Had a chat with Jeena Shin today about my current art work. I was surprised by the amount of information we ended up packing into the conversation. As much as I have loved speaking to other lectures about my work (conceptually/ my process of making etc). I was genuinely refreshed by her pragmatic approach to painting, which can lead to a more in-depth narrative that my work seeks to dwell in. From speaking about tonal qualities of paint, to approaching paint with a more careful method, her observant way of looking at my work affirmed a few practical "problems" I wasn't sure who to talk to about.
Thinly apply oil paint as a strategy to uncover depth, to "keep" the layers that "work" and "block" out the layers that don't.
I'm interested in the idea of layers. Practically speaking applying "washes "of oil rather than blocks builds a luminosity and transparency and colours can be felt in a more intricate sense. It has softness second to none.
On Layers and Ambiguity: The idea of layers is something I am deeply invested in. "Layers" alludes to the spatial complexity of history, like a compost that holds information of the past. Furthermore, "layering" might be an act of covering and uncovering. This way one gains a sense of agency by the amount of ambiguity "layering" can uncover. Thus nuances that only those in "the know" gather from a work compared to the "public eye" can shift the way an artwork is understood. If the artist "layers" with this intention they create an agency and awareness around knowledge of said subject matter. Who has the right to know? Why should you know? Who knows? Who projects? Who understands? Are all vital questions that can be explored within this idea.
The sensation of Colours. Utilizing colour in dynamic/ subtle/ informed ways is something I need to look into because it is a strong influence in my work. Colour theory books by 1) Joseph Albers - Colour Theory 2) Bridget Riley- The eyes mind
Using Warm and Cool colours in exchange. In term of reflecting on my work, I was given advise to keep painting in different scales, different mediums and never be satisfied (which is the usual way I work). To be satisfied, can sometimes create a "content" and routineness way of painting. Which isn't necessarily a negative thing, but also this could lead to being unchallenging and stagnant, be it in my practice which is usually related to most other parts of life. I like using the idea of "settling down, as one would usually at some point in their life. Again settling down, isn't negative per say, but its more the idea that people resume challenging their norms in relevance to the present. The idea of settling down isn't to keep changing and trying new things to be content, I believe you can be doing the same "routine thing" all your life and still be contemporary. This is because I think "thinking", thinking about thinking is the main root to dissolve stagnancy. Stagnancy is a perspective rather than the action.
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