Camberwell
MA Painting
Project Space
July 6th
Sarah Arsenault
6 - 12 July
I am interested in human ecology and have been taking photographs to use as source material for artworks. Many of them are detail images because I use a lot of pattern in my practice. Today I was interested in a more tactile experience so I experimented with frottage. I went outside and created rubbings of both human made and organic objects and used the imagery to make small studies that connect disparate elements from the built and natural environments I travel through. The video corresponds to the study shown beside it.
Study to left, graphite, pastel and pencil crayon on mixed media paper, H8 x W 6 in.
Study on mixed-media paper, graphite, acrylic, pastel and pencil crayons, H12 x W8.5 in.
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Additional studies from July 6th, graphite, pastel, acrylic and pencil crayon on paper, 12 x 8 in. and 8 x 6 in.
July 7th
Work in progress. The start and finish of my painting session today. This is an abstract painting that references my view of the world we live in and my relationship to it. Acrylic on canvas, H48 x W24 in.
Detail images of my additions to the painting today.
July 8th
This video describes my plans for the day and the ideas behind the paintings involved.
Works in progress. The results from the end of the day. I was only able to complete the ground on one of the 6 foot canvases, but will get to the other one later in the week.
Left panel, acrylic, graphite and pencil crayon on canvas, 72 x 24 in. Right panel, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 24 in.
Detail images from today's session.
July 9th
Today I have been working on some small paper collages that reference both interior and exterior environments. They have been created using images from my photographs of both the environments that I travel through as well as past artwork. I have recontextualized imagery giving images new meaning and functionality. Paper collages on mixed media paper, 30 x 22 cm.
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Small ink and water study using dirt and plant material, palette knife and comb. Removing the objects once dry to reveal an imprint, 30 x 22 cm.
July 10th
Caroline and I had a conversation with each other about our work using a few questions that we had discussed beforehand. I thought it was a great experience and good practice for being able to speak confidently about our work. Something I know a lot of us struggle with.
July 11th
Today I took a recently finished artwork and installed it outdoors. The painting was inspired by one of the many walks I take in and around Bromley where I currently live. Below are images of the work installed under the railway bridge; an area that inspired parts of the painting.
In the videos I'm exploring the relationship of sound to the artwork and the space. The space with sound brings a sense of chaos that the painting has as well, but the actual space that you can see is still. The humans, animals and machines that are creating the sounds and represented in the painting are absent. I find thinking about the work in this way interesting. The still images give a greater sense of the space.
Over the past year I have experimented with different ways of making work as well as presenting it and see my work in a space that involves both interior and exterior display as well as traditional and non traditional materials and supports. I have grown very sensitive towards engaging with environments more holistically. Viewing everything within a space as connected and having an affect on that which surrounds it. I like the idea of exhibiting my work in a space where an interior and exterior space are connected through the placement of my work.Seeing the work as a photograph, a painting, a digital image and an element of an outdoor environment is directing my thinking for my exhibition proposal.
July 12th
This is the second 6 foot by 2 foot canvas that I plan to build up in layers over the next 10 weeks. Today I used plant debris my flat gardener was getting ready to throw in the compost to create texture and image on the surface of the canvas. I used a combination of ink and fluid acrylic with water over a light ground of paint that I drew into leaving marks. Like all of my work, I will be adding and taking away as the painting progresses.
This is the last day of my residency and it was a very positive experience. It made me reflect on my work a great deal and really made me focus. I feel I have a better understanding of the type of work I am interested in making having completed the residency.