In my proposal the most important aspects for me to get across to the curation team were the size of my work and its painterly, abstract nature.
This was the original space I was given for my degree show. My plan was to work bigger than I'd ever worked before and preferably show multiple pieces. My paintings work much better when viewed together as they really define what my practice is about. This image shows one of my 1m circles on the wall. My proposal was to show 2x 1.5m sqaures with a 0.5m gap between and a similar gap between the edges of the wall (roughly 4.5m) which would not fit side by side as the wall is only 2.5m wide. I do however really like this space as it is the first thing you see as you walk in the room, I used the circle to see what I could comprimise to, to still exhibit on this wall.
During our curation meeting, it was discussed whether myself and Amber should switch places due to the dimensions of our work. Amber intends to work on one, tall and thin piece, whereas my plan was to work large and exhibit multiple pieces, horizontally. Below is Amber's current space. This is something we're going to have to discuss extensively. I don't want to push someone out of a space they are happy in, but equally I don't want to have to comprimise my own work.
Myself and Amber have decided to switch walls so I now have a space 16-20ft wide and 12ft high, the width is dependent on the size of Jasmine's work who is also exhibiting on the same wall. In this space my aim is to work big and ambitiously and exhibit more than one piece, my original proposal stated I would hang two 1.5m sqaure pieces, however, since my latest tutorial with Simon we decided my work is bold and hectic, and I could compliment this by taking many of my works into the space and seeing how many I can cram in. This cramped and overdone style could compliment my work well - this is something to test.
I like the way artist Peter Bonde has exhibited his work at Mier Gallery in the pictures above. I also am really inspired by his use of mirror and intend to try working on this surface again.
I also used the space to set up some degree show testers. I got the 3D workshop to cut me a piece of board to match the size of the mirror I intend to get (the biggest, affordable mirror I can find is 6ftx4ft). I also got some other sizes cut, to also experiment with the layout of the rest of the pieces.
This was my rough degree show plan. I intend to show one extra large piece on mirror around 6ft x 4ft accompanied by 3 more pieces. In this image their sizes are (left to right) A5, 2ft x 4ft, 4ft x 4ft square. Following our degree show meeting I have decided to increase the size of some of the pieces. Our space is full of people who have very large work, James, Amber and Alex taking up entire walls and we have two sculptural works that will be 3m high and 6ft high. I feel my work could get lost as even though it is large scale compared to many paintings, it will be almost the smallest work in the room. In some ways I see this could be an advantage, as the viewer may be drawn to my work as a break from the large, busy space - working as almost a full stop amongst the rest of the artwork.
During our last curation meeting we had issues working out the best placement for the sculptural works. Myself and Amber took measurements of the entire room and I drew them up on AutoCad to get an accurate birds eye view of the room. I also added in 'viewing points' that we would not want to intterupt so that each piece could be appreciated individually. I then tried moving the sculptures about in a few different layouts but unfortunately each layout posed a problem. The final image below is with slightly smaller dimensions to a few works as a possible option.
For the publication we had to send off images and a publication text.
I wrote it in the style of an artist statement. This is professional yet descriptive and can be appreciated by both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Ellie Brine’s practice is about breaking the boundaries of painting: exploring pigment, scale, layers and texture. Brine works with a narrow tonal range of pinks and purples; in colour psychology these are positive shades representing comfort, affection and harmony – sometimes the artist consciously uses a pop of uncomplimentary colour to create an awkwardly interesting layer to the large-scale, abstract paintings. To contrast textures, Brine uses different types of household material from gloss paint to multi-purpose filler, also experimenting with different specialised acrylic mediums to alter the characteristics of traditional acrylic paint such as gloss medium, heavy body medium, and fine pumice. Layering is a key part of Brine’s work; most of the pieces begin with a layer of gestural brushstrokes, followed by systematic drips, and finally a layer of texture. The different characteristics of each layer create the depth in the work.
After speaking to 3D workshop, I discovered glass mirror was going to be too fragile, heavy and dangerous to use in my work so I begun searching around for an alternative. I found things such as mirror vinyl and mirror perspex.
My rough price range for sourcing a subsitute form of mirror is £70 as this was the cheapest price I could find for glass mirror. I have contacted a few different places regarding acrylic mirror, the closest shop being Fitt Signs which came back with a quote of £250. This was way too far out of my price range. A few online shops have quoted 100+ so I am still searching. I really hope to find something that still allows me to work large scale, while fitting into an appropriate price range as it's what I'd really like to do.
