Time – Absraction

Moving on from my drawings of people and movement, I decided to concentrate on a more disciplined approach and researched the surrealist painter Edward Wadsworth whose work I had seen in the Tate Modern gallery. I have been focusing on movement and fast paced environments, therefore I decided to look into stillness e.g. moments caught in time. Wadsworth’s paintings seem to do just that, and they also encompass a surrealist style which I have great interest in. Surrealism is an appropriate movement for my work as it combines reality with the subconscious and strange, and I aim to represent everyday life with a childlike, almost humorous approach. Below is a painted version of a drawing I made early on in my project. My aim was to convert the flowing lines I made in my original drawings into straight lines, which inevitably created geometric shapes and rigid forms. My aim was to communicate speed with colour, therefore I painted the still figure (right) in dull, muted colours and the fast moving figure (left) in bright, saturated colours. My second painting (below) was slightly more of a challenge as I worked in a very tight pattern of shapes.

I then started thinking about how I could transform my paintings into something 3 dimensional and possibly interactive. The shapes and lines reminded me of a child’s hanging mobile, therefore I decided to make these shapes out of cardboard, attached them to fishing wire and let them spin freely.

Time – Drawing from Life

I have continued experimenting with drawing techniques and styles, focusing my subject matter on people and the movement of life. Here is a drawing I made on paper which had previously been scored onto from a previous drawing. I found it added an interesting texture to the drawing.

I have been drawing people in urban areas, particularly during train journeys, as there is a lot of fast paced movement and high stress, which is something I want to capture and incorporate into my own work. Below are some drawings I have made.

I found it interesting to draw the sleeping man (above) as I included his reflection in the window next to him, which I believe gave the drawing a 3 dimensional quality. I decided to recreate this drawing using mixed media, here is what I produced.

This piece was made using charcoal, PVA glue, acrylic paint and pieces of a mattress protector. Referencing the techniques of Frank Auerbach, I made upon layer of paint, glue and charcoal. This creates a skin-like texture which seems to shift and quiver. After changing the marks and composition of the painting, I found I disliked a particular area (the bottom right) therefore I thought I could improve the piece by adding a different texture. I discovered that the material of the mattress protector makes the paint disperse and creates a cloudy affect which contrasts with the hard texture of the paint.