latest selection of cropped photographs

These photographs are some of the favourite pieces i have done here in madrid. They sit right on the line between photography and painting, and alot of peoples first impressions is that they are paintings. I think this is where alot of my interest in the works lie. the fact that they are direct reflections of reality interests me, and how these beautiful abstract "paintings" are the unintentional by-product of contemporary and past architecture dating back to the 1800's. the windows creating the reflections are contemporary, but the subjects of the reflections span a few centuries. I find this quite an interesting point. some of the last images shown he become vaguely reminiscent of some keith tyson paintings I have seen, the ones where he uses the chemical reactions to create the paintings for him. They have a similar means of existence, his paintings are the product of human intervetion mixixing certain chemicals, and mine are the product of a complicated series of historical events taking place to create the exact scenery that creates these reflections.

progress with my metal tree sculpture

These Pictures show the progress im making with my metal tree, I have made the trunk from six seperat steel rods bent and twisted into organic and natural shapes. I have started mounting theconncave mirorrs onto the tree. I had to create my own mounts for the mirrors so as to keep a consistent tone and colour of metal. I intend to mount at least 15 or so of these mirros until they create the impression of a full and dense foliage, once I have added the leaves aswell.

exhibition space in bellas artes

The college in madrid constantly houses exhib itions of students, alumni, and other artists making for a vibrant and exciting atmosphere with lots of opportunites. I'm looking forward to exhibiting some work here.

completion of first mural

These pictures depict the completion of my mural painting. I'm fairly happy with the finished product, the point of the excercise was to learn the fresco technique and to learn to transfer an image from a drawing to the wall. This ended up not being the case with my mural as I was working with a partner who's design it was, who I havent seen since november, and he had the design so I had to improvise some of it. But i feel alot more confident with the technique now, and that I have learnt alot and that I will be able to produce the next one alot quicker and more efficiently.

interesting reference for my tree sculpture

http://i1.exhibit-e.com/jamescohan/fe94e0f0.pdf
www.jamescohan.com/artists/roxy-paine/

i was looking at artists to reference in my project for my conceptual sculpture class. It was suggested that I  look at Roxy Paine who creates large metal trees that he installs in sculpture gardens and parks all over america. he creates ambiguos links between these trees and humas veins and arteries.

photography development

These photographs were the original stimulus for the ideas and work I have been creating in Madrid. The blatancy of the images in situ empowers them; they tower above plaza’s in central Madrid.  But for me a lot of interest lies in their scale and magnificence and constantly changing appearance. I don’t think many people notice the windows or even if they do don’t look at them for long. But when presented as photographs the images attract a lot of interest.

After realising that paintings of the images don’t create the same impact as the photographs, i think i rediscovered my initial interest in them. The power of the photographs lies in their reminiscent abstraction, and their unintentional existence in the city. The high quality of detail and photographic finish enhance the painterly qualities of the images and add a contemporary twist on the popular abstract aesthetic. The fact that no computer editing or camera effects have been used to create the pictures adds to their value and interest.

The photographs as they are, create the interest that i desire, but i think if i could crop the images and eliminate some of the clues to what and where the images are, it could introduce a little more mystique. I think that the more clues to identity i can eliminate, the longer i can captivate an audience.

I have been actively looking for more places around Madrid to collect similar images, as at the moment i have only the one building. I have found 2 more that i can use, and one of them is a completely glass building, which could improve the elusive identity of the images.

sketch for mural design

This picture is the design i presented after conversations with my partner about the theme and aesthetic we wanted for our mural. We both wanted to play on the fact that the concave arched wall we had had strong religious conections with murals typical of anchient churches and cathedrals. I wanted to include the stylised designs that i had procured from the window photographs i had taken. And my friend wanted a quite paganistic theme with dancers and music.