A few back up options I have are:
1. make a huge canvas as this will be the cheapest way to work as big as I want to. I would then use a much smaller mirror along side it.
2. use two sheets of aluminium (1.2mx2.4m) as this will give me the same shiny surface. (see below)
I worked out the costing of two sheets of aluminium would be £72, for this amount of money I would rather spend a bit extra and get a mirror surface instead, as this is too much of a comprimise for the amount of money spent.
I contacted Sheet Plastics, who are supplied by Amari (recommended to me by 3D workshop).
Hi there, I'm a student at Norwich University of the Arts, I was wondering wether you had any cut offs of mirrored and clear acrylic that I could test out painting on. I need some very large sheets of acrylic for my degree show but wanted to get some testers first. I've seen you've got the small pieces of samples but these will unfortunately be too small to be worth testing as I work very large scale! So just wondered if you had any cut offs that you would otherwise throw away, this would be greatly appreciated!
They did not have any cut offs however did say they would take whatever money I spent on samples off the total cost if I were to then make a purchase. I am going to get some sapmles of different types of perspex, see what sort of quality the mirror is, and see what it is like to paint on.
The quality of the mirror is really good so this is definitely what I am going to go for. I also really love the pink mirror, however this is almost 3x the price so has been ruled out. Since receiving the samples, I also felt they could be used to create an interesting installation. I have also painted on these samples (see Reflective Journal > Studio Work).
Need to order mirror on Monday 17th April to arrive between Monday 24th and Friday 28th. Then have roughly one week to paint. Need to try to contact the supplier to see if I can get guranteed delivery on the Monday, this would be very helpful.
When it comes to costings, the original glass mirror I found was £70 and I was prepared to pay this, so for the perspex mirror I am putting a budget of £90 as I am prepared to pay more for it to be easier to work with and less risk of breaking. Using sheetplastics.co.uk cut to size calculator tool I am going to see what is the biggest I can get for this price. My ideal size would be 2m x 1.5m. Using the tool I calculated I would be able to get 1.7m x 1.5m for £88.82. After measuring this out on the wall this seemed a sufficient size and a good enough comprimise for the price. I like working on a more square surface than rectangular so these dimensions work well. When it came to shipping I knew it was going to be a big cost, I hadn't allowed for this in my budget but was prepared to pay the express shipping fee to get it in time to start painting. As I then came to the checkout I came across the VAT costs. They did not make it clear that VAT was not included in the price you saw, however I was so happy with my dimensions that I was willing to pay the extra. In total the cost came to £124.59 which was a big committment. Since they said they would refund me the sample costs (£22.65) when I put in a new order the total cost spent would now be £101.94.
(100cm x 100cm) (120cm x 120cm) (170cm x 150cm) (120cm x 100cm)
I ordered the mirror and contacted the sales team and all was sorted for me.
Getting in direct contact with the company was a good demonstration of me being able to professionally deal with suppliers when I come to continuing my own professional practice.
I tested out the sizing of my pieces using duct tape on a large wall. I began with the size of my mirror piece as I had this for definite then experimented with different sizes for the other pieces.
The mirror was delivered to the 3D Workshop on Monday afternoon, I was then able to unpack it and work alongside Steven to make a frame. I wanted to build a frame for my pieces to give the illusion of depth to the piece. Important paintings in galleries are always on box canvases or thick frames, unless it is significant to the piece to be hung otherwise. This method also allows me to hang the pieces easier, as over the past few years it has always been a challenge to hang pieces of board - there are always nails sticking out or even screws through the pieces and painted over. There are very few ways to hide the hanging method when it comes to thin sheets of board.
First the wood was cut to match the dimensions of the persex. Then we used a clamp to keep the frame in place while we made sure it was the perfect size. We then cut two more batons to put within the frame to keep the perspex sturdy and prevent it from bowing. The frame was then completely glued and pinned together and the clamp could be removed. The glue was then left to dry fully overnight, the next morning I came back to the workshop to complete the final step of glueing the perspex to the frame. Working quickly, we smeared fixing adhesive around the entire frame and the outlines of the frame on the perspex. Once the glue became tacky we were able to carefully rest the perspex over the frame matching the corners perfectly as once stuck there is no changing it. We then had to use lots of mini clamps placed about a hand span apart to ensure the board was securely fastened to the frame.
I have really pushed myself through my studio work (see Reflective Journal > Studio Work) in order for me to be able to create the best outcome I can for my final degree show pieces. My gallery visits and tutorials have really supported me through my development.
There are elements to this piece that I do not like - I am going to take a step away and focus on my other pieces and come back to this.
