Experimenting :)

Thesis is coming pretty quickly, but since I've done several drawings and experimented on paper with color, and washes as well as wax and cloth I'm thinking of experimenting with different surfaces. I"m thinking of experimenting with burlap, wax again and pushing my use of color on paper and trying to figure out new compositions and reducing my imagery of the figure. For now I'm just sketching, putting down ideas and using my time and composing quick 2 min sketches out on paper. I'm still interested in the figure and I've been looking at Carroll dunham's drawings.

These couple of weeks I've bee working on paper rather than canvas and try to expand my use of color by using oil bars and the reaction of.how washes sit on drawing paper and using the use of translucency to my advantage. I'm still trying.to figure out a way to portray the human body and move away from the way I usually paint. I still wanna push my use of diffferent mediums and fabric. I still wanna push the use of color and figure out why I'm using that significant color or th msymbolic use of color rather than just right out of the tube. Since I've already worked on.paper, I wanna keep working on paper.

These last couple days Ive.been experimenting with plaster and wax and ive been trying to move away from washes and been figuring out  a way to represent the figure and form. Ive been trying wet on wet and been looking at amy sillman and her use of color and the way she distorts her figures and creates a weird space on canvas.

I've been confused lately in painting, I've been working with wax lately in my paintings, but this one specifically since I'm very interested in the human body, and the deformation I wanted to experiment with a different surface that I haven't tried before so I went along with a fabric that stretches, the reason why I chose fabric is I like the idea of the fabric symbolizing flesh and how I can use that fabric to distort the body. I used house paint and washes to construct an image of a woman. Half way of my process, I thought of transfer images and I gave it a shot and I transferred a couple of images onto the fabric....

My process #1

As of today, I haven't started on any paintings, but rather research and been constantly drawing and making ink prints on paper. I've been writing and drawing out what interests me about painting,  how I can push figuration a lot further than where I am now. I question whether I can push form, color, and space in my paintings. Since my paintings consist of washes, I've been trying to push color, and been exploring space. Certain artists that I look at when it come to figuration and space is Francis Bacon, Marlene Dumas, German Expressionism. I have stretched four unprimed canvas, 3 being the size of 4 by 6 and the 4th being the size of 6 by 8. I do like working on unprimed canvas and I've been curious with experimenting with plaster, and its texture.

                                   Where I am now with Painting, black/white, form, and space

Interview Thesis Painting

I was chosen to interview another painting major where her work is inspired of figuration, sexuality and exploring the female body. I greeted myself but introducing my name.

I asked her what her name was, and

she replied, Sarah Treharne as she wore her shade and displayed a grin on her face.

I was curious in what concentration she was in and what interested her about painting.
I asked her
What is your concentration?
…..Painting, but she was also interested in printmaking and how it can be incorporated with painting

My first impression about this girl, was she seemed like a chill down to earth girl that loved nature, and the beach. 

Where are you from?

South Jersey

When I knew she was a painting major, I had wondered what her work was like and what kind of artists was she inspired by.

She had told me that she was interested in looking at Matisse and his use of color and black outline, Marlene Dumas and the way she depicts figuration.

Since I never saw her work, I wanted to know what would be her interpretation of her work and what she is interested in painting.

She stated that she loved doing figurative work,  that she has been doing portraits for a while and that her work depicted sexuality, the female body and the interior settings.

When she stated that she would use different interior setting, I had asked her whether or not she ever used different surfaces rather than just canvas.

And she did, she has experimented with cardboard and paper.

When it comes to painting, different individuals use different types of mediums and what specific colors they address in there painting.

She stated that she has always used oil and acrylic, and that she uses a variety of different colors, normally vibrant colors, considering the meaning  of what each color means in her paintings

I was curious in whether or not there is a family member that helped her become introduced to art.

She stated that her mother took classes in high school, however her mom was never pleased that she an art major.

At the end of the interview, I  was pleased to become introduced to someone who was interested in the female body as I was.