This has been an existential journey and a huge test of character. When lockdown struck I felt my creativity abandoned me. My original intention for 203 was to further the watercolour monoprint process I researched in 201 and find a way to build structure. Initially, I was unclear how my printmaking practice could continue. At the same time I was writing my GCOP essay, this based on collaboration, which I also wanted to pursue during this module, this too felt impossible.
In January, Cate Rogers and I embarked on some collaborative initiatives, to resolve work made last year. We made a large mixed media diptych ‘Disparate’, inspired by the work of Jasper Johns (Johns, no date) and Julie Mehretu.(Cube, no date) This we entered into the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. As lockdown took hold I looked for ways to collaborate, being in isolation made this feel impossible. It was only when I opted to abandon this idea I found myself free of the conundrum. I began baking sourdough bread, which seemed a ridiculous distraction but I now see it was my creativity coming out in other ways. Shortages of baking supplies and other items were an issue and it was hard to buy flour, eggs and toilet rolls. A briefing at college recommended ‘use what you have around you’, so I started to experiment making hand manipulated prints of these products and packaging on my new printer, in fact I was creating a form of lockdown arte povera.(Tate, no date) I attended Workshop Wednesday sessions looking at artist book making and I saw a method for developing printmaking and investigating form. I researched deeply the demediated books of Siobhan Piercy (Sioban Piercy | Visual Artist - Sculptures and Installations, no date) I also looked into work I had seen at the Venice Biennale 2019, specifically of Suki Seokyeong Kang, whose sculptural installations represent ‘expanded painting’. (Suki Seokyeong Kang | Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, no date) It was announced that submission work would be required digitally, I had just purchased a new large scale printer, which now would be superfluous. I decided to use the printer to make manipulated prints. These prints have been used as an enquiry into artistic form and inspiration taken from the artist book/sculptural work of Siobhan Piercy. I researched the artist Sol LeWitt, who produced instructions for wall drawings, a form of remote collaboration. (Sol LeWitt’s Instruction for Wondrous Walls - Improvised Life, 2015) LeWitt also took part in conceptual work by art curator Seth Siegelaub, “Xerox Book’,(ARTtube, 2016) this gave weight to the validity of prints made on a home printer. I deepened my enquiry into this process and eventually made a series of hand manipulated layered prints using egg boxes on fine art paper. My narrative of using items from around the home and my lockdown journey. Covid-19 has made me change the methods in my practice, but it has not changed my path. It has forced me to dig deeper into my creativity, be more resilient and helped to understand myself better as an artist. The experience of being part time has helped me to adapt to the new situation and to be more resourceful and self sufficient. I have achieved my goal to develop my printmaking skills further and have discovered new ideas for collaboration. My intention for level six is to continue my enquiry into form by way of everyday objects, artist books and to pick up the theme of collaboration. Also to experiment more with colour and take more risks in colour combinations. I will do this with the theme of ‘expanded printmaking’ and plan to reincorporate painting into my practice.
ARTtube, (2016). Seth Siegelaub: Beyond Conceptual Art. Youtube. [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XITXYVx8O9I. [Accessed on 19/05/2020]
Cube, W., (no date). White Cube - Artists - Julie Mehretu. [Online]. Available at https://whitecube.com/artists/artist/julie_mehretu. [Accessed on 03/06/2020]
Johns, J., (no date). Jasper Johns. Map. 1961. [Online]. Available at https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79372. [Accessed on 03/06/2020]
Sioban Piercy | Visual Artist - Sculptures and Installations (no date). [Online]. Available at http://www.siobanpiercy.co.uk/index.php/works/books-folded-drawings-constructions. [Accessed on 15/05/2020]
Sol LeWitt’s Instruction for Wondrous Walls - Improvised Life (2015). [Online]. Available at https://improvisedlife.com/2015/08/10/learning-stealing-sol-lewitt/. [Accessed on 25/05/2020]
Suki Seokyeong Kang | Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art (no date). [Online]. Available at https://biennial.com/2018/exhibition/artists/suki-seokyeong-kang. [Accessed on 08/06/2020]
Tate, (no date). Arte povera – Art Term | Tate. [Online]. Available at https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/arte-povera. [Accessed on 23/05/2020]