

I was really excited by the results and quality of the imagery achieved via the process of silkscreening. In particular I found the interchange between the black ink and brown mdf to be very effective and compelling. The ink combined persuasively with the cheap quality and feel of the materials. In printing the imagery onto the board it was also an effective way of enhancing the quality of the smudges, blurs and other accidental marks created via the process of scanning, while the solid nature of the wood enabled more of a convincing case for them to be considered as art objects.

As a further consideration and way of experimenting with altering the appearance of the silk screens, I experimented by applying gloss paint to the surface of the MDF in order to see how this altered the appearance of the silk screens and whether this brought any additional dimension to the work.

Irregular Fluctuation I, 2015, Silkscreen and Gloss on MDF, 25 x 36cm

Slippage I, 2015, Silkscreen and Gloss on MDF, 25 x 36cm

Drift I, 2015, Silkscreen and Gloss on MDF, 29 x 40cm

Dunes, 2015, Silkscreen and Gloss on MDF, 24 x 36cm

One of the elements that I felt was particularly positive with regards to the addition of paint to the MDF surface was the fact that it added a degree of spontaneity to the images that was not present within the silkscreens by themselves. In a similar vein the addition of the painted areas meant that the images were no longer part of a series or edition but now functioned as one offs.

Although the addition of the paint to the MDF surface added something extra to the feel and the quality of the images I feel that further experimentation is necessary in terms of how the paint is applied as well as the choice of colour. Via further experimentation I aim to resolve the cohesion and interaction between the printed and painterly surface so as to create a unity between the spontaneity and liberal application of the paint alongside the more controlled and restrained quality of the printed marks.

An artist whose work I have been considering in relation to my recent experiments with silk screen is that of the French artist Roland Flexner, whose recent ink drawings I had the opportunity to view at the Massimo De Carlo gallery in London. 

         

Roland Flexner, 2012, Untitled, Liquid Graphite on Yupo, 9 x 12"

Roland Flexner, 2012, Untitled, Liquid Graphite on Yupo, 9 x 12"

Flexner's practice focuses around drawing with ink, his drawings appearing to resemble a series of uncanny landscapes. As part of his experimentation Flexner explores the fashion in which the element of chance influences the making of these drawings. Using the processes of manipulation which include breath, water and gravity Flexner attempts to document the potential of this material by pushing it to a pictorial dimension. 

Roland Flexner, 2012, Untitled, Liquid Graphite on Yupo, 9 x 12"

Roland Flexner, 2012, Untitled, Liquid Graphite on Yupo, 9 x 12"

The manipulations Flexner has used in order to control the flow of the ink from one drawing to another alternates from tilting (use of gravity), blowing (with or without straws), spraying water mist over the drawing, friction and pressure applied to the back of the drawing. 

Roland Flexner, 2012, Untitled, Liquid Graphite on Yupo, 9 x 12"

Roland Flexner, 2012, Untitled, Liquid Graphite on Yupo, 9 x 12"

'The idea of landscape is inseparable from time, as it is a recording of time itself. Time is a flow that is driven by events every single one of my drawings in an event in a state of becoming.' Roland Flexner (massimodecarlo, 2015)

In a similar fashion to the works of Christopher Cook which I discussed in a previous post Flexner's works created via chance processes has a strong figurative element to it meaning that when viewed they possess a strong affinity with the landscape. However in a similar fashion to Cook's paintings there is something quite uncanny and otherworldly about the pieces meaning that the longer one views them the more ones mind drifts off into an alternative reality or space that is neither situated in the real world or the world of fantasy but sits uncomfortably somewhere imbetween. 

I am intrigued by Flexner's use of chance processes and manipulations as a way of creating his work. By scanning in print outs of the landscape of the North Norfolk coast whilst moving the imagery upon the scanner bed I have attempted to incorporate a chance element within my work. I hope that this operates as a way of displacing and dislodging the viewers expectation as to how they envisage the landscape may appear, whilst simultaneously making the experience very much grounded within place and landscape. In a similar fashion to both Cook and Flexner definitive figurative elements begin to fuse, blend and merge with other areas that are drifting off into an abstract and subconscious realm.  

