Pattern in Art

Deconstruct/Reconstruct has been handed in (I created Richard Prince inspired collages aiming to disrupt voyeuristic viewing pleasures) and our new brief is Pattern in Art.

Mixed Media Work

We've been brainstorming physical and conceptual patterns and been looking at various use of pattern in art history, especially Abstract Expressionist and billboard artists who use ripping and tearing in their work. In response to these works, we spent a day reacting to materials and creating interesting mixed-media works by collaging, printing, ripping and painting. I created two works, on mirrored backgrounds.

I used old screen and monograph prints, tissue paper, crepe paper and black acrylic paint to print on top with egg cartons and coffee sticks. I also stuck coffee sticks on top in various places to give the work some low relief, all of this on top of a mirror paper background. As I stuck things on and ripped them off again, I enjoyed the small glimmers of my reflection and the light on the surface of the mirror, it added an interesting new element to the work and provided depth. To me, these works provoke a nostalgic feeling; the simple colour scheme and varying shapes and textures remind me of old photographs, while the egg-carton prints look like toys and trinkets. I am extremely pleased with these works, having been interesting in Abstract Expressionism for a long time and rarely having the opportunity to respond to this period in art history. I enjoyed the technique of ripping and tearing and will explore these in my future work for the brief.

Photograms

In a workshop with a photography technician, we embarks on learning about and creating photograms; camera-less photos, made my exposing light-sensitive photographic paper to light with objects placed on top. The technique was developed by Man Ray, whose work I have researched and have come to adore. I used a huge variety of things such as glass cubes, foliage, netting, glass gravel, linear things such as coffee sticks, my own hair, wire, pom poms and teabags. At the end of the day I had created a large number of these prints and developed my own style. I returned the next day to compose thought out images of flowers and planets using items I had collected. I will upload images when I have chosen a small number to photograph.

Cuttings and Collages

Today we have been folding, slicing and pasting images and paper to create work. Our first task was to fold and cut patterns into paper.

I chose to create quite a structured pattern by folding the paper in half longways twice and carving long and short slits in different directions, but mainly down the page instead of across. The results were quite floral and intricate. Paired with different coloured backgrounds I felt they were strong pieces of work. 

For these fun images I found pictures of Queen Elizabeth in a magazine and cut out a sort of Basquiat/Keith Haring crown above her head in each one, putting yellow behind it. I then pasted cut out slices from other peoples work that were left over around her to fill the space. The results are fun and made use of off-cuts of paper and magazines. 

For this image, I found large HD images of the Antarctic in a magazine and stapled four together on top of each other. I then sliced an image of a polar bear into the top one, removing the layers underneath that had been cut by the blade. I was hoping to comment on the decline in polar bears and on global warming, by removing the pieces and camouflaging the creature, this provokes the feeling of loss and disappearance, which is what is happening to the population of polar bears.

Nelle