Mental Web

Material Testing

Watercolour pens (dry on dry), gel pens, layering

PUSHING BOUNDARIES

Adding water to watercolour pens, laying with contact then adding permanent marker

head

The unintentional visual representation of the layers of cognitive chaos in my mind. How many voices can there be at once? How many are true? If I am not my thoughts, actions, emotions then what am I? my soul… which voice is that?

heart

Wrapped tightly in layers of cling wrap, suffocating, distorting, constricting. No wonder I have no idea what I feel if this is the obstacle between us.

hands

Extended colouring process. Watercolour pens, begun as a student example, matched with coloured pastel gel pens then layered with contact and permanent marker lines.

Ordering Chaos

Head

I was mute throughout the first watercolour session, focusing all I had on on expressive colour and texture. The interplay of light, metallic paint, glitter combined as I then made consecutive decisions as appropriate within the staggered timeline.

Heart

The immense discomfort and dis-ease in not being able to use self destructive coping mechanisms drove this work. Ironically only able to be worked on when feeling more personally secure. There was a strong need to produce straight cuts and to order the colours to engage the dopamine hit usually reserved for destructive release.

Hands

Intuition and material interactions led this project. Working with what I was physically and mentally able to. Overall process extended over a mont. Beginning with the watercolour, adding glitter, cutting the work to the correct size and angles before dividing, ordering and finally arranging them in the deco inspired pattern.

Session one

Metallic watercolour paints - wet on dry

Glitter

Gifted glitter that magically matched!

Angles

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Destructive/Constructive Coping Collage

SCALE

Utilising the entirety of the space offered. There is no other way to effectively communicate the intensity of the suppressed pain.

DIVISION

Large, straight scars on the canvas. Echoing the cuts that would otherwise be slashed across the composition.

WHOLEMEAL PAPER COLLAGE

Wet, crumpled, dried, wholemeal paper with the perfect texture needed to play with the light and build the uneven surface.

INKS

Ink spray, blacks and reds, cathartic and expressive of the usual self destruction.

WATER

Conducive element tying the water soluble graphite, water treated paper, inks and watered down acrylic paints.

Head

Desperate to do something cathartic and productive with this energy. Art therapy to channel the dis-ease, the anxiety buzz, made worse by being trapped in hospital. There’s nothing like med changes to make life harder. The cognitive dissonance of needing but not feelike like you deserve life saving medicine is an ongoing trap.

Heart

Ripping, tearing, spraying ink, making mess, ordering the chaost physically if not mentally.

Hands

The process was heavily material driven. Scale was the major concern. This work needed to come from the shoulder rotation rather than the wrist, a 2.5m work for 30 yrs worth of self destructive coping with pain.