BREAKING BOUNDARIES

an exploration of abstract expressionism, artistic experimentation and testing limitations

FOR THIS PROJECT I WANTED TO USE MY RECENT RESEARCH INTO ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM TO AID AN EXPERIMENT WITH PROCESS PAINTING AND THE NATURAL MOVEMENT OF MATERIALS. I WISHED TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT WAS UNCONTROLLED AND ORGANIC WITH AS FEW LIMITING FACTORS AS POSSIBLE. THIS INVOLVED LETTING MATERIALS DRIP, POUR, SPREAD AND INTERACT TO PRODUCE THEIR OWN ART.

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INITIAL EXPERIMENTATION

To begin my project I wanted to play around with materials and how they reacted with each other and performed naturally. I conducted a series of fluid paintings using a monochromatic scheme with an accent colour. I also experimented with glue and how it dripped with minimal control. I liked these experiments but I needed to figure out how to make them stand out more and conduct them on a larger scale. I also wanted to play around with how much control I had over the work and see what other ways I could find to experiment with natural reactions and other materials.

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REFINEMENT

From my initial paintings I wanted to conduct more fluid paintings but play around with colour schemes. I made one using primary colours, which mixed together and had a dull, muddy result. I found out colours such as pinks, oranges and greens worked well together and stood out the most. I realised when conducting these experiments that the mess made was just as fascinating as the paintings, and made prints from the paint on my hands. The mix of colours with the texture of my palms was really interesting to me. I also used spray paints, layered up and dabbed with paper towels to reveal the underneath and create patterns through the absence of colour.

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EXHIBITION

My exhibition piece was made with the intent of showing how an artists mind works, and that it cannot be confined to a single idea or canvas. Fragments of different experiments 'burst' out of the frame which is covered in drips as if the work is oozing from its confines. Each experiment draws inspiration from specific artists ideas. Such as the brush strokes fragments which are reminiscent of Franz Kline, and the pour paintings which were inspired by Abstract Expressionism and Jackson Pollock drip paintings. The hot pink holds a rebellious theme as usually frames are a standard colour as not to draw away from what it holds. However, making it such a vivid colour makes it a part of the piece.