7 May 2018

End of year reflections:

 

M. McCune-Colbert, Untitled, Image transfer, 2018

 

While researching the history of Dada for my 2,000-word essay I identified underlying characteristics that I believe contribute to its ongoing influence:

• seeing value in the everyday world
•  the freedom to experiment
• embracing the element of chance

I explored the connection with Nouveau Réalisme and my own practice. In doing this I discovered my affinity was Dada was far greater than I had realised as I have also been becoming more aware about parameters I apply to my work, regardless of subject matter.

This includes taking an experimental approach using physical materials and processes, in which things can easily go wrong, to allow for the element of chance. These chance occurrences can lead to more interesting work or give rise to new ideas (thinking through making). I also respond to material things in the world around me. This could be using found images for collage and objects for assemblage or relief sculpture. This material is removed from its original context and rearranged, altered or presented in a new way to create new meaning.

 

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Examples of my work using physical materials and processes

30 April 2018

End of Year Group Exhibition: Process & Materiality

I signed up for a group exhibition under the theme of ‘Process and Materiality’. There were 10 of us in the group and we created a Facebook chat to organise meetings and discuss related matters. This included collaborating on the creation of a flyer with input from different members of the group and votes on the layout. Our group worked very well together in a constructive and harmonious way on all aspects of the curation, which enabled everything to go smoothly.

For the flyer we decided to use an image that had a general reference to the theme, rather than featuring our individual work. A member of the group suggested using a photo they had taken of tools, which seemed ideal.

As our work was very diverse we decided to use a standard eye-line, centering work hung on the walls, to help create a cohesive look. To acknowledge our individual pieces, we added labels by our work, with our name, the title of the work and materials used.

The layout of the exhibition was based on practical and aesthetic considerations. My work needed a spotlight to enhance the textures against the white wall and the video pieces were best near a power supply. From there the curatorial decisions seemed to evolve naturally. We thought it worked best putting the sculptural work together and arranging the colourful paintings and hangings together. There was a large printed work in colour and greyscale with assemblage elements that worked well facing the sculpture. The placement of the long fabric hanging in neutral tones helped to connect both areas. I think it was a successful exhibition, both in terms of the curation and the standard of our work.

M. McCune-Colbert, Traces of the Past, 2018

23 April 2018

Work for end of year group exhibition cont’d:

I had initially planned two possible pieces of work for the end of year group exhibition. My preferred option was to cast a section of  telephone pole in plaster. The second option (Plan B)  was to make an A1 size work using image transfers of my mono prints and collage on a canvas or fabric ground. As the outcome of my plaster cast was successful I was able to exhibit that work.

M. McCune-Colbert, Traces of the Past, 2018

For a five minute presentation, speaking about my work, I decided to give some background to my way of working and an overview of how the exhibited work had come about. This sculpture was inspired by Rachel Whiteread’s exhibition at Tate Britain, which I had attended earlier this year.

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Rachel Whiteread exhibition 2018 – photos M McCune-Colbert

My sculpture is conceptually linked to my previous work, which includes research on Mimmo Rotella, who used torn advertising posters found near his studio in Rome. I associate the fragmented eroded quality of my image transfers with the fragmented posters used by Rotella. The physical damage to the materials communicates impermanence and transience. Several telephone poles near my home are covered in staples, the remaining evidence of flyers advertising past events.  I am fascinated by the way we bring our associations to physical objects and see them in a symbolic way.

M. Rotella, Marilyn, 1963 [Left]     M.McCune-Colbert, Untitled, 2018

 

Keynotes for 5 minute presentation

 Process & Materiality

 Very recent piece of work     made over the Easter break

Departure                               last term printmaking – screen printing – photocopy transfers

circle back to casting workshop at the beginning of this unit

Freedom to experiment          move between processes and materials 

Use of digital processes         e.g digital photography, image processing

Physical material and objects from the world around me very important
both in terms of my response to objects and use of materials – assemblage, collage etc

Use of physical materials and physical processes central
things can go wrong, lead to new developments in my work practically and conceptually e.g. rust marks – could lead to whole new line of thought

So how did this work come about?

Transferring photocopies onto fabric  
during process parts of image detached
 fragmented eroded quality
reminded me of Mimmo Rotella’s work – torn posters from the streets of Rome

Recently taking photographs locally –
several telephone poles had fascinated me long-time

staples and tacks – all that remained of flyers advertising local events lost pets
representing years of human activity, energy, emotion, hopes and fears.

