Statement 2017
In my recent works, I have begun to take a new perspective on my existing resources. For example, white primed boards and canvases are rejected in favour of collaging methods using existing debris in my studio. This debris includes objects that might otherwise be thrown away, such as paint-splattered pieces of wood from the studio floor. My old work, including paintings and drawings taking up much needed work-space, are now also used as a form of resource: like the debris, they act as material substrate to paint upon; in addition to this, they also offer compositional content linking old practice to new.
Practically speaking, cutting out sections of old paintings is a messy process. Edges - whether left unfinished showing chipped paint and frayed canvas, or sanded smooth to create flush joins - become integral within the paintings’ compositions. The shapes which are selected to be cut out sometimes relate to compositional forms upon the old painting sections, and sometimes abruptly interrupt those forms. Sections of old work may get painted over, or disrupted through jarring juxtaposition against new primed sections; but they also remain connected through the ways in which I interweave further composition-resolving motifs.
Through these impractical methods, these works express a desire to continue practice in a sustainable way. This fluid un-archiving approach collapses time, but in the process it also preserves (and reuses) the past - as a palimpsest of continuous practice visible within the surface of each finished work.
Practically speaking, cutting out sections of old paintings is a messy process. Edges - whether left unfinished showing chipped paint and frayed canvas, or sanded smooth to create flush joins - become integral within the paintings’ compositions. The shapes which are selected to be cut out sometimes relate to compositional forms upon the old painting sections, and sometimes abruptly interrupt those forms. Sections of old work may get painted over, or disrupted through jarring juxtaposition against new primed sections; but they also remain connected through the ways in which I interweave further composition-resolving motifs.
Through these impractical methods, these works express a desire to continue practice in a sustainable way. This fluid un-archiving approach collapses time, but in the process it also preserves (and reuses) the past - as a palimpsest of continuous practice visible within the surface of each finished work.