I regular consider the paintings from afar and collectively to gauge how they are going
Working in a communal space has been inspiring and spurred me on to create exciting work. There has been great support between students on projects, there is always someone nearby for help and to bounce ideas off.
I really like these two pieces together, I find there is a direct relationship between the white space and the mirror. Heightened by their reflective qualities.
Preliminary idea of how to hang the pieces.
After taking a step back from this piece to work on other pieces, I came back to it to find I was able to appreciate it better. Here are some close up images of my favourite bits. The bits I knew needed layering are below. I wanted to create a gesture to cover up the gold spray paint - it really didn't work. Same with the purple spray paint, the squiggle was too forced. The entire top right hand corner was missing something - this is where I decided to print the bubble wrap. I chose to print the bubble wrap in pink as I didn't want it to distract from the piece, the pink would be discreet while also adding that geometric addition.
This piece had began to warp so I took it to 3D to see if they could put more batons across the back to stop it warping. Despite the warping being unintentional I like how it manipulates the surroundings. Creates almost an alternate universe for the viewer.
FINAL PIECES
These degree show pieces are a cumulative record of all of the work I have completed this unit, research through making allowed me to learn things about my practice as well as gallery visits introducing me to new ideas and processes.
As a collective, these pieces approach all aspects of my practice, from physical properties such as colour, texture and materials to their more hidden ideas such as their relationship to space, light and time.
Each piece has undergone a process from the physical creation of the canvas, to the application of the last layer of paint. Interesting texture is created in all these pieces by the different materials reacting on the surface eg mixing gloss with acrylic and spray painting over gloss.
I appreciate the aesthetic quality to my work, I find the colours and layers come together to create a beautiful piece of art, however this does not mean the work is created for aesthetics. Also the aspect of social media, I have already had people wanting to photograph themselves in the work, the work however does not have to be about it. The work is about material, colour, texture and layering, its aesthetic value comes with this context.
One thing I was sure of was that I did not want to create a series. These paintings were not created to remain linked or dependent on each other, all of my previous works have been individuals and completely unique. These pieces are clearly related, through their mark making and almost identical colour palettes, however each hold their own in their individual ways. When deciding on the number of pieces to exhibit I didn't want to hang three, I felt this could become a triptych and begin presenting a meaning that I did not want. When planning my degree show, my original proposal was two square paintings, however decided my work was too exciting and brave to just be two regular canvases and decided to compliment the busy and bold nature of my work by hanging as many pieces as I could, squashing them all into the space. Since I didn't want three I settled at four. This already being quite ambitious compared to the space I had. This overload of paintings emphasises the outgoing nature of my work and each piece has such a different quality that none get lost amongst other works. All of my work is process-led and is about painting and its possibilities, however through all of the works I wanted each one to have a different characteristic, for example to create a different response to light and space. In my descriptions of each piece there will be a consideration for these elements. 'Reflection', obviously reflects both light and space, including its surrounding light and space within it, 'Black Primed' has an underlying heaviness and the use of black as a primer results in the piece being a good absorber of light. 'White Gloss' reflects light through its brightness and it's reflective glossy surface, and space begins to come into play as the height it is hung at reflects the mirror, the space becoming a visible part of the work. 'Bubblegum Square' is the anomaly, having no obvious relationship to space or light. I find this piece sparks an interest into time. This piece involved the most layers and drying time. The drips go either way presenting a weightless moment where gravity is ignored. Viewing layer through layer through layer, the viewer is able to get lost in the work and get taken back right to the very first brushstroke. The artists hand is evident in all of my paintings, the process is never hidden.
There is always a final layer of geometry to my work, this is most evident through the very regimented drips and (in the cases of all of these pieces) through a repetitive print - the bubble wrap.
These pieces were undoubtedly informed by the development work I have been creating, however I find my practice is a never-ending experiment. There are aspects to all of these pieces that I was unsure as to whether it would work eg. mixing acrylic and gloss straight onto the surface. There were lots of new things happening as I have never worked on perspex before (except the samples I had tested prior to this piece). I had however worked on glass mirror which bares similar slippery qualities.
Reflection [2017]
This piece is probably my most impressive, while also having the least amount of detail on the canvas. The use of the mirror creates an alternate dimension where the viewer is actually part of the piece. There is a question to whether the spectator is looking at their reflection and their surroundings or are they looking at the image itself. I intentionally wanted to keep a good portion of the surface bare, surface and material is such an important part of my practice, and keeping the process of the piece evident enhances this.