Fascinated by how objects can carry Traces of the Past – title of my work

Interested in how we bring our associations to objects – something I will continue to explore
These poles became symbols of impermanence and transience, a theme that I connect with Rotella’s décollage work.

Digital Photographs but wanted to create something more physical to explore the subject further – my response both emotional and physical

Cast of the telephone pole
Rachel Whiteread exhibition
Clay mould – relief impression – plaster cast –
deciding whether to paint –
decision not to paint – archaeological casts – fragments of the past
left traces of clay and accidental metal stains add to the sense of wear and tear.
neutral material draws attention to the surface – lighting
object in its own right rather than a painted representation – fake
more mysterious – more open to interpretation

This work so recent
there is much more for me to discover about it and where it might lead.

 

16 April 2018

Work for end of year group exhibition:

In February I had photographed two telephone poles near my home. They were covered with staples, which were the only evidence left of posters advertising past local events and lost pets. I thought they were interesting both in terms of their texture and their significance. I am fascinated by how physical objects can carry the traces of past events.

I decided to see whether it was possible to make a curved relief cast of a section of the post using clay to take an impression of the surface from which I could make a mould. I made a small quick test piece, which successfully captured the detail and I found it was technically possible to make a curved section using plaster rather than a solid cast, which would help reduce the weight of a larger piece, which was to be 10 inches x 30 inches. I also tested embedding wire as a way of hanging the finished piece.

In order to make a curved surface I built a supporting structure from cardboard lined with carpet. I calculated the correct diameter of the post and adjusted for the thickness of the clay and the carpet. I added curved cardboard sections with right-angled corners (which I fastened with a hot glue gun) to keep my box square and to provide extra support for the cast along the full length.

I made a pattern for the wire fastening using thin bendable wire, then bent thicker wire to this shape using a vice and pliers.

I drew the size of the finished piece on a sheet of plastic with markings for the centre so that I could line this up correctly in the supporting box. I rolled the clay out on the plastic sheet until it was approximately a centimetre thick and I extended it beyond my lines so that when I removed it from the post if there were finger marks these would be removed with the excess clay. I also made end pieces from clay so there would be a top and bottom to the cast, giving it a more solid look.

I used Herculite No 2 plaster, which is stronger than fine casting plaster. I found the casting process challenging as the plaster went off very quickly, giving me only a few minutes working time. I worked in layers adding jute scrim for strength. After the addition of water, some rust staining occurred from the wire while the plaster was drying. It bled through as it was fairly close to the surface. I had mistakenly thought it was anodised aluminium, which would not have rusted and will know to check for this in future.

I have had to decide whether or not to paint the finished plaster cast. Although I like the rich colours of the original post, leaving it unpainted connects the work more closely to archaeological casts, which document fragments of past history.  I have chosen to do this as it is conceptually closer to my ideas. It also becomes a thing in its own right, rather than an imitation of the original. I am very pleased with the final result, particularly as it was a technical challenge for me.

 

 

19 March 2018

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 Skills 3 Print: Screen Printing – 4 Colour CMYK week 3

The brief for this week was to add another element to our four colour print. I decided to add something handwritten so decided to make monotype prints which would give a thicker line with interesting textures where the paper picked up ink. A few of the prints picked up too much ink so I added scribbled drawing to them.

Monotype prints of handwritten text:

As Monotype writing shows in reverse, I flipped images to see what they would look like the correct way round and chose the one I wanted to use. Some of the others could be used in other work, either as screen-prints or photocopy transfers,  and the resized according to what was needed.

Monotype prints reversed digitally:

 

Screen-prints with text added:

I was pleased to be adding another element to my prints as some layers of the print were partially missing along the bottom edge. For the layer of text I mixed cyan and yellow for a spot colour that would match the colour and tones I had already used in the print. We had a brief pop-up exhibition and group crit for our finished prints.

Pop-up exhibition: Two of my prints displayed with another student’s work

Single colour screen-prints based on collage:

As the text I was using for my prints was not very large, I exposed another two images on the screen. Initially I printed a multiple on one sheet of paper, but had a problem with ink being picked up by the acetate (which I was using for registering the prints) and it smudged onto the border of the paper on he left hand side.

I made an edition of prints based on another of my collages using a large halftone dot  and printing in a single colour. I also overprinted one of my CMYK prints with this image.

