SP3 Experiments in the Space

The Space.

Following my last blog and the cast/colour experiments, I initially had two ideas for layout in the space using the latest work. See sketches below.

Tow examples of ideas using a shelf with casts and separate colour prints/painitings

These ideas use a shelf with each cast piece positioned in front of a print or paining with its corresponding colours. The first uses numerous different shaped casts, where as the second idea uses just can casts similar to Andy Warhol’s work, but incorporating the new research (Sean Scully essay on Morandi) mentioned previously. The cast pieces are reminiscent to me of Morandi’s work aesthetically, but also resemble the contents of the vessels as opposed to the outside packaging seen in my original bean can painting - in someways this is coming away from what I originally intended, butt he newsprint samples of a way of trying to combine both ideas.

The following images show several combinations for the cast of the pineapple juice carton, using the corresponding colours of pineapple. I wanted to experiment with one item and narrow the process down accordingly before working with everything else. This helped to discount several options I had in mind.

I used a plinth (as opposed to a shelf) so that I could reflect on the images later on, and then imagine and visualise as several combinations on a shelf.

Pineapple juice carton cast with several abstract versions of the colour separated.

I tried several options with one item, and also photographed the casts in groups for further reflection.

At the end of this process, I realised that again I was coming away from the one piece of work I had wanted to explore further since changing course – the bean can.

I then thought that maybe one very large painting of my kitchen cupboard contents, told the story more clearly when referencing consumerism and the Andy Warhol element. I photographed the contents of my cupboard, with a view to going back to painting on newspaper but at a much bigger scale.

Following conversations with my peers and thinking about about the Norman Bryson reading - Looking at the Overlooked, (other reading I've been doing), I thought about how 17th Century vanitas paintings were all about wealth, these seem to be documenting poverty so I have achieved something.

Adding a gilt frame to the images below appears to reference this also, but as a contradiction.

Andy Warhol’s painting were all about celebrating consumerism and viewing consumer objects as benign, by contrast these are in essence documenting the trace of human existence. Following further experimentation relating to composition, I put together the following photoshop montages to show my perceived composition ideas.

Visual One - One large painting, 150 x 100cm in Oils on newsprint

Visual Two - Four smaller paintings, 91.5 x 60cm X4 oils on newsprint, possibly different compositions.

Visual Three - Four smaller paintings of cast objects, 91.5 x 60cm X4, Oils on Newsprint, possibly different compositions.

I really like the idea of four paintings of the casts, as a final experiment I will do two paintings to give examples, one of the original canned food stuffs, and one of the cast objects. Should I decide to go with the painted cast objects, I may also add the objects to the space in some way. I visualise the wall on which they're mounted being a very pale blue, which will match the background of the paintings.

My next blog will reveal the results.