I’ve been talking today with Pen Kirk who I’ve been creating collaborative art with for a number of years now. Pen is exploring resin at the moment. I won’t try to describe her process, that’s her story to tell, but she’s happy for me to write about today’s chat.
Pen commented “I think that’s part of my process. Learning my way through and making at the same time”. She said “Interesting aspect… I really like to have to sand them right back and then shine them up… which means taking multiple steps through grit 150-10,000”. When I asked if it was about the physicality of the process, or transformation, she was clear straight it’s the transformation.
When we explored further Pen commented her process is about adding, taking away, and adding hidden aspects. She said “It’s just too bloody easy if you don’t go through all the steps and (it) has no meaning. Like a person with no souls, who hasn’t experienced”.
Like Pen, my art is process driven. For me, it’s about connecting random parts to create meaning and visual harmony. This morning I randomly glued bits of collage onto approx 30 pages in a small Fabriano art journal. Then I go back and use the collage as the start of pieces, using paint, water soluble media, pencil, and oil pastels.
It’s rare for me to work on a piece from start to finish, or to start with the end in kind. Working on one piece at a time makes it feel precious and creates anxiety about messing it up. Working across multiple pieces brings me freedom to just do what I feel in the moment. That doesn’t mean there’s no thought in it, but it does mean I’m not super invested in each piece of paper.
Below you can see some very quick photos of a few pages I collaged onto this morning, and a few finished pages, which might not be the ones I started this morning.
Cath Sheard Art 