Artist 4: Charline von Heyl

Artist 4: Charline von Heyl

Bold and dynamic, Charline von Heyl’s work appears to be in motion, with her compositions appearing to slither and rotate around the canvas. Her later works connected the form together through active and spiked brush strokes. ‘Dialogue Solitaire’ from 2008 for example contains a series of dark intertwining lines that appear jagged, yet rigid in their specific location on the painting. Suggesting an intensity, yet conveying a stability.

I think that her combination of motion and structure is one that I would like to explore in my creative process. In Heyl’s work, this combination comes across as extremely effective in keeping the viewer interested, and guiding them around the canvas. Heyl also experiments with different thicknesses of line, which I feel would be really effective in presenting a sense of contrast to the viewer.

Dialogue Solitaire, 2008

Untitled, 2007

Language Of The Underworld, 2017

Artist 3: Albert Oehlen

Artist 3: Albert Oehlen

Often self imposing restrictions in his painting process, Albert Ohlen’s artwork becomes ‘post-figurative’, exploring the process of the paint medium rather than the subject matter itself. His earlier work is described as using a Junge Wilde painting style; a blend of broad and expressive brushstrokes with intense, bright colours. Oehlen’s work such as ‘Music Always’ is slightly different however as he painted directly onto pre-printed fabric intended for use on a billboard.

I like the idea that Oehlen has somewhat defaced what previously was on the fabric with a combination of an earthy ‘smear’ and more expressionist painting techniques. I also enjoy the fact that he builds upon the artwork with three different types of paint, adding texture which paired with the painting style makes it appear more organic. This is a concept I would really like to convey in my own artwork.

Music Always, 1954

First Take, 1994

Ziggy Stargast, 2001

Artist 2: Rudolf Stingel

Artist 2: Rudolf Stingel

Rudolf Stingel’s works are innately interactive, dating back to ‘Instructions’ published in 1989 that informed readers on how to replicate his artworks and mono-chromatic painting style. This attitude evolved in 2003 when he presented those at the Venice Biennale with ‘Untitled’, a room lined with foil coated insulation that encouraged passerby to decorate and mark it in any way they wanted. This resulted in a highly decorated wall that was covered in carvings, photos, and even tags. His retrospectives in 2007 presented the piece in Chicago and New York also, which in turn allowed a new wave of passerby to alter the artwork.

These randoms acts of participation were faceless, yet deeply personal. I find it fascinating how this artwork in particular Is completely down to audience response, documenting contemporary life. Stingel steps away from the notion of boundaries between audience and artist, providing a voice for the viewers.

Untitled, 2002

Untitled, 2002

Section of Stingel's 'Untitled', 2003

(https://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/book_report/rudolf-stingel-dca-53436)

 

Experimentation 1

Mark Making On Tile

Artist 1: JonOne

Artist 1: JonOne (John Andrew Perello)

JoneOne uses his experiences of growing up in Harlem and his involvement with graffiti groups in his oil painted canvasses, depicting tags and words in a chaotic yet calculated form. His 2007 ink on canvas piece ‘Letters From A Soldier Of Art’ has text being repeated in rows that seem illegible, especially towards the bottom of the artwork. This combination of black text with colour highlights the gestural nature of the font, making it appear moving. The dripping present throughout the entirety of the piece reinforces this notion, implying as if it was done in haste. 

I really enjoy JonOne’s use of font as defining the form of an artwork, as my artwork incorporates text elements also which I would like to highlight. The intensity and pace of JonOne’s writing is also very effective in conveying chaos.

 

Letters From A Soldier Of Art, 2007 

Earned The Hard Way, 2017

Trees of Codes, 2019

Preparing the Base and Addressing Circumstances

Preparing the Base and Addressing Circumstances

The two key components to begin my artwork was to obtain a wooden panel, and a selection of tiles. Originally, I needed three wooden panels and an assortment of tiles to complete the project, however due to current global circumstances, I cannot make my artwork interactive. I decided to instead resort to a larger wooden panel, and to focus on concisely conveying my themes with limited resources. This initial stage was difficult, however I managed to re-purpose a panel from a disused table. The tiles were donated from my peers, and the more recently claimed tiles are completely safe to use as they were disinfected.

Also I managed to obtain some mirrored tiles, which were not originally going to be used in the piece. This will reinforce to the audience that this artwork is conveying the notion of a dirty, heavily vandalised public bathroom, making them an extremely effective addition to the composition. 

I originally wanted to make the mirrored tile central to the piece, like what is depicted below in my initial plans. However, I feel as if two mirrored tiles on the top right of the artwork would be more effective, with the 'half' tiles being placed on the left. Placing the mirrored tiles in that location reminded me of a window as well as a mirror, which I think will broaden my horizons in concisely conveying my message to the audience.

I will use tile adhesive to attach the tile to the wooden panel, but first I had to layer the panel itself in several layers of white gesso. This is beginning to alter the wood's appearance and texture, making it appear as if it is drywall. Several layers need to be applied before I can continue, as the paint will also help the adhesive stick to both the panel and the tiles.

The gesso application process can be seen to the bottom right: