joseph scissorhands: October 2020

Sunday 25 October 2020

Ecstacy

Ecstacy

Welcome to Ecstacy - another new artwork created as a sister piece to Rapture, revealed last week on this blog. Ecstacy is similarly based on Phyllotaxis and Fibonacci spiral patterns found in nature, as well as Gestalt theories of visual perception. The rhythmic spiral patterns and saccadic eye movements made as the viewer reads this image are once again intended to evoke heightened emotional, transcendent states. Ecstacy has again been created to elicit a sense of movement through the patterning and placement of the spots, and careful positioning of the butterflies which lead your eyes around the piece. As with Rapture, each and every spot in the base matrix was patiently and individually positioned by being glued into place with the aid of a pair of fine tweezers. The lustrous gold/silver leaf spots in the base matrix appear to flicker and shimmer as the eyes travel across their surface and they reflect the light. I'm loving the high octane opulence and glamour of the decadent Art Deco era which is conjured up in this piece. Both Ecstacy and Rapture work so well as either stand alone pieces, or displayed together as a complementary pair. Ecstacy measures 50cm x 50cm in an ash wood box frame and is available in gold, silver and copper-leaf.

Ecstacy - (silver leaf, detail)

Ecstacy - (gold leaf, detail)

20/20 Vision

Sunday 18 October 2020

The Rapture

Rapture

As an artist a vital part of my process is the actual act of looking. As a result I've recently begun to investigate aspects of visual perception to make sense of certain sensations experienced when the eye reacts to specific images. I've been particularly preoccupied with naturally occurring patterns and optics found in nature that trigger the eye into recognising certain rhythms which then prompt a psychological/emotional reaction in the viewer, such as states of bliss or transcendence. I've looked at Gestalt theory, the study of how we perceive a set of components and then organise them into wholes or patterns. In my research I became particularly interested in different types of eye movement, especially those known as saccadic movements, where the eye darts rapidly, jumping from one position in the picture frame to another when reading an image.

Having looked at a range of patterns found in nature I discovered I really liked those found in flower and seed heads where multiple spirals run both clockwise and anti-clockwise. These are known as Phyllotaxis spirals and can be generated from Fibonacci ratios. I like the hypnotic trance-like effects which occur in the vision generated by the saccadic movements of the eye tracing the rhythm and flow of these spiral patterns. I wanted to capture that very same transcendent, almost narcotic effect on the senses in parts of my work, and have used Fibonacci spirals and the Golden ratio as the basis of some new pieces of work involving spots. This first is Rapture, created in versions using gold, silver, and copper leaf with my signature butterflies on top adding to the sense of dramatic movement in the pieces. Dictionary definitions of the word 'rapture' include -"an expression or manifestation of ecstasy or passion, a state or experience of being carried away by overwhelming emotion, and a mystical experience in which the spirit is exalted to a knowledge of divine things," summing up precisely the feelings of transcendence I want the viewer to experience in looking at these new works. Each piece was created by the painstaking application of tiny, hand-gilded paper spots with a pair of fine tweezers to build up the pattern. Dear reader, it took the patience of a saint! However as I think you'll agree from the results it was well worth the effort. I particularly love the way the uneven light reflection off the individual dots creates a lustrous sheen adding to the sense of movement in not only the butterflies, but also the spot base matrix. Each Rapture artwork measures 50cm x 50cm, and comes supplied in an ash wood box frame. Contact me directly for further information with regards to availability or commissions if you are interested in this new work. Now you have experienced the Rapture, hold on to your hats, the next reveal will be a another spot piece with which I'll be transporting you to the heights of ecstacy...

Rapture, work in progress

Rapture, copper leaf, (detail)

Rapture, gold leaf, (detail)

Rapture, silver leaf, (detail)

20/20 Vision

Sunday 11 October 2020

Georg Baselitz: Darkness Goldness

Georg Baselitz - Manipolare, 2019

"What's right in front of you? Hands!" - George Baselitz

To St James's to see this rather moving exhibition of painted hands by Georg Baselitz. There is a tradition among artists of depicting the importance of hands as agents of the manifestation of their creative output, as symbols of comunication, and as signs of the human presence, be it in ancient cave paintings, Renaissance paintings and drawings, or more expressive, abstracted imagery. All express the power, dexterity and creativity of humankind through the hand. Baselitz adds to this tradition with this tightly focused exhibition of a series of vibrant, golden hands looming large out of their inky-black backgrounds. Being surrounded by this series of paintings and wall-mounted sculptures in the White Cube space at Mason's Yard is like being in a sacred space, surrounded by a series of religious icons. These paintings have an emotional, abstract weight about them. They are created on an ambitious scale which is heartening to see given Baselitz's advanced years. Their execution in gold lends them a certain gravitas, and adds to that air of the sacred. There are some wonderful painterly textures and mark-making which make some of the hands resemble the gnarled, calloused, surfaces of the hands of manual labourers. Less successful in my opinion were the gilded, bronze wall sculptures named after famous painters whom Baselitz admires, which hang rather flaccidly from the walls. Their saving grace were the actual visible traces of the hands of the maker with their rough surface textures, and evidential marks of the artists' fingers clawing out the clay. Through the paintings though Baselitz does an excellent job of expressing the potency of hands as the agents of creativity.