The use of mirror is particularly responsive to light, it's most obvious reflection is the windows, where the natural light enhances the reflective surface and draws attention to the work. Some of my favourite marks I created are at the top of this piece, so the positioning of the reflection of the windows really intensifies these marks. Depending on the spectators position, the image is always different, as the viewer walks around the space the reflection changes and also therefore so does the effect of the piece. This work embodies change and a dependance on the viewer, sparking a direct relationship between art and spectator.
The negative space in this piece is traditionally the mirrored surface. However, due to the surface being such a vital component of the work there appears to be no negative space. Negative space is often used to emphasise the positive space, however in this case everything is heightened and it is reliant on the viewer to appreciate the piece entirely.
I feel this piece raises comparison to Hans Namuth photos of Jackson Pollock painting in his studio as the viewer becomes part of the painting.
This piece begun with layers of gestural brush strokes in my traditional bold, pink colour palette. My movements were brash and excessive, despite this being the most expensive and important piece I had ever worked on. There was part of me that wanted to be careful and worried about making a mistake, however a vital part to my work is being brave and bold, any mark that is too considered ultimately goes against what I am trying to achieve. I was however much more critical about this piece. I could not be careful while painting, however every time I stepped back to consider the marks I had created I had a criticism. After taking a step back from this piece and working on other pieces, when I came back to this piece I found I actually was really happy with it. There were a few extra marks that I knew needed doing, however overall I was very pleased.
Bubblegum Square [2017]
This is the only piece out of the four to have no interruptions or unusual aspects. This painting has only its marks and colours to rely on to make itself stand out, however I think this is one of my most interesting pieces. There is so much texture and interesting marks going on, it holds its own without relying on any added extras. On each of these pieces there is a print of bubble wrap, on this one I went for black to compliment the other dark marks on the work. The mark I feel could be likened to a tyre track. Viewers of my work often find figurative image within my paintings. I feel this is often due to my gestural style. This is not something I am concerned about as I find people often look for a reason or thing within a piece of work, and with my work they know it is not supposed to be a tyre track but they can relate to the fact that it does.
The gloss paint marks on this piece reflect the light well, against the majority of the matte paint. There are also drips of vanish which are invisible when looked at from straight on, however come to life when they reflect the light. Particularly the artificial light as they glow bright orange. This has created a hidden layer to my work and the reflective nature of both the gloss and the vanish have a direct relationship to the reflective surface of the mirror and gloss of the other pieces I exhibit.
White Gloss [2017]
For one of my pieces I knew I wanted to create a negative space that was larger than the positive space. The white walls of a white cube gallery provide a negative space for the paintings that are hung upon them. Bringing that into one of my works through the use of white gloss sparks a particularly interesting conversation between the white negative space on the painting and the white space of the gallery walls. This not only heightens the importance of the positive space, but also puts an emphasis on the negative space itself, its unconventionality drawing attention to itself. The large white glossy space also responds well to the shiny surface of the mirror, for which reason I wanted to hang them next to each other for the show.
Black Primed [2017]
I wanted one piece to be primed black in order to create a real break from the others. Pieces I had primed black in the past always received great reception, the colours I applied were bolder and more enhanced and there was automatic depth to the work, purely due to the deepness of the background. I started by priming this piece black and decided to contrast it to my other piece with the white negative space by creating another element of negative space. This time changing the angle and the size of the space. The darkness of this piece completely absorbs the light of the room, black is known to be fully absorbent in contrast to white which reflects colour. The effect of this is that you are drawn to this piece and then drawn into it. The viewer can feel the depth to it and really submerge themselves within it. There is a less obvious 2D ness to it as no light is reflected of it. The unusual black negative space is less significant than the white negative space, therefore rather than taking over the work, this just creates a complete interruption to it - as if something has been placed directly over the work to obscure your view of it. I debated using black matte paint or black gloss paint on this piece as I already had the gloss on the white piece. I decided due to the depth and light absorbing of the black, the glossy texture may bring a whole new element to the work. I am very satisfied with my choice and feel it adds an extra dimension to the piece individually, while also baring a direct relationship to the shininess of the other surfaces (mirror and white gloss).
Day one of degree show prep: filing holes and gumstripping walls
Day two: sanding and painting
As we started to paint over the gumstrips they began to peel away from the wall, we figured this must have been because they were still wet from the day before. We had to rip off some and start again.
Day three: once we were sure the gumstrips were fully dry we painted over them, as well as a second coat on the rest of the wall.
Day four: Final layer of wall painting plus cutting in the floor.
Day one of installing degree show work: I firstly brought all of my pieces into the space and waited for Jasmine (the other student on the wall with me) so that we could work out how much space I had.
