Friday, 18 February 2011
GREEK MOOD FLAG - Intro
Throughout my work, I have been trying to reduce landscapes into the sparest constituent parts possible, so that ultimately, simply evoking a MOOD should put you right there. I am also a big fan of flags, and find it fascinating how a few blocks of colour can represent an entire nation. Somewhere in between the two ideas, I came up with the idea of a MOOD FLAG. In the modern world, people are more individualistic than ever. So why not declare yourself a 'territory'? And going further still, maybe a flag should represent your personality? So the idea is to create a 'snapshot', containing colours corresponding to your personality, background, and mood, capturing the essence of you in just one statement. This flag represents me, when I am in Greece, during the late summer.
GREEK MOOD FLAG - Mixing colours
You absolutely cannot do any painting referring to Greece, without using the most spectacular shades of blue. It's in the sky, on the buildings, on the national flag, and of course, in the sea.
GREEK MOOD FLAG - Masking tape
I use simple cellotape for these particular canvases. I don't even need to 'fluff it up' on my trousers first, it seems to peel off easily. Not so on the more expensive canvases, where it would definitely be more difficult to peel off without making it less sticky, first.
GREEK MOOD FLAG - Liz's nail varnish
Around the same time that I was doing the painting, my studio neighbour Liz came over, and happened to be using the exact shade of yellow that I put in my work..!
GREEK MOOD FLAG - Detail
At a certain angle, I love being able to see the texture of the canvas, and the different heights of the paint.
GREEK MOOD FLAG - Masking tape
Some of my artist friends thought the actual tape I used, peeled off, then stuck to my wall, would make a great art installation. I beg to differ - it's just tape. Yes, it may look attractive and quirky. It may be a point of conversation for thirty seconds. But that still doesn't make it art..! That said, if the Arts Council think it's art, and want to give me a massive grant, then actually, yes, it is art. I take back what I said earlier.
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