Hello once again! A new year has started since we were last in each other’s company, and I have submitted all my work for Semester 1 of my 3rd and final year of my degree here at Aberystwyth… How scary is that? I thought now would be a good time to give a brief summary of where I’m at and what my painting is about. But first I want to mention an exhibition I went to see.
I am determined that 2022 will be a good year for me in terms of visiting exhibitions. Therefore, I decided to start my year off right and go visit one I had been interested in for a while up at the Arts Centre on Campus. The exhibition was: Hideous, Beasts and Corpses by Danny May. It was great. A mixture of paintings, sculpture and drawings on display, all vibrant and exciting. Something I enjoyed especially with the sculptures was the nature of the wood they were made from being allowed to shine through – all the natural splits in the wood. It was also a very attractive exhibition because of the artist’s use of curves; the sculptures had a plumpness to them and these shapes were mirrored in the paintings. I enjoyed the artist’s colour palette, it seemed very cheerful, boisterous and playful. He used a lot of orange and in a few paintings this use of orange reminded me of volcanic activity and magma. The exhibition closes on the 28th of January, but if you’re in the area then I would definitely recommend giving it a visit if you can. I enjoyed the idea behind it and thought the idea was well executed and explored through the artworks.
I hope that exhibition visit will be the first of many, but enough talk of that for now, let’s get back to my work.
So, what is my painting about? Where am I at currently in terms of art?
I use colour and mark and geometric form to explore space objects and my emotions around them. I am interested in exploring and mirroring science with my paint – I think art is a powerful tool to bring people closer to science without them feeling too intimidated. I want people to experience these places through my art; that sense of wonder will get you hooked.
My paintings are a dance between order and chaos and, to me, my process represents what it is to be human in this dynamic universe; constantly trying to make sense of things and find order from within the chaos. In my paintings I try to find an equilibrium between this order and chaos.
I aim to create an emotional response in my audience, and leave the subject of my paintings to be interpreted by each individual. The specific subject is not as important as the feeling that they’re left with. Those who know the subject and understand the title will have a different experience to those who do not, but that is okay. You do not need deep knowledge to appreciate art or science, just an open mind and a desire and willingness to explore.
Art and Science is a very interesting topic and one I’ve thought about much in the past. It seems that now is the time for me to rekindle my passion and push forward with it. Both need creativity, hard work, deep thinking and perhaps a bit of obsession. Both also seem to make people forget their differences and come together. But, both also, perhaps a little too often, intimidate people as they think they need certain knowledge to properly enjoy them. But knowledge comes after, the first step is to explore.
This is where I’m at with my art and my thinking. Just a short post today.
My blogs are great way for me to sort out and organise my thoughts, they so frequently spark new ideas or help me make new connections. I think even after I am no longer required to do them for my course, I will still try to use them in the same way; I’ve really successfully managed to turn my enjoyment of writing into a useful tool.
The next blog will be a brain dump of all my many ideas and musings on where my work is heading as the new term looms it’s head. We will see how much of it will end up actually being explored, but I am excited for it none the less.
Have a great next two weeks and I’ll see you next time.
Anna.
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