Artists Talk: materials
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Copyright: Norman McBeath 2006
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I particularly like matte effects in paint and chose to use casein tempera in several paintings because of its velvet matte quality. My choice of water-based paints of all kinds is based on my need to be able to over-paint quickly over a dry paint film, working in layers that differ in terms of opacity, transparency or viscosity.
In printmaking, the process will dictate the materials used. I have been exploring silkscreen more at Northumbria and enjoy the fact that the inks are simply modified acrylic colours, not industrial inks.
In printmaking, the process will dictate the materials used. I have been exploring silkscreen more at Northumbria and enjoy the fact that the inks are simply modified acrylic colours, not industrial inks.
2. dO THE MATERIALS THAT YOU USE HAVE A VALUE IN THEMSELVES OR ARE THEY JUST A MEANS TO AN END?
In one sense I can see that certain materials could be viewed as being part of the romantic paraphernalia of being an artist, with little or no intrinsic value in the grand scheme of things.
However, I must confess to an ardent fascination with the materials themselves – their composition, the history of the use, etc. And particular materials have sensual qualities that can act on the imagination by their look, feel and smell. The sweet sharp odour of pure turpentine always conjures up memories of being student at Edinburgh College of Art. The fragrant smell of melting beeswax that emanates when preparing an etching plate is also curiously evocative for me. This is all part of the alchemy of the process.
With etching, the materials used are indeed alchemical – metals and acids – and the process can be often unpredictable due to the subtle chemistry involved. Chance plays a large part in the procedure. I like that.
Also I think you can have materials that you use, that you especially like for some reason or another – your favourite brand or favourite colour. Though I can’t totally explain my choice, I love pyrrole orange and cobalt teal!
Paper is hugely important to me and I hoard paper of all kinds. Ostensibly I buy paper for drawing and painting, or for printmaking but secretly I buy it because it is such a sensual desirable object in itself. Though I do hope that I will get around to using all the paper I have bought over the years before I finally depart from this earth.
However, I must confess to an ardent fascination with the materials themselves – their composition, the history of the use, etc. And particular materials have sensual qualities that can act on the imagination by their look, feel and smell. The sweet sharp odour of pure turpentine always conjures up memories of being student at Edinburgh College of Art. The fragrant smell of melting beeswax that emanates when preparing an etching plate is also curiously evocative for me. This is all part of the alchemy of the process.
With etching, the materials used are indeed alchemical – metals and acids – and the process can be often unpredictable due to the subtle chemistry involved. Chance plays a large part in the procedure. I like that.
Also I think you can have materials that you use, that you especially like for some reason or another – your favourite brand or favourite colour. Though I can’t totally explain my choice, I love pyrrole orange and cobalt teal!
Paper is hugely important to me and I hoard paper of all kinds. Ostensibly I buy paper for drawing and painting, or for printmaking but secretly I buy it because it is such a sensual desirable object in itself. Though I do hope that I will get around to using all the paper I have bought over the years before I finally depart from this earth.
"Back to Nature"
Acrylic & collage on paper 2014
56 x 76 cm
Copyright: The Artist 2014
Acrylic & collage on paper 2014
56 x 76 cm
Copyright: The Artist 2014
3. please could you discuss any correlation between ideology and materials in your practice
My “ideology” is pretty much based on a belief in the importance of art as both a maker and consumer. Art provides the means by which I can experience and/or record certain states of mind that I simply cannot access through rational thought alone.
Gerhard Richter believes that painting is a different kind of thinking. Also he points out that “by conveying a thing through the medium of language, you change it. You construct qualities that can be said, and you leave out the ones that can't be said but are always the most important.” The materials I use to make paintings or prints are building blocks to help me construct the work. The way the materials behave when I use them does influence the “mood” of the work. Chance plays a significant role too – something I encourage through different approaches to creating an image. This can be as simple as trying to “switch off’, avoiding conscious control.
Sometimes the initial concept can be totally obliterated through working and re-working. Interestingly new opportunities often emerge, phoenix-like, from the residue of an aborted strategy in an attempt to simply “get it right”.
Smears, runs, drips and mishaps in general can suggest a fresh new approach. In printmaking, the practitioner regularly faces a myriad of technical challenges that creates ample opportunity to be creative in dealing with the pitfalls of the medium. There is real satisfaction in problem solving, in overcoming adversity.
Gerhard Richter believes that painting is a different kind of thinking. Also he points out that “by conveying a thing through the medium of language, you change it. You construct qualities that can be said, and you leave out the ones that can't be said but are always the most important.” The materials I use to make paintings or prints are building blocks to help me construct the work. The way the materials behave when I use them does influence the “mood” of the work. Chance plays a significant role too – something I encourage through different approaches to creating an image. This can be as simple as trying to “switch off’, avoiding conscious control.
Sometimes the initial concept can be totally obliterated through working and re-working. Interestingly new opportunities often emerge, phoenix-like, from the residue of an aborted strategy in an attempt to simply “get it right”.
Smears, runs, drips and mishaps in general can suggest a fresh new approach. In printmaking, the practitioner regularly faces a myriad of technical challenges that creates ample opportunity to be creative in dealing with the pitfalls of the medium. There is real satisfaction in problem solving, in overcoming adversity.
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?
In the past I did concern myself with using conservation standard materials, (particularly for framing works on paper), but I have relaxed my attitude somewhat in recent times. I do however use good quality materials and try to adopt a sound working method. This should ensure that the works have some kind of longevity.
However, I am only really concerned with the way the work looks after completion. Once the work leaves my ownership I don’t really worry about what it might look like in 100 years or whether it will be preserved for posterity – others must decide depending on what value (monetary or otherwise) they deem it to have.
To fret about the fate of your work, particularly in times when there are critical global issues that we all should be concerned with, seems a bit petty.
However, I am only really concerned with the way the work looks after completion. Once the work leaves my ownership I don’t really worry about what it might look like in 100 years or whether it will be preserved for posterity – others must decide depending on what value (monetary or otherwise) they deem it to have.
To fret about the fate of your work, particularly in times when there are critical global issues that we all should be concerned with, seems a bit petty.
5. are your materials significant in how you identify yourself as an artist?
As I don’t use any materials or processes that are unique to myself, I guess not. Also I am not particularly interested in the notion of using “traditional” materials in the making of the work either. I am interested in acquiring knowledge about the materials I use but this is purely for my own interest.
However, I do think a painter should be engrossed with material qualities of paint itself – just as printmakers can (and do) have long discussions about the merits of different kinds of black ink.
A word of warning - a total fascination with paint or pigment may identify you simply as a “craftsman” or a “technician”, rather than that rare being, a real “artist”.
As Tom Stoppard wickedly points out – “Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets. Imagination without skill gives us modern art.”
However, I do think a painter should be engrossed with material qualities of paint itself – just as printmakers can (and do) have long discussions about the merits of different kinds of black ink.
A word of warning - a total fascination with paint or pigment may identify you simply as a “craftsman” or a “technician”, rather than that rare being, a real “artist”.
As Tom Stoppard wickedly points out – “Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets. Imagination without skill gives us modern art.”