Lino Cut Which I Am Currently Working On. Inspired By Folk Patterns Around The World To Make One Design

All of my linocuts from my Final Major Project ‘Reconnection’

Fabric and eggs dyed using onion skins :)

Some prints of plants that I have been working on in the textiles workshop. This explores negative space, the space inside and outside of plants. Some are studies painted directly onto the fabric with ink and some are printed in coloured ink.

My painting for the current project ‘Then and Now’. Oil on canvas (85cm x 140cm)

I have been exploring Slovak folklore and folk art and the political topic of Brexit which is a very current affair. Throughout the project I have been merging these two different ideas together as I am aim to tell the ‘folk story’ of how Brexit touches people’s lives in different ways. The girl (Britain) is wearing a blouse with an eastern European embroidery design to convey the message of, diversity, tolerance and multiculturalism, all apparent in one country, but she is brushing the EU stars out of her hair reflecting, the weakening of some of these important principles.

My technique was inspired by Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro and a painting by the Slovakian artist Julius Bukovinsky.

Multiculturalism and prejudice, Elizabeth Catlett

Elizabeth Catlett, ‘I have always worked hard in America’, Lino cut 1946, printed 1989

The linocut ‘I have always worked hard in America’ presents three women all undertaking the same chore but all at different stages. The image seems to be in a house and the three women appear to be maids showing how hard African-American women worked in America.

Elizabeth Catlett was an artist who tackled themes of feminism, racism and prejudice and the African-American experience in the 20th century in America in her work which is mainly lino and woodcuts. Her work reflects the experience of African-American women and was inspired by her own experiences, black history in America and the experiences of three of her Grandparents who were slaves. She once said; "(My) purpose is to present black people in their beauty and dignity for ourselves and others to understand and enjoy and to exhibit my work where black people can visit and find art to which they can relate."

After graduating in Fine Art in Iowa, she won a fellowship which allowed her to join the most important printmaking workshop in Mexico, the Tower Grafica Popular. In this workshop artists tackled social issues such as fascism and literacy through prints. There, Catlett made a set of 15 linocuts called ‘The Negro Woman’ in 1946-47. The print, ‘I have always worked hard in America’ particularly stands out. The three women seem to be doing the same chore in a repetitive manner. They all look the identical and are completing the same task which I think hints at the racist notions toward black women in America throughout the 20th century, treating them like the same person, and the fact that the only work that women could find was domestic housework. The hand of the woman in the foreground is large, it is not in proportion at all with her body. Catlett did this for expressive purposes but I also think that it could be signifying that African-American women were overworked. The fact that the hand is in such awkward positions may indicate the women feeling exhausted and drained. Furthermore, it is so noticeable that the women look very similar, they could almost be the same person. Catlett could be showing one woman at different stages of her work, implying the repetitive nature of the work of the women and the never-ending nature of their situation, highlighting the exhaustion of African-American women in the US.

This print may also reflect on Catlett’s own life experiences as she was arrested in 1949. This was due to her own activism and because of the fact that some of the members of her printing workshop were members of the Communist Party. She was banned from entering the United States and was labelled an ‘undesirable alien’ by her home country. In 1962, she renounced her American citizenship and became a Mexican citizen. This makes me wonder if her piece ‘I have always worked hard in America’ challenges her exile from America. The print was created long before she was banned from entering the country however in a way, I think it is relevant to her own life and may have reflected her feelings toward her circumstance.

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI5o3cqrBb0

https://renee-phillips.com/famous-black-artists-who-confronted-racism-and-inequality/

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2000.95

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai3/segregation/text5/catlettnegrowoman.pdf

I am currently working on making a Modrotlac print, which is a traditional Slovakian way of resist dyeing with indigo. I have been trying to recreate this way of printing for a garment that I intend to make as part of my ‘Then and Now’ project. However, this process has been a lot of trial and error so far and it hasn’t gone as planned. I made a paste out of rice flour, plain flour, water and glycerine to act as the resist for the dye. I printed by patterns from stencils that I cut our from acetate and watercolour paper (acetate worked better). Then once the patterns had dried, I dipped the fabric into some navy blue dye. However, the flour mixture came right off. I have already tried to recreate the Modrotlac prints by using hot wax but this didn’t work either. I am going to try a new recipe for the paste which I am hoping will work, if not, then I will have to try hot wax again but in a different way.