Once Jasmine arrived we decided we would not be able to fit all pieces in a row as I was hoping. I knew this was not definitely going to be possible however in an ideal world this would have been my chosen way of displaying my work (see image below).
Other options I tried:
If I had to narrow it down to three pieces these were the three I decided on. The mirror is the most important piece: the most impacting and unique. The square on the far left I feel is the most visually stimulating and coherent piece of the set and feel it needs to be shown, this piece does in a way replicate what is being said in my mirror piece, however I still think it works stronger than my cut out white gloss piece. As for the black cut out work, I feel this piece creates a statement and is bold and different to the other pieces. The black primed background adds an extra dimension to the display, also showing the diversity of my work.
I experimented with a few other choices and orders but found the white cut out and the pink square very repetitive when placed side by side. Both these pieces also have a very direct relationship to the mirror piece, requiring the black cut out to break up the repetition.
Tutors helped me to try out some alternative hanging techniques to get all four pieces into the show. I also experimented with a few more ideas myself on photoshop, but I couldn't find any way that felt right, I feel I need them to be hung orthodoxly along a central line in order for them to be appreciated to their fullest and for the show to really flow. Also as I already want them to be cramped into the space, hung very closely together I feel messing with the order and way they are hung will distract from the important thing which is the work. Keeping the rest of the hanging orthodox will allow the cramped and busy feel to come through.
I tested out a lot more options on photoshop but still could not decide - I would most likely go with the layout I had in the space with the black square, mirror and pink square.
Two days into installation myself, the course leader, a representative of the curation team and Jasmine (the other student on the same wall as me) decided there was a better place to position her work. Our current exhibition space in SG64 is becoming very crowded and busy, and Jasmine works small and detailed. We decided her work would not be appreciated to its full potential in SG64 as it could get lost amongst the bold and large works. She has been moved to SG44a where she has an entire wall to herself, alongside other delicate works (flowers and crochet) which will all compliment each other perfectly.
This decision means I am able to exhibit all four of my works now instead of having to whittle it down to three, or an unorthodox hanging method. I already knew how I wanted to hang them if exhibiting four so could get straight on with installing.
Snippet of the installation of other students work (James and Chloe)
I am using split battens to hang my paintings. I am using a laser self-leveller to get the lining of my pieces straight. I have placed them so that the centre of the piece is at average eye height (roughly 160cm). This allows the viewer to appreciate the piece as a whole while also being able to get up close to the work and study all aspects.
The pieces have been hung at 6cm apart. The intention was 5cm but felt the extra cm gave them a little more space to breathe while also remained cramped together.
There are still a few spots where the mirror is warped, when using perspex the mirror was never going to be perfect, however I feel this adds dimension to the work and does not hinder it.
The reflection in the mirror changes from each different angle. It is interesting how the properties of my piece adapt as different things are reflected. For example, Marlene Lees paints skin and uses a traditional skin toned palette. This emphasises the figurative qualities to my work.
When the window is reflected, the work converses with the outside world and its presence within it.
When people photograph themselves reflected in the work this raises question about social media.
The reflection of the windows in the white gloss adds further dimension to my work. It is interesting how the geometric architecture relates to my work.
Rest of the room
I need to finalise names for my degree show pieces and upload them to the VLE including details of materials. My previous titles have been very self descriptive. My work is about my use of paint and materials, therefore often given names such as Circle [2017], Mirror [2016], Manipulated [2015] or Grey Primed [2016]. I want to continue this theme with possible titles being:
Mirror II
Black Primed
White Gloss
Square
Also something I have considered is including shades of pink in titles such as 'Bubblegum Square' or 'Magenta on Mirror'. However I am not sure yet.
FINAL DECISIONS
Reflection, 2017
Acrylic, household paint, gloss and vanish on mirrored perspex
Black Primed, 2017
Acrylic, household paint, gloss and vanish on MDF board
White Gloss, 2017
Acrylic, household paint, gloss, vanish and tape on MDF board
Bubblegum Square, 2017
Acrylic, household paint, gloss and vanish on MDF
Pricing of my work (see Reflective Journal > Professional Practice for how I worked out the pricing)
£100 value
£22.50 cost
Price: £122.50 (£125)
£165 cost
£100 value
Price: £265
I work very quickly but I feel this does not reduce the value of my pieces. There is a lot of time spent, prior to creating a final piece, testing and experimenting in preparation. Also time searching and waiting for materials, and preparing the frames. Therefore I am considering increasing the pricing for each piece to allow for this.
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