Artists Talk: materials
NAME: Rachel Sharp
oCCUPATION: Student, Fine Art PhD Northumbria University
LOCATION: Scottish Borders
MEDIA: Painting
1. When initiating a piece or body of work how do you determine the materials you will use?
My recent work has involved painting from digital sources. Therefore, I am always thinking about how the materials will translate the image, which starts as an immaterial entity from the computer screen. In this process, my choice of materials has varied to include tempera powder pigments, watercolour, collage, acrylic and oil paints. I tend to work through stages, focusing on one medium for a period of time. I also work in series – a recent example is a cycle of paintings based on images of soldiers sourced from Facebook.
Working with these different materials has given me a sense of how they function. When initiating a series of work, I think about how I want to engage with the digital image and whether I want to reflect its properties or undermine them. This affects the choice of materials. For instance, the weightiness of thick acrylic and tempera paint contrasts with the ethereal quality of the digital source image. Other times, I want to experiment with the 'floating' disembodied look of Facebook images; I find watercolours are well suited to this.
Working with these different materials has given me a sense of how they function. When initiating a series of work, I think about how I want to engage with the digital image and whether I want to reflect its properties or undermine them. This affects the choice of materials. For instance, the weightiness of thick acrylic and tempera paint contrasts with the ethereal quality of the digital source image. Other times, I want to experiment with the 'floating' disembodied look of Facebook images; I find watercolours are well suited to this.
2. dO THE MATERIALS THAT YOU USE HAVE A VALUE IN THEMSELVES OR ARE THEY JUST A MEANS TO AN END?
I am really interested in the tactile, expressive qualities of paint application and how this creates a language which runs in parallel to the representation of an image. Recently, I have been using oil paints and a very small palette knife for mark making. I like the directness of this method. Not using a medium gives the paint more body and greater saturation of colour.
The quality of pigment is important since colour and paint surface is a big part of my work. At the same time, I often paint digital images from the Internet, which would be considered low-quality because of their muted colours and pixelated, blurry appearance. I am interested in this conflict between a precious, hand-made thing and the 'throwaway' source image taken from a random source on the Internet.
I also often use digital prints in my work, sealing them with acrylic and painting on their surfaces. This creates a tension between the flat, pixelated image and the substance of the paint. It is also a way to explore representation and copying. The idea of endless versions or facsimiles seems to be a condition of the Digital Age.
The quality of pigment is important since colour and paint surface is a big part of my work. At the same time, I often paint digital images from the Internet, which would be considered low-quality because of their muted colours and pixelated, blurry appearance. I am interested in this conflict between a precious, hand-made thing and the 'throwaway' source image taken from a random source on the Internet.
I also often use digital prints in my work, sealing them with acrylic and painting on their surfaces. This creates a tension between the flat, pixelated image and the substance of the paint. It is also a way to explore representation and copying. The idea of endless versions or facsimiles seems to be a condition of the Digital Age.
3. please could you discuss any correlation between ideology and materials in your practiceI enjoy paintings in which there is an interplay between a strong tactile sense and representation. In this regard, I have learned from a wide range of painters; Titian, Turner, Dana Schutz and Peter Doig are some examples. On the subject of handwork, Richard Sennett's book, The Craftsman and the teachings of the textile artist, Renate Hiller, have influenced my thinking. Gerhard Richter's painterly dialogue with photography has been a powerful influence. The way he has fully embraced the interconnectedness of the two media has encouraged me to develop a close interaction with digital images in my own practice.
In the late nineties, I studied figurative painting for three years at The New York Studio School for Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. This educated me in the traditional techniques of oil painting from the model. Later, when I completed a Fine Art MA at Northumbria, I became interested in digital images from the Internet as source of content. My recent series of portraits draw upon my interest in the figure and the craft of painting; however, instead of painting from life, I am painting images from YouTube and Facebook. 4. do you consider what you materials might look like in the future, or are you just thinking about how they look when you use them? for example, do you consider whether the materials might change? |
Buddhist Monk
2013 Oil on Canvas 13 x 18 cm |
I think everyone who has been an art student has a woeful tale of a materials disaster! During my MA degree, I did a series of paintings on boards. Very thick oil paint and a slick surface were not a good combination. When the paintings were hung, they slowly slid down the board, and the portraits looked like they had melted, which was kind of interesting in itself.
Because my work is so concerned with materials and tactility, I experimented with a variety of pigments and surfaces in order to figure out what worked best. From there, I began to investigate how to achieve the result I wanted and also ensure that the materials would not change or deteriorate. Northumbria has a great training program for conservators and their advice has been extremely useful.
Because my work is so concerned with materials and tactility, I experimented with a variety of pigments and surfaces in order to figure out what worked best. From there, I began to investigate how to achieve the result I wanted and also ensure that the materials would not change or deteriorate. Northumbria has a great training program for conservators and their advice has been extremely useful.
5. are your materials significant in how you identify yourself as an artist?
Yes, the subjects and types of materials I have used have changed much over the years; however, I have always been particularly interested in the tactility of paint and how different artists approach it. I admire those who use luminous, thin washes of paint. However, I have never been able to do it myself! I think how you approach materials is like your thumbprint as an artist and I am not sure if it can really be changed.
For more information on the artist please visit her website: www.rachelsharp.com
For more information on the artist please visit her website: www.rachelsharp.com