As part of the dialogues lecture series, 'Speculative Matters' I had three of my silk screened images chosen to be part of the exhibition. This was a good opportunity for me to showcase how the images looked within a gallery setting as well as an appropriate platform in order to devise a way for them to be hung (see image above). One of the overriding considerations emerging from this show was devising a way to hang the work on account of the differing levels of abstraction inherent within the prints. By placing the middle image, almost unrecognisable as being derived from the landscape between two prints containing more pronounced figurative elements was a good way to contextualise the imagery in a fashion which provided a strong grounding within the reality of place and the landscape. 

massimodecarlo (2015) Roland Flexner (internet) available at: www.massimodecarlo.com/exhibitions/view/119977?&lang=eng

Work in progress, North Norfolk Coast

Having taken a series of photographs of my walk at Burnham Ovary Staithe, I considered how to proceed in order to create new work which followed on from the circular tondo pieces that I discussed in my previous post. The shifting marshes and dunes appeared to be an obvious point of reference on account of their ephemeral, transient nature and formation as a result of the layering and deposition of sand and mud constantly moving, re-forming and changing according to the natural processes and mechanisms working upon them. I began to consider ways in which it would be possible to visually represent these changeable landscapes within my work in a more literal and recognisable fashion than their portrayal via my tondo pieces. Initially I began by printing out some of the sections from the panoramas that I had amalgamated:

I experimented with different ways of presenting the photographs and decided that making them black and white resulted in a much starker visual impression. The imagery appeared bleaker, crisper and more distinct, whilst also creating the impression of looking back in time. Similarly by abandoning colour which has been such an overriding preoccupation within my practice allowed me to experiment with other aspects within the work without allowing my compostions to be dominated by strong, non-naturalistic and overbearing colours.

Although I found the black and white photographs to be visually distinct I decided that it would be interesting to add some additional distortion that would help to make the images appear more ambiguous, hazy and indistinct. 

As with my earlier attempts of introducing pattern into the landscape compositions of Mousehold Heath I wished to continue to experiment with ways of breaking up the surface as a way of alluding to some form of underlying tension or drama. Rather than introducing an additional element as in the case of the geometric patterns I was looking for some way of generating visual distortion that was not separated from the images themselves but functioned as a part of the imagery. In doing this I hope to allude to some form of disconnection occurring between myself and the landscape.

I experimented by scanning in print outs of the above landscape sections whilst moving them about during the scanning process, which resulted in the following set of images:

I increased the contrast of the images so they appeared more definitively black and white. I was especially pleased with the distortion and glitches that were created via the process of moving the images during the scanning process. Whilst still possible to make out elements of the dunes and marshes it created an element of uncertainty which combined effectively with the increased black and white contrast. Although there are still recognizable landscape elements there is a distinct shift and slippage that occurs as if the landscape is beginning to slide, transform and break up into something else that incorporates elements from the landscape, alongside elements which reference technology and the digital era.

Other elements which I felt added to the effectiveness of the imagery included their blurry, smudged, unfinished quality whilst the glitches whereby the scanner could be seen on the edge of the picture plane helped to create the sensation that these were otherworldy, indistinct places which had somehow how become unhinged and were slipping away from a solid grounding in reality.

New Tondo Landscape Paintings

On the back of the walk that I had undertaken at the North Norfolk Coast, I began to experiment with a series of graphite drawings on paper which were created fairly quickly and on a relatively small scale. In creating these works I attempted to vary the size and shape of the pieces which involved deviating from a straightforward rectangular format as well as removing and burning areas of the composition.

Coastal Landscape Studies, Graphite on Paper, 2015

Via my experimentation I hoped to abstract various elements of the landscape that I was depicting, so that whilst retaining many of its original features it had the appearance of slipping and changing into something else. The black and white monotone quality of the work helped to create the impression of starkness and bleakness, whilst I hoped that the fragmentary feel created the impression of something that had broken away and become unachored from its mooring in reality.

