Painting without painting.
Following Mike's 1 day project on Painting, we were set a challenge to create a painting without using "paint" (i.e pre-made paint bought from a shop, that may come in a tube or pot). Ideally we would also think about the surface onto which we paint and take it further than just being a canvas.
Having thought about this a lot and experimented with things such as egg Tempera and painting with berries and other foods that contain natural dye I wanted to do something a bit more unusual.
Wax painting has been a part of the art world for many years. Artists layer ink and wax in semi transparent layers to build a depth in painting and create an ethereal, almost ghostly quality as the wax used is semi transparent.
Keith Maiden - Artist reference
I remember seeing an artist Keith Maiden in several galleries during this year and was quite interested in his techniques as an artist. He often uses a mixture of acrylic, inks, wax and graphite and raw pigment to create figurative portraits.
"Maiden constructs portraits in clean and assured lines atop thick impasto - building not only a physical depth to the painting but a depth of character and personality to the figure. Then, sharply contrast this with the carefully considered and delicately represented facial features, we are faced with an intimate portrait of a soul laid bare. So adroit at capturing the human face, Maiden is able to move apace from haunting and distant, to soulful and spiritual, proud and bold, to reserved and guarded; his faces manage to remain both familiar and anonymous as Maiden plays out this moment he has been privy to across the canvas. "
Maiden quotes "My art is very rugged, raw and honest." I really like how his portraits have such depth; both physically due to the use of materials and emotionally. The images often fade away with no background or real end point which draws the focus in yo the eyes /facial expression.
Something that catches my attention about Keith Maiden's work is the way that the ink runs and has a 'drippy' quality. This has been seen to give the impression of tears and bruises which he uses to hi-light ideas such as abuse along side the idea that today's youth are being used and abused by those that control them. Not only exploring the idea of domestic violence but also political exploitation.
For my work I wanted to explore the idea of abuse but from a consensual point of view. I am interested in studying and portraying the human body (and mind) in regards to consent, pain and relationships through the medium of art.
By using wax as "paint" and the human body as a "canvas" a similar visual effect can be created to that in Keith Maiden's work, whilst also adding a new depth by painting directly onto flesh. I explore the idea that someone will willingly submit to what is effectively torture and abuse through the fetishistic nature of their relationship (the application of hot wax is not one that can be done without some discomfort and pain, however this links in to D/s dynamics and offering one's body to another as a form of submission).
By highlighting the similarities in a visual way I draw attention to the necessity of consent, not only to say "I will endure this" but to actively say "please, this is what I want"
Performance Art
I think if I can bring in my partner and paint onto her skin with wax just before we "show" our work to the group this would be an interesting mix of live/performative art and fulfils the brief of creating a painting without using anything that is either "paint" or "canvas".
Before joining the course I really didn't like what I had seen as "performance art" and therefore had a lot of pre-conceived ideas however I am challenging myself to try performative styles within my work as an exploration into what I do/don't enjoy about it. For me I don't think there necessarily has to be a start, end or routine to a performative piece but rather it is using a living, moving person to express my artistic vision. Though I am keen to also explore "performance" in a more dramatised way way in future.
Experimentation
I have experimented on my own body with wax to ensure that it won't cause any serious harm and to experiment with how easy/difficult it is to write onto the skin. I also wanted to test the heat of the wax from different heights onto the body to endure I could control the sensations felt by my partner when I come to paint on her.
I found that by using the candles on one side it wasn't too difficult to draw and as they are of a low melting point (specifically designed for "wax play" the heat is not unbearable and doesn't cause any damage to the skin (blisters etc.)
Further Artist Research
Whilst experimenting on myself, I remembered some of the recent artists I had seen in our lectures. Two particular pieces of work came to mind:
Firstly, the painting by René Magritte:
The Treason of Images
(Right -----> )
The words on the painting translate to "This is not a pipe". The idea being that this couldn't possibly be a pipe it will only ever be a painting of a pipe.
The second piece is Flag by Jasper Johns
(Right -----> )
This image is a complete contrast to the previous, as the definition of a flag doesn't state that it has to be on cloth therefore this painting of a flag is also a flag in it's own right.
Development of ideas
I took inspiration from both of these artists and decided to also incorporate my knowledge/studies of the Japanese language which would make the piece more abstract to most people. The text says: これはペインティングです。 (pronounced: KoRe Wa Peintingu Desu) English translation: This is a painting.
In the example above I use the wax to write on my legs but if I can do it on my partner I will try a bigger surface area such as her back or stomach/chest. as I think it will be clearer and more visually effective.
Whilst the above pieces of art work are suggesting the ideas that a painting of a pipe can NOT be a real pipe. But a painting of a flag CAN in fact be a real flag I want to express that whilst I am doing both a performance and a painting, by using my partner the whole thing isn't "faked" or contrived. It is a genuine communication of our relationship dynamics and thus I want to challenge the notion that art has to be one thing or another - With this piece I'm creating I want to show that it can be a painting, a performance and also an honest and genuine expression of my relationship. Nothing here is contrived - it is at the same time both a painting and a performance, whilst also being neither.
