Degree Project

Degree show proposal

Hopefully for the degree show I will be making three circles out of MDF board and canvas.

As they will have no frame hopefully they will lie flat on the floor and prevent the paint from travelling to the middle.

At the moment I’m thinking using Liquidtex on one, using a very similar technique and colour scheme that I used on the video painting.

Another with the technique I used to create a matte, coral like effect on the painting that was sold at our auction.

And another with a contrasting light colour scheme like my ‘Light Water’ painting.

The finished pieces might look similar to these three paintings together >

The three paintings will be exploring different depths and mysteries of the sea, and I know that working on circles creates a completely new/different image than if it were a rectangle.
Thinking about it, circles could even reflect the windows or portholes on ships and submarines, though that is not my intention, this could be an interesting perspective.

Reflection – So far

My blog so far seems to be a journey, through my project and paintings.

I started by showing you some work from previous projects, and I can see how much I have progressed just in the last few months.

I don’t work on a small scale nowadays, I used to use small canvases to experiment, but now I don’t need to, because when I start a new painting now ( on a bigger scale ) the whole thing is an experiment, and I enjoy that.

It is also clear that I spend a lot longer on each piece. I used to knock paintings out left right and centre but now each one is much more precious and I put a lot more effort into each one.

I hope this will continue into the making of my Degree show paintings.

I have successfully made my first video.

Considering I have never edited a video or made a video myself before, I think I have done an ok job.
It does show the process well though it’s speeded up about 16x normal speed (otherwise it would have been 3 hours long).
But I don’t think I will be using a video as a final piece for the degree show.
Although watching the progression of the painting is quite enjoyable I don’t want all the emphasis to be on that, it should instead be on the painting, out of the whole video my favourite part is when you see the final image at the end.

If I made the video the artwork, then what will become of the paintings? Pushed to the side? Discarded?
I don’t think I will be able to create a beautifully edited video in time for the degree show anyway, this is my first attempt and its pretty average. If I attempted it again I would have to be a lot more organised and careful and would take up a lot of effort that I could be using for painting.

Other painters have different personal attachments to their work, perhaps if it’s a portrait of themselves or someone they know, if they paint expressively due to their own emotions, or if the content is something very personal.
I think my personal attachment is within the process, it’s just between me and the canvas.

My video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKgec1DYXGA

My Video -Sped up Painting Process, by Cat Fuller

Process

Videoing my current painting has provoked some thoughts and questions about my work.
Why am I videoing it?

I originally thought it would be interesting to record the process of my painting, which normally, is something only I get to see.
But then, I know that I won’t be displaying a video as a final piece in the degree show, I still consider the finished paintings to be the final work.

So what role does process have in my work?
I think it is just something that I enjoy, I like to watch the paint move and shapes and lines form in front of me. And maybe that’s why I’m videoing it, I said at the beginning that this video was just an experiment, and its turned out to be a very good one.

So is it important that the audience sees / knows about the process?
The viewer can still appreciate the work as a finished painting without knowing the video even existed.
If I displayed the video at the end, what would happen to all the paintings? Would they be of any use or value anymore? If I decide that they are no longer the work?

I think that it is very enjoyable to watch the process of my painting, and it’s quite personal and intimate, especially as I am the one creating it.
It’s between me and the painting.

Thinking about this reminds me of Jackson Pollock. When his process was made available to the viewer by Hans Namuths film of him, it was no longer that the paintings were emphasized,
‘but the role of the artist and his action.’’ (Jackson Pollock, 2003, p. 63).
But people still bought his paintings, the final outcome.
Pollocks process was very personal to him, as my process is to me.
He also wanted to highlight the finished paintings, he didn’t want the viewer to be distracted by anything like a title, he wanted themto appreciate the paitning and
‘look at a picture for what it is – pure painting.’’ (Frank, 1983, p. 75).

One could also question that my work then, isn’t about the deep sea at all, it’s about the process. But then, why is it the colours I use are blues and greens, why do the final images refer to such inspirations.

But this project is not about process, maybe one could say,
I am a process painter, whose paintings at the moment are inspired by the deep sea.

I have been watching a lot of documentaries about the sea recently.
The many episodes of David Attenboroughs ‘Blue Planet’, and
Films of Jacque Cousteau’s diving expeditions

They provide brilliant drawing material and inspiration for compositions, textures and colour schemes. Especially from the creatures featured, with their brightly colour form with flowing shapes.
I also named one of my paintings after the twilight zone Attenborough talks about.

‘more people have gone into space than have explored the Ocean’s deep’
David Attenborough ‘Blue Planet’

I am also reading a fictional book called ‘Pisces Rising’

The story is about how man takes the sea for granted, and the creatures start to fight back.

But the characters include the sea creatures, and the book talks about myths of the gods of the sea.
Overall it’s a very emotional and spiritual read, and it provokes strong feelings and images for me to influence my work. For example, it talks of the light water, being the section of the sea closest to man with particular creatures living there, I named one of my paintings after this.