Sculpture workshop : Today I cast my sculptures in plaster and after painting them with shellac, I covered them in PVA glue and sprinkled them with copper and oxidized it so that in a few weeks they will go green. This will give an old feel to the sculptures. I am also going to paint some with acrylic paint and some with shoe polish

The process of making and editing my animation on Adobe Premiere ^^^ In the first half of the animation the music is my sister playing the piano and then for the second half, I used traditional music from different countries in the world. The animation is called ‘The Blooming Heart’, and explores the idea that the earth is more diverse than it seems, despite its small size in comparison to the whole universe and that traditional culture is still important in out interconnected world.

Van Gough and the quality of paint

Van Gough ‘Olive Trees’ -  Oil on canvas, 1889,  51 x 65.2 cm

Van Gogh, born in 1853 in the Netherlands, despite only selling one painting in his lifetime, he is one of the most well-known post-impressionist artists in the entire world today. His particular painting style and unique use of paint have made his work instantly recognisable. His early works, like ‘The Potato Eaters’ are dark and sombre and reflect the paintings of Dutch masters. However, his style began to evolve after he purchased Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, which were delicate and full of colour and extremely popular with impressionists at the time. He also went to Paris in 1886 to join his brother and there met the great impressionist artists, Monet and Gaugin. After this he gradually developed his bold style.

The work of Van Gogh is intense in colour and his strong brush-strokes give his work an emotional quality. The technique that he used for most of his paintings, and which he became well known for, was Impasto, which is the thick application of paint onto a canvas so that the brush and palette knife strokes can be visible. This not only gives the painting a rich texture but also gives the illusion that the paint is coming out of the canvas.

‘Olive Trees’, 1889, by Van Gogh is a painting of huge significance in Van Gogh’s life. Gaugin visited Van Gogh in 1888, they argued and disagreed during this visit. The tensions between them caused Van Gogh to cut off his own ear. He was taken to an asylum at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, and despite the fact his mental health was deteriorating, he produced a range of diverse and stylistic paintings that depicted the hospital and the grounds around it. One of these paintings is ‘Olive Trees’ which is exhibited at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. This painting is oil on canvas and uses the impasto method heavily. The brush strokes are extremely distinct and the trees are twisted and contorted perhaps reflecting Van Gogh’s own state of mind at the time. Furthermore, he was fully aware of the connection of olive trees to the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed before his betrayal and ultimately his crucifixion. It is likely that this painting represents Van Gogh giving up his suffering to God amongst the olive trees as Jesus Christ, making the ancient trees a symbol of surrender and repentance. Van Gogh was religious and even had the position as a missionary in Belgium earlier in his life. He believed that we encounter God in nature, which inspired his En Plein Air paintings.

‘Olive Trees’ is just one of the many examples of how Van Gogh connected religion with nature in his own style. His use of the Impasto method gives his work a particular sensitivity and striking quality which, without a doubt, influenced the art of the twentieth century and his legacy will surely live on.

Sources 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8IinPk5PqI

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/4971/olive-trees

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Olive_Trees_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

https://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html

My animation called, ‘My New Home’ inspired by Lauren Child’s book illustrations and animated stories about ‘Charlie and Lola’. The theme throughout is about our ever changing environment and the environmental issue of sea pollution. I loved making this animation and I especially enjoyed taking all of the photos, Sooooo many photos :). I used a light box to create a slightly translucent effect. The piano music was composed specifically for this animation and played by my sister Zuzy.