Since my last post I’ve been working on developing my Connectivity art piece. I quite like where I left off last time and continued working down this route trying to unify the design further.
In this drawing the connections start to become more cohesive but I don’t feel the placement is quite right. A few sections need to be moved slightly.
Some small adjustments gave me better positive and negative space arrangement. I then drew this on to 250gsm BFK Reeves paper and I started working on colour choices.
Going back to water colours I started with yellows, pale blues and a neutral grey.
The greens I intend to add later will be more dynamic and sit within the areas which project prominently forward: i.e. the larger shapes.
Not a bad start except for one thing: using painters tape to mask the outer edges of the painted sections hasn’t worked well. The photo looks fine but in reality the tape stuck to the soft surface of the BFK Reeves paper and lifted it off and this shows when sunlight is on the piece. It’s essentially ruined. I could continue and then perhaps paper glaze, varnish or paverpol the entire surface and hope this will hide the paper imperfections but should I bother? I’ve put it aside for now.
I rethought my goals and direction, harking back to the piece I produced for one of my final OCA print works.
What is it I like about this piece?
It’s very much the squares in lines, both horizontal and vertical. It brings me right back to my start point of apartment blocks and living separately but close together with overlapping lives.
I’ve not only been referencing my own photos and researching unit block construction sites within Australia but I’ve also looked at innovative building projects abroad. This development in Nanterre, beautifully photographed by Luc Boegly, demonstrates the concept I’m trying to put across.
Over Easter I decided to go back to monoprinting and take the imagery as it evolved – no masked outlines, just the shapes I was able to produce with a brush and roller.
The colour scheme is very much based on my previous work.
During the week I returned to water colours and attempted a further piece which sits somewhere between my two samples above. In other words; a softer water colour appearance but with an image flexibility more in line with the monoprint.
In this latest version I have more variety in the box sizes and also some overlapping of groups. I’m very pleased that there is some depth to this, I’ve achieved some definite layering of squares. This colour scheme is new to me, not somewhere I would normally go and I find it attractive and stimulating. My instinct (today!) is to pursue this one and work further onto the piece with other media.
TactualTextiles 
nice work, Claire. looking forward to where this takes you. I really like the depth & atmospheric perspective in the last one. we had to do an exercise for class and for one attempt I coloured onto layers of tracing paper to attempt that effect, but you’ve done it in one layer. well done
Thanks Kath. I’m looking at adding stitching and further paper layers. Still in thinking mode. I’m going to ContextArt for a week on Friday so will have a break and look at it afresh when I get back.
I like the monoprint and watercolour more than the print. The print is very controlled, like architect’s drawings – is that the emotion you were trying for? The others feel more like they’re drawing you in. Well, that’s how it felt to me!
Still exploring but I like the last piece the best and will push that further and see where it goes. Running out of time though.
As always! I’ve done nothing creative today, just shopping, emails and ATASDA admin! If only real life would stop for a bit…
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