If you want to know a little more about my new A3 Art works, I will share a bit of the process around making them in this blog post.
The artworks go through quite a process of layering and development and are true to my preference to reuse and upcycle where possible. Like my upcycled jewellery they begin life in a different shape and form. The mixed media pieces start as high quality digital prints of my pattern designs, that go off to trade shows to be exhibited as ‘sell sheets’.
Printed sell sheets of my designs
After the sell sheets have been exhibited they get filed away, until they get a new lease of life… I use them as a starting point for my creative process. To begin I ‘knock back’ or paint over quite a lot of the original design with gesso. I want the design underneath to be a spring board to get my ideas going, but not the main focus. This idea of not starting with a blank piece of paper is one I share with my students when teaching art, it seems to help sometimes to not begin with just clean white paper.
Lots of early beginnings on the studio wall
From these beginnings I layer up mixed media techniques, working with a range of media. I’ve been painting and drawing for a long time, studying Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art for my first degree. I have built up some good materials stores over the years and love getting them all out and layering up paint, pen, pencil and spray paint.
Some of my favourite materials
I’m still in love with Posca paint pens for their pretty colours and how they can give good solid blocks of colour when layered up. I also love a little bit of neon and I make my own laser cut stencils to use with the fabulous quality Montana black spray paints. High quality materials ensure the accuracy and richness of colour that is important when making art for my customers.
Laser cut card stencils
I often work in series. There is something about the energy you can get when you go between multiple pieces at once. I like how they sort of talk to each other too, something in one sparks something in another. It also means that interesting pairings appear between pieces, with common colours, shapes and marks. My customers can then buy a pair of prints or even a tryptic to work together on their walls.
Studio scene showing a series in progress
I like contrasting hard and soft marks, subtle and bold visual language. Slowly building up layers, often knocking back parts and letting echoes show through. I have always been drawn to repetition of motifs in my work and energy of marks, both as a fine artist and as a pattern designer. I don’t make a piece in one go, they build up over days until I am happy with the balance in them. I work both flat on my studio table and vertical on the wall. I do the smaller, details and more subtle marks when flat, but need the space to move and wave my arms around a bit for the bigger marks!
Studio table scenes, building up.
I sell my artworks both as originals and a selection are also available as A3 prints in my shop. I did a lot of testing to find a printer I was happy with in terms of the colour and reproduction of the details for you in the artworks. I’m super pleased with the quality from the guys over at bookishly, who do my printing for me. They are a small indie business too, and I like to shop small when I can!