Experimental print

 

Single colour prints based on monotype:

 

Reprinting CMYK project without text:

I made a few more CMYK prints ensuring that I did not miss any of the edges. One of the prints shows the cyan layer and another the cyan and magenta. The rest are cyan, magenta and yellow (without the black). Two are overprinted with a different image in black.

 

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Mimmo Rotella

Regarding the fragmentation and erosion of images, I have been looking at the décollages of Mimmo Rotella, which are comprised of layers of torn posters. I particularly associate these with my image transfers in which areas of the photocopied paper transfer has become detached from the fabric support. Instead of being torn, ripped, or cut, the paper has been removed through abrasion where it was not firmly attached.

http://poulwebb.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/mimmo-rotella-decollages-part-1.html

Mimmo Rotella, Marilyn, 1963

I have been thinking about how the materials and processes used add meaning to an artwork and I will be considering this further. In this case the physical damage evokes the transitory and impermanent.

12 March 2018

 Skills 3 Print: Screen Printing – 4 Colour CMYK – week 2

Documentation of work – 8 prints:

I made a series of eight screen-prints (A4 image) using CMYK separations. Unfortunately I had a technical problem with the prints as the squeegee I used was too narrow. It wasn’t obvious when I first started printing that part of the image was missing on the lower edge. However I noticed after printing the magenta so I used a larger squeegee for the yellow. When I printed the black I thought it overpowered the other colours so I only used it on two of the prints. I also need to improve my registration.

I made an experimental print by rotating the paper for each layer and printing some colours twice. I also made a print only using cyan and yellow, which I thought was very interesting as it was still recognisable although 2 colour separations were missing. This ties in with my theme of fragmentation, erosion and partial traces. The cyan is missing on the top edge due to the problem with the squeegee so I made a few more of these prints later in the week.

Documentation of work – experimental prints:

I made a further series of prints using the yellow and cyan separations experimenting with the colour of the ink and using both white and off-white paper. I used fluorescent yellow on several of the images and fluorescent orange with the cyan. It was difficult to register the fluorescent yellow when printing as it was difficult to see on the acetate.

The fluorescent colours did not reproduce well when photographed and the colour looks more dull in these images than on the originals.

Documentation of work – experimental prints:

I printed the yellow separation using red ink on a variety of surfaces, including pages from a magazine, calico fabric and canvas.

 

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Photography:

Unedited photo from camera

Edited using Nik software filters & Photoshop adjustments

I decided to see how my new camera would cope with taking close-ups with the kit lens (Canon 200D 18-55mm lens 4 – 5.6). This photograph was taken handheld using the lens stabilisation. I lit the plant with a halogen desk lamp which created an orange cast needing white balance correction. I have been experimenting with Google Nik software filters and wanted to draw the eye to the centre of the image so I added a vignette blur. As I did not like the orange colour cast I changed the hues and saturation in Photoshop. This has resulted in a less realistic nature photograph and is more of an art photograph.

Nik Software

I just discovered the Nik software suite was acquired from Google by Dx0 last year https://nikcollection.dxo.com/ and the current version is still free.

5 March 2018

Skills 3 Print: Screen Printing – 4 Colour CMYK – week 1

Preparation:

I chose a photograph of one of my ‘eroded’ collages on fabric as the basis for my screen print and altered the colour slightly in Photoshop, moving the yellows towards a citrus green.

Photocopy of collage partially eroded when transferred to fabric

I made the 4 colour CMYK separation in Photoshop then added an elliptical halftone with a fairly large dot size to each greyscale image. These were digitally printed on translucent film and photographically exposed onto the screen ready for printing.

Cyan Separation – C

Magenta Separation – M

Yellow Separation – Y

Black Separation – K

These colour separations provide another way of breaking down an image and could be printed selectively in spot colour instead of doing a full CMYK print.

Fragmentation & Layers: Image Transfer

With my photocopy transfers I want the image to become eroded and fragmented so I do not glue it carefully or wait for the adhesive to thoroughly dry. I have little or no control over which parts of the image get removed when I rub off the paper backing, which incorporates the element of chance. I am interested in the interplay between chance and conscious decision-making in my work.

This image was more fragmented than usual and I sanded it to further erode the surface.

Image Transfer Layer  1

Image Transfer Layer 2

The first image became very fragmented during the transfer and I further eroded it by sanding. I have been thinking about layering images so I tried it out, overlapping the second image. This also became very fragmented, allowing parts of the previous image to show through both the eroded areas and areas which were white or very pale (these would have been plain paper that was removed during the transfer process).