An artists whose work I have been researching is that of Christopher Cook. Returning from India in the mid 90s Cook was inspired by the ruggedness and ubiquitous grey tonality of much of the surrounding area of his studio in Porthleven, West Cornwall. Cook began a new working process involving liquid graphite on paper. 

Cook sought to engage with the distressed landscapes of Cornwall, which he saw as exerting a powerful influence on his work. Discarded tin mines and china clay pits had created a scene of desolation within the landscape ousting nature from the land. Cook's graphite works function as a hybrid between drawing and painting, the marks, stains, runs and deposits always evading full control.

Cook has attempted to create a dual identity within his paintings as a way of giving them an edge. The work referenes the landscape and human structures that respond to it, however they are rarely resolved with any consistency into a legible space. Blots, wipes and marks offer a particular pattern for the viewer to interpret.

Christopher Cook, the present place, graphite in oil and resin on coated paper, 2000, 72 x 102cm

Christopher Cook, the great divide, graphite in oil and resin on coated paper, 2000, 72 x 102cm

Christopher Cook, influx, graphite in oil and resin on coated paper, 2000, 72 x 102cm

One of the aspects that I find particularly effective within Cook's work is the fashion with which he alludes to the reality of the landscape without actually making it completely apparent. Whilst using a figurative language in order to construct his compositions there are many aspects of the work which are ambiguous forcing the viewer to take a closer look in order to attempt to piece together what it is that they are looking at. At times this makes for slightly uncomfortable viewing due to the paired down grey colouring as well as the fashion in which clearly recognizable features appear to drift off and blend into less identifiable features and patterns. Many of the marks that Cook uses look although they have been used to excavate the surface of the works rather than as a way to create pattern and depth. 

Another element of the work that I am keen to experiment with is the use of colour. My aim is to escape from the brightly coloured experiments of my earlier works and relate the colours back to the coastal landscape that I am referencing. I am hoping to find some way of marrying the figurative and more abstract elements of my compositions to create the impression that something is being alluded to as opposed to being directly referenced. Using the afore mentioned drawings I created two circular collages which I hoped to use as a reference in order to create two further circular paintings.

Rather than introducing geometric patterns to break up the surface of the compositions as with my earlier experimentation, my aim was to create some form of distortion that was inherent within the pieces. By creating drawings using the marks and patterns derived from the physical landscape of the North Norfolk Coast and subsequently creating collages to be used as a reference point for my paintings I hoped that the sense of undulation and movement alluded to the passage of time whilst simultaneously relating back to the landscapes from which they had come.

Works in Progress, Oil Paint on MDF

I also attempted to use a muted colour pattern within my compositions, referencing the colours back to the original photographs of the places from which I was deriving the imagery. My aim in creating these pieces was to create something which although containing references and traces from the landscape also juxtaposed both representational and abstract elements as a way of creating an ambiguous interpretation but with an obvious link to the landscape from where the imagery had been derived.

Coastal Landscape Study I, Oil on MDF, 70 x 70cm

Coastal Landscape Study, 2015, Oil on MDF, 70 x 70cm

I feel that these two pieces are partially successful in achieving the aims which I intended for them. The combination of marks used to create the surface although not completely obvious, have a link to the landscape creating the impression of a trace, mark or something which has been embedded within something else. The process of subduing my pallette has enabled the pieces to connect to the original places from which the visual material was derived. By creating a sense of distortion that is embedded within the works rather than sitting on top of it it has helped to link the work back to the landscape as well as unifying the compositions. The round tondo shape helps to enhance the feeling that these are objects as well as creating a sense of ambiguity rather than them conforming to a more conventional rectangular composition.

