At the end of first year I had to choose who modules I would take in the second year. It was a tough decision, I wanted to do everything. I worked on how I would use everything I learned through each discipline I tried over the first year. Drawing from previous experience I’ve had throughout my life to date – bringing it all together in my paintings. I shall write five blog posts that will focus on individual disciplines that have influenced my paintings.
Photography
I have always taken photographs even from a young age with a disposable camera. My mother most certainly had something to do with that – she photographically recorded much of my siblings and my childhood. I have continued this record of my own life and interests since I was given my first digital camera for my birthday, although I often borrowed my mum’s one because it was much better! Most photos I have taken in recent years have been to inform my imagination and art. Yet I have very rarely attempted to copy a photograph – I find it pointless.
In first year I explored pinhole photography and clichè verre. Both were completely knew to me and so I felt incredibly free. There are aspects of light and detail unique to these media, it baffles me how so much information can be sucked through such a small hole with such crisp detail – if you manage to keep the camera still!
The favourite photographic paper of mine was Matt which interested me because although the darks of the gloss seem deeper, you always lose something because of reflection. This of course made me experiment with different varnishes for my paintings, or possibly not varnishing at all! Pin hole photography completely revolutionised the way I thought about chiaroscuro. The power of the sun is mind-blowing when you attempt to capture its essence in any medium. I don’t believe this is ever more so apparent with pin holes. I began to see new aspects in reflections and refractions of light and how light moves over a period of time as the exposures are usually quite long. Through developing my own photographs in the darkroom I found joy in the freedom I had to ‘save’ over exposed negatives by developing them for shorter times. This would usually lose detail but the way I could watch it disappear as is developed made me realise the fine balance of tone one has with an image. Having no intrinsic light source, a photo or painting has a relatively short tonal range. Mastery can be found in the delicate treatment of these tones, something I am still very much interested in.
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