It will be good to experiment building up more layers, maybe with the addition of painting, drawing or writing. I plan to try transferring images onto different surfaces including metal and wood and this has given me the idea of first creating a distressed surface with sanded layers of patchily applied paint onto wood.

 

 

25 February 2018

Photography:

Over the last few weeks I have been taking photographs a short distance from where I live, in an urban environment. For several years I have been fascinated by two wooden telephone posts (on different streets) which bristle with staples. It is partly the idea of the accumulation over time of past events whose traces have almost disappeared and partly my love of interesting textures.

I also enjoy photographing nature. I managed to catch a crow in flight just after it took off. It then circled around and moved out of shot, leaving me with a picture of trees with the light peeping through. The camera was set to single shot and there wasn’t time to change it to continuous shooting..

 

 

I have started experimenting with Google’s Nik filters https://www.google.com/nikcollection/ , which I found out about on YouTube and have watched a number of tutorials. The software is free and can be used within Photoshop and Lightroom as well stand-alone (which I haven’t tried). For the picture of the crow I also used the filters on Instagram to increase the dramatic effect.

 

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Dada

I am researching Dada as background for my 2,000 word essay, starting with a book by Hans Richter who had personal involvement with that art movement.  Dada: art and anti-art  is a totally gripping account of the events, personalities, ideas and methods.

Dada was not an artistic movement in the accepted sense; it was a storm that broke over the world of art as the war did over the nations. It came without warning, out of a heavy, brooding sky, and left behind it a new day in which the stored-up energies released by Dada were evidenced in new forms, new materials, new ideas, new directions …

Richter, H. (1997). Dada. Art and anti-art. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.

I have chosen to explore the collages of Max Ernst, who was associated with Dada and later with Surrealism. The artwork I have been focusing on is a collage Here Everything is Still Floating created in 1920.

Max Ernst Here Everything Is Still Floating (Hier ist noch alles in der Schwebe) 1920

Ernst used pre-existing printed material which he combined to create an alternate dreamlike reality. Relating this to my work, it connects to one type of collage I make, in which I  juxtapose unrelated images from magazines to create hybrid forms, strange worlds or the absurd.

The original collage for the above work was 10.5 x 12.4 cm (without the mount).   It was photographed and reproduced at a larger size, which overcame the limited size of the source material (an issue I also face with using images  from magazines).

19 February 2018

Image transfers cont’d.

I used another image in the same way, transferring the laser prints onto heavy paper, trying to achieve an eroded quality.

I photographed the one I found most interesting, which I may use for a screen-print.

After transferring more images onto fabric I washed it to remove the residual bits of paper and instead of ironing the calico squares I decided their crumpled state enhanced the worn appearance.

 

impermanence
wear & tear
fragmentation
damage
chance

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Sigmar Polke

I have started looking at the work of Sigmar Polke, who was fascinated with the halftone dots of printed material, enlarging the images using a projector to scale them up on his canvas then painting them.

One of the issues with using found images from magazines is the relatively small size of the source material. I am considering ways of overcoming this limitation by re-photographing my collages and printing them out at a larger size or creating screen-prints at a larger size

 

12 February 2018

Halftone dots cont’d

Images edited in PagePlus showing changes to original image with increasing dot size

I have continued experimenting with halftone dots. While resizing an image in Serif PagePlus I looked at the image editing options and found a filter for changing the image to halftone dots. The dots were circular in shape even at larger sizes (see above), unlike converting to halftone in Photoshop where the dots became distorted.

At this stage, I am interested in the process of partially breaking down images. I prepared more images in Photoshop and got multiple laser copies so that I could have repeats which I transferred using acrylic medium as before (applying patchily so that parts would rub away when the backing paper was removed).

Backing paper being soaked and removed

 

Inverted image – Photoshop halftone – acrylic medium transfer

 

Layers of green/gold acrylic washes added

I added several layers of green gold acrylic wash over the whole surface. When it was dry I added red to the lips, but I was not happy with the result so I’m going to try reworking those areas.

I have overpainted the lips with an opaque magenta, which I think is better and I may add some patches of gold leaf. I am also considering ripping up the piece and rearranging the fragments.

 

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Acrylic medium transfers

I found this information on transferring photocopies some years ago, probably some of the earliest info online about this process

http://www.calsk8.com/zeitgeist/acrylicgeltransfers.htm