Artist Statement

This semester, my practice focuses on the ideologies of family connections and our longing for nostalgia. I use photographs as triggers for childhood memories, incorporating a blend of significant landscapes from my upbringing. Since memory is fluid, I aim to create pieces that embody the overarching themes of childhood and memories. 

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I have adopted a new approach to my work by incorporating photographs into my paintings. I learned a technique for transferring photos directly onto the canvas. This process allows the photographs to evoke memories, as we take pictures to remember special moments. The juxtaposition of images and paintings creates a unique quality in my work. 

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I attended a graduate lecture where a student discussed her practice and her thoughts on grief, specifically using photo transfers to represent memory. Her ideas resonated with me and inspired me to continue blending images and paintings. Although I have not found any artists who work in an exactly similar way, I discovered contemporary artists like Neo Rauch and Daniel Pitin, who create collages solely with paint 

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Creating both physical and digital collages before starting my paintings has helped me understand the necessary steps for my pieces. It enables me to determine which layers to use and how to combine images effectively to convey the intended perception of my artwork. For instance, one of my pieces features locations related to my memories, as well as childhood images from walking trips that significantly shaped my upbringing. 

  

The experiments I conducted were crucial to my process. I explored how collages interact with paint and examined how an image would appear on various coloured surfaces. Through these tests, I discovered that for the best results, the image should be transferred onto a white canvas. This new painting method was a risk that could have led to setbacks, but it ultimately helped me progress and develop my artistic practice further. 

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The ideas behind my work stem from the juxtaposition of everyday domestic life and the memory of landscapes. I explore our connections to these landscapes and how they can be perceived. Research by authors Cornelius Holtorf and Howard Williams on the relationship between landscape and memory, along with studies by Merete Lund Fasting and Janice Høyem on outdoor play in childhood, is critical to my development as an artist. Their work highlights how early experiences in nature can foster a positive attitude toward the environment in adulthood. 

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Holtorf and Williams' article was pivotal for my practice, leading me to incorporate landscapes prominently in my pieces. I paint places that hold significance in my childhood memories, and their research prompted me to question the relationship between time and space. This inquiry added a new dimension to my landscape paintings, which I created alongside my collage pieces. For example, comparing a painting of rolling hills to a seascape reveals a new perspective: the latter may evolve more rapidly due to weather conditions. This comparison suggests that memories associated with the seascape might be more fleeting or susceptible to change, influenced by the dynamic environment in which they exist. In my landscape pieces, I aim to depict familiar places from my childhood, primarily drawing inspiration from memories of the Lake District. However, the main focus of my work is my collage pieces. In these artworks, I strive to convey a sense of closeness by featuring primarily two subjects in each image, showcasing their connections against vast landscapes. These landscapes represent open spaces with minimal human impact on the surface. My goal is to create unique paintings that capture fragments of time and the ripples of memory within them. 

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I have got involved in exhibitions at Manchester art gallery and applied for the Paradise Works open call, which is aimed at artists based in the North or those with Northern heritage. As an artist based in Manchester, I create work that explores my family connections to the North, along with various ties to the region. Unfortunately, I did not received a response from Paradise Works regarding my application.  

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However, I have been effective this year in managing my time and organizing my efforts to ensure that I dedicate appropriate attention to each aspect of my work. Although my painting primarily serves as a trigger for my own memories, group critiques have helped me understand that my peers feel the absence of people painted into a landscape. This allows them to envision themselves as figures within the artwork. For the degree show, I plan to incorporate two of my best collage paintings along with a variety of landscape paintings to create a diverse collection that viewers can engage with and interpret. During the curation of the art show, our group selected a range of sizes and colours for the paintings that would complement each other. We also considered factors like height, lighting, and the distance between the pieces. My painting, for example, required no direct sunlight but was challenging to pair with other works due to its intensity and busy patterns.