EASELS
RELEVANT SCREENS
INITIAL STUDIES
Paper Structures
The first investigation of what makes a structure. Consisting of paper so cut and manipulated such that, if unfolded, it would still form a complete sheet.
Right, an oil pastel illustration done with negative lighting.
Easels
Above, a layered arrangement of various perspectives on easels, with line, tone, and volume emphasised at different stages. Also, 30-second perspective drawings composed into single compositions. Done with an emphasis first on silhouette and then greater detail.
Left, compositional sketches of easels. An attempt at taking note of the energy of the lines and how they may be extrapolated into space
Right, a continuation on the idea of lines and energy, overlaying the shape of an easel and its spatial extension on a backdrop of water-marbled paper. This, and some of the sketches above, were ultimately made into final pieces (see slideshow below).
Below, a progressive illustration of the easel assemblage, experimenting with how form could be enhanced or destroyed by physical manipulation of the medium.
Final Outcomes
An important variation on the theme “structures” is the dialogue between interior and exterior structure, the latter often being used as a veneer to obscure the unpleasant realities of the former. Using a charcoal life-drawing as a base, I reimag- ined the supporting skeleton, a symbol of death, as an external force, simultaneously encaging and sculpting the living human form below.
TEXTILE TOPOGRAPHY
Textural Abstraction
Right, the development of a piece made with particular emphasis on the texture of different elements of the piece. Moving away from the easel as a physical object by considering it a frame for planar segments.
Inspired by intaglio prints (above, right) made during a workshop. While the prints themselves were unsuccessful, they highlighted the beautiful and detailed structures of the materials used.
A flat piece which ultimately became topographical, with areas of interest lifted an inch or more above less significant areas.
Dimensional Abstraction
Left, a structure built off the basis of one of the sketch drawings made over the course of my initial investigation. An attempt at studying how two and three dimensional pieces may interact and redefine the original subject
The bas-relief Textile Topography was born of a series of intaglio prints, the detail and beauty of which had inspired me to dig deeper into what made these textures so appealing.
While my subject remains the easels, I abstract them significantly, testing the bounds of their recognisability. As such, Textile Topography translates the dramatic forms of the easel into an emphasis on pla- nar textures which both fill and shatter the negative space.
In combining true textural elements like cloth with artificial enhancements and constructions, such as the intaglio print (upper left), the piece moreover contrasts different manifestations of detail and the structures therein.
INVERTED SHADOWS
Tonal Abstraction
Above, in a natural evolution of the initial concept, turning the "frame" of the topological artwork into a free-standing object (maquette on the right side.) In a similar way to that in which the shadows cast by the sun created a negative image of the textures on the paper below, I used spray paint as a stencilling mechanism.
Left, to create the final piece, I further refined the stencil by drawing over it by hand, adding details like bubble wrap, crinkles in the cloth, and the string tying the frame together.
Presented as a three-dimensional combination of frame and illustration
Inspired in form and aesthetic by the works of Piranesi and Bontecou, I sought to recreate the three-dimensionality of textiles in pure two-dimensional media. By stencilling through a frame (below: maquettes) to create a base which I then detailed manually, I allowed spray- paint to take the role of light, casting shadows of ghostly white as it filtered onto the paper through layers of translucent fabric.
WINDBLOWN
A three-dimensional investigation into creating a complexity of internal structure within a relatively simple outer shape. Additionally, the use of cantilever to create a sense of imbalance and asymmetry, contrasting the equilibrium in which the sculpture stands.
Created during a workshop with the Hong Kong-based sculptor Kirsteen Pieterse.