Artist Statement
My work includes drawing, ceramics, printmaking, collage and oil painting. I am a diverse artist who explores all disciplines in art to experiment with new practices and combine these mediums to discover a unique approach. The work will then cut across the boundaries of all mediums so they flow from one to another. For instance with ceramics I begin by engraving images into the clay. A terracotta wall is then incorporated around the image before liquid plaster is poured into the temporary ceramic mould. When dried the mould is removed and a plaster tableau is formed, featuring a 3 D image version of the engraving. In addition the surface of the tableau is stained via the terracotta mould. A similar method is then applied using a sheet of lino surrounded by clay so the mould is therefore a version of the ceramic mould but using lino instead. The engraving method was inspired from the work I researched during the project on How Contemporary Artists have been influenced by Baroque Art in Relation to the Knight’s of St. John.
From these experiments using ceramic and lino printing, I then began using lino printing singularly which led to converting the print image, from the lino into a collage. This involved cutting out separate colours to the work and layering to create a distinctive over-layered appearance. This meant that the scene of a building based on the baroque period of art developed a more abstract look and was more defined and had greater contrast with colours. Resulting in a more contemporary appearance but based on an older period of time, namely the baroque period.
My painting techniques tend to have a very dark feel about them, almost illustrative they have a certain scary atmosphere especially when using oils. These are largely influenced by the work of artists during the dark heart period and contemporary artists such as Ray Agius, a Maltese artist I discovered during my research into the project highlighted above. The black and dramatic light arising from the depressing genre, making the lighter effects even more dramatic. I begin with the individual smaller paintings of what I am trying to achieve. Usually by drawing out an image from my research of interest at the time. I then put them together into one main painting, in an attempt to produce a dramatic crescendo of the developmental work.
University of Bolton Fine Art 