Layerss!!!

 

I decided to experiment with layers considering that the walls of alleyways contain so many. That consist of; bricks, plaster, cement, graffiti, weeds and other organic materials and don't forget layers and layers of rotting, peeling paint.

The 3Dpiece below is inspired by the aspect of layers. I chose bright, bold colours (commonly seen in the graffiti covering the walls) to emphasize each layer. The piece is made from a sketchbook. I painted a page in a colour and then blew dry it dry before adding another layer.

 

I was over-all happy with the result. It is an aesthetic little piece, the bold colours making it eye catching. I would like to attempt this in a larger scale.

Mouldddddddddd

Done with Bricks for now, the bight vibrant greens of mould have caught my attention. Although not the next layer in a wall after bricks it IS anther layer common in urban Limerick, especially the ill-cared for alleyways. So yeah, here' more experiments with textures..

 

 

 

Tissue paper painted green

Thick paper scraped

 

A feather painted green and sprinkled with flour

 

A Jay cloth painted green

Plaster paris painted over

A sponge painted green

 



 I consider these all successful attempts at achieving the loo and feel of mould. My particular favourite was the sponge as it looked like it had microbes similar to the mossy, mould..

Brick Paining...

Here I made observational painting of Bricks. I attempted to make a layered affect by painting over tissue paper to look like peeling paint and mold. I like how it turned out, but it is very flat and 2 dimensional. Although particularly I like the contrast of colours.

 

 

Brick..The Foundation.

 

My attention at the moment is dedicated to bricks.. I love the ugly appeal of them as they are bare to the world. They are like the skeleton of the alley, the infrastructure. The first layer so to speak, before the walls have been claimed by graffiti or plaster, man or nature. So I went out and took some more images of bricks...

 

 

I love how nature has pushed true and still manages to grow amongst the concrete bricks.

 

 

 

Paint peeling off exposing the bricks below

Brick texture study..

What would an alleyway be without walls? AND what would walls be without bricks? I love when the bricks are exposed in a wall. It looks raw and crude to have the foundation of the walls exposed.

So..here's a few experiments I did in my sketch boo to portray the pattern of bricks...

 

 

 

 

 

These are done by melting a red candle and carving them into Brisk-like squares

Above and below are created by painting the underside of lids.

  

On the left is simple netting fro fruit which I painted red and pressed onto white paper to get the image on the right.

Again I used netting from a pack of oranges.. I simple painted the netting black and stuck down onto red painted paper.

I've got it!!

After falling in love(with an alley, unfortunately), I have been granted inspiration to move forward. About time!! My objective, now, is to focus on the space of an alleyway. If I was to write an artists statement it'd probably go like this........

  'I plan on exploring the space in an alley through 2D,3D, shape and textiles mediums. I will experiment with textures, perspectives, objects. All random or related.'

 

I have chosen alleys because there are such a broad range of aspects to explore surrounding alleyways. There are the vibrant colours of graffiti verses the rich organic ones and even the dull colours of the walls and floor. There's perspective to experiment with. There's textures in abundance to recreate and play around with. There is just so much to do..I cant wait to get stuck in!! :D

Progress..

Following a tutorial I was encouraged to go back out into the city of Limerick to take some photographs. I was delighted with the results as I was left with rich images with strong colour and texture. Just exploring the alleys and secluded locations of the city allowed me to really feel the atmosphere of the space. The alleys left me feeling panicky and threatened. This was more than likely due to the feeling of seclusion, lack of light and my visual environment.

Here are some notes which I had taken directly after my explorations;
 "The absence of people and the wall art or appearence of the surroundings left me feeling intimidated and on edge, despite the presence of busy streets adjacent. They felt dark and full of danger. the graffiti is complex and artistic , yet it automatically inspires negative feelings. It does not inspire admiration as it would if it was hanging in a gallery."

Here are just a few of the images I took...

I love this piece of graf that I found on a wall outside my apartment block. It's simple yet dramatic, impactful. It's a weeping flower which reminds me of sorrow.

Stairway to Heaven?

 

Ahhhh I LOVE this alley. It's without a doubt my favourite place in Limerick. Its narrow, threatening and definitely not somewhere you'd want your kids hanging yet it has a certain intrigue. I love the raw red brick opposite the modernised graffiti. The very air is heavy with forgotten memories and history. And although I love the place, it also scares the SHIT out of me. Much like a relationship, no?

 

 

One of the windows of the brick wall in my favourite alley. Just look at that  texture?!?

 

Different layers of brick covered by graffiti.

Above and below are images from grove island.. A beautiful example of graffiti and urban Limerick..

Just a simple wall.....a simple wall of potential..

 

The green mold contrast strongly with the plaster of the wall. Another example of nature recapturing the city..

Paramodel inspired by graffiti

OKAY.. so back to Graffitti. I really am intrigued by it. It has a wonderful range of colours and designs on otherwise uninteresting objects or walls. Somehow I'd like to create art inspired by graffiti. Paramodel is an art collective which does just that...

 

It is an artist collective run by Yasuhiko Hayashi and Yasuke Nakano. I like their work as they draw influence from common street graffiti. their work is particularly interesting as they use toy railway tracks and other similar mediums to outline their designs. The pieces are extradinarily impactful and have a childlike feeling of awe surrounding them.

 

 

 

 

Random Experimentations

 

If I'm being honest I've no clue where my project is going at the moment. I' a bit headless for lack of a better word. So here's a wee bit of experimentation to inspire myself...

 

 

If I was to entitle this ...I'd call it college life. A bit predictable no?

Luckily I am in possession of a car. So naturally I thought it'd be  a good idea to paint a tyre and drive over a white sheet of card. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the pattern it produced. It created reversed impressions of the threads of the tyre.. you can also see interesting vein like details.

 These 3 casts are taken from manholes.. I find the repetitious patterns interesting. The two impressions on the left are plaster paris whereas the one on the right is plastercene..

 

 

 

After showing these models to my Tutors I was informed that they were 'Child-like'.... It's really time that I should move forward!!!!