Doing with what you have..

Acrylic on fabric.

I am developing my project of economic deprivation by using found objects, and materials I already have in my house, studio and around the university. I found a quote from the internet which reflects my thoughts on the past year and a half, struggling with finances and feeling restricted. On these pieces I used a stencil, made fom printing text on thick paper and cutting out the letters. I then used a kitchen sponge and brown acrylic paint to print the letters on the fabric, which was originally a pair of trousers. On my second piece, I painted over a canvas with black paint, which was previously used for other work. I then used the same stencil to print letters on the canvas, however, I did not have any white paint at hand, so instead I used flour. I found this worked quite well and portrays the subject in which I am focusing on.

Flour and acrylic on canvas.

Project: Economic Deprivation

ACRYLIC ON BOARD.

This semester at university, I have decided to base my studio project on economic deprivation. This subject has arrived from a long journey, originally starting with practising drawing body parts. I was then influenced by a visiting artist who gave a lecture last year, Daniel Dallman. His work focused on how couples used the space of a mattress. I quite liked this idea, and developed it to make it my own, moving on to focusing on how space differs between two people depending on the relationship between them, e.g. sisters, partners, strangers. I started making work on how I and my partner share our bed, and focusing on details such as how we place our feet and hands. This then lead me to look at the topic of sleep, focusing on sleeping positions and what they represent. However, I then became stuck for ideas, so took a step back and looked at my mind map. I had written down 'sleep deprivation', which I broke down, and researched different types of deprivation. My work has now progressed onto economic deprivation, and the circumstances I am living in now. I shall be using found materials, and materials I already have for this body of work, I will not be buying anything new as I cannot afford it. This is what my project represents, doing with what you have got. The concept is not only portrayed through the images I create (above: the idea that, literally, nothing can come between me and my partner, not even money), but also through the materials and equipment I use, e.g. using flour for stencils and coins for painting, objects and materials around the house.