UAL Foundation 2013/14

Wednesday, 11 December 2013

Personal Statement / Immediate drawing and idealogy

I’m applying to study fine art so that I can continue developing my contextual awareness and understanding whilst actively producing work.

My initial project involved the unreliability of memory. Using pen and paper I produced drawings directly from memories at an almost manufactured rate. I looked at how the intention and automatism in the drawings varied between the different frequencies of memory; from recent memories of metaphysical feelings to distant, hazed mental images of places or famous artworks.
After previously touching on automatism, I came to the realisation that I never totally let myself go to the process. I always retained a degree of control, exploring narrative content or anchoring the work in a conscious response. This motivated change and I relinquished the restriction imposed by the automatist process, instead wanting to explore themes that revolved around a premise of uncultured production without intention.

I decided now that the pregnancy of my work would be uncultured, in the sense that it wasn’t tied to previous predefined art practice. I am to produce immediate drawings, responding to an ever fluctuating environment and sense of self. Drawings that principally skip the baggage of psychoanalysis associated with automatic drawing or outsider art equally associated with what can be first described as naïve. This work is neither of these things, I would reflect the aesthetic of automatism without engaging with its intent.

I am aware that an important element of this work is its eventual existence within a gallery space. I dealt with this issue recently whilst exhibiting in a local shop with other members of the FAD. I selected to completely cover a wall in the space with my drawings, inspired by an Exhibition of David Shrigleys I went to see in Manchester, “How are you feeling?”

You can find all this and updates on my blog:

Robertjbury.blogspot.co.uk

With my time I play online games competitively, which resulted in a recent visit to Amsterdam so I could meet friends I've made in these games over many years . When I'm not online I read, favourites include Bukowski and Nietzsche. I am motivated and constantly produce work. I am excited by the opportunities university will offer.

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Blackburn Town Exhibition attempt

I recently put my drawings up in an empty shop our course rented. They came together in the space really well. I put them up in manor of David Shrigley's "How are you feeling?" Exhibition I went to see in Manchester.

Putting drawings/photographs together creates different meanings than when they're alone. The mixture of original, printed unedited scanned, automatic and more intentional drawings came to great effect.

I had a critique with a visiting lecturer from Chelsea, Sean Dower. We discussed automaticism, what worked, what didn't. Artists suggested included André Masson and Austin Osman. I've decided that original drawings and scans mixed together were enough. No changes of colour in the future, no changes in quality of paper. Ill stick to black and white for now I think, pen on high quality paper. I'm thinking of putting up scans of the same image on the same wall.

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Joan Miro/David Shrigley

After a recent tutorial with a visiting lecturer Pattie Ellis, the improvements i have made has been a suggested artist (Joan Miro), addressing my screen prints and a small idea related to David Shrigleys drawings.

His paintings and drawings are automatic. His work upsets some of the visual elements of a finished painting.

Pattie noticed and suggested not using default printer paper. The Small idea related to David Shrigleys work is that he uses high quality paper. With the contrast of his whipped one time drawings on such nice paper is a kind of witty way of pulling his work up to spectrum of higher art. I will be using paper. I had gone to see his exhibition "Who do you think you are?" in Manchester before hand so I was familiar with his work.

Saturday, 9 November 2013

Edvard Munch, suggestive painting

My work is similar to Edvard Munchs because we both draw/paint the lines and colours that effect the inner eye, from memory without the details in front of ourselves. This is the reason for their obvious emptiness.