However in terms of relating back to my original ideas in relation to place and memory there are certain aspects where I feel that the work is less successful. Although making a reference to place via the use of marks, shapes and colours the overriding sensation relates more strongly to pattern and composition, whereby the marks produced blend and merge together in order to produce the imagery. Perhaps by using a more conventional and recognisable image of the landscape it would make the imagery more visually compelling as well as creating a direct relationship with the places depicted. I feel that this would work well alongside the use of colour. Similarly by making the compositions less abstract it would have the effect of making them more personal, less subjective and more obviously about the experience of being in a particular landscape. Once again the round shape of the tondo although visually compelling feels quite separated from the experience of being in the landscape.

Psychogeography and Walking at the North Norfolk Coast

'The study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographic environment consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals.' Guy Debord (Bauder & Di Mauro, 2008; 23)

Will Self walked across Los Angeles to Hollywood writing a book about his experience and the impact of the environment on the human psyche. He chose a route taking him through the grittiest suburbs, 'un-places' and 'interzones' in search of a new kind of urban beauty. Throughout the walk he chose to muse on the power of walking to connect us to place, time and memory evoking the spirit of other walkers. Via the process of walking Self sought to explore not only the outer journey of place but also an inner journey of the spirit and imagination. 

Will Self, during his walk across Los Angeles.

In part Self was inspired by the french situationists and their charismatic leader Guy Debord. The situationists utilised a revolutionary technique derive- 'a drift' on foot without a route, the purpose or destination was supposed to challenge the goal-orientated walks of city commuters. The situationists sought to absorb the urban ambience, using the information they gathered in order to produce pedestrian derived maps of the city. They were pioneers of notions relating to psychogeography, that is to say the study of the effects of geographical settings consciously managed or not, acting directly on the mood and behaviour of the individual.

The concept of psychogeography has a strong relationship with my own research in relation to walking and memory. In the process of creating images of familiar places which have somehow been manipulated, warped and distorted I aim to question how this may relate to the concept of memory and the fashion in which memories fade, change, alter and blur as a result of the passing of time leading to a blurring of the boundary between the familiar and unfamiliar and the past and the present.

'.... When you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back, the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with the invisible crop of memories and associations that will be waiting for you when you come back, while new places offer up new thoughts, new possibilities. Exploring the world is one of the best ways of exploring the mind and walking travels both terrains.' (Solnit, 2001; 13)

As part of my ongoing research I took a trip to the North Norfolk Coast with a view to taking a walk at Burnham Overy Staithe in order to gather visual information that would be useful to inform further artwork. Burnham Overy Staithe has particular significance for me on account of the fact that it is a place that I have regularly visited and walked throughout my childhood and as an adult.

The walk to Burnham Overy Staithe beach from the car park encompasses and encapsulates the feeling of being in a state of flux, transition and unrest. The salt marshes running alongside the sea wall ebb and flow in accordance with the tide, the racing streams of wet water cutting passages through the mud of the marshes, constantly eroding and altering the morphology of the landscape.

 

Photographic panoramas taken during my walk at Burnham Overy of the Salt Marshes.

After traversing the one mile walk along the undulating path towards the beach, which rises above the surrounding marshland the walker is greeted by the site of a sprawling expanse of dunes which form a solid seemingly impenetrable barrier between the sea and the inland. The rising and falling dunes form a series of ridges, crests and gorges carved out of the surrounding sandy landscape. The entire walk along the sea wall, over the dunes and along the beach contains within it an atmosphere of flux and change as if constantly evolving, via the process of being de-constructed and re-formed.

Photographic panoramas taken during my walk at Burnham Overy of the Sand Dunes.

  

 In my mind this landscape, seemed like a perfect starting point in order to create a new body of work. Not only did it contain within it personal memories, on account of the fact that this was a place that I had repeatedly returned to throughout my life, from an early age. The morphology of the landscape formed via the interaction with the elements and in a constant state of movement tied in with ideas surrounding the transient and ellusive nature of memory, constantly changing, reforming and shifting. 

Bauder H. & Di Mauro, S. E. (2008) 'Critical Geographies: A Collection of Readings.' Kelowna: Praxis (e) Press. (Essay entitled: Introduction to a critique of Urban Geography, 1955, Guy Debord)

Solnit, R (2001) 'Wanderlust.' London: Verso