The Literature As an Ideal Syllabus

In preparation for my painting I am creating many small collages.

Fig 1
Studio Wall
Oil, Graphite, pencil and collage on paper
2024

This seems to focus my colours and compositions in a way that will translate well into larger works. Overly detailed or fussy brush marks in the working on a larger painting can detract from the impact I wish the paintings to have. When I crop or create smaller compositions they have an immediacy and clarity that I want for my other paintings.

fig 3 Sally Barron
Oil on Canvas 850 x 1000mm wip
past glories (after guston)
2024

I am starting to explore my texts with which I will build my personal syllabus. I have been studying the work of Philip Guston (USA 1913-1980), and understanding more about his' ‘battle’ with abstraction and representation. My painting ‘past glories’ fig 3 was quickly done, recreated from a memory of what his later abstract paintings looked like at the Tate Modern retrospective.

I have also been thinking more about the idea of narrative in painting.

Paintings can tell stories beyond what's shown. Some artworks represent a span of time, not just a single moment. When we look at a painting, our imagination fills in the gaps, adding to the narrative. Every moment we perceive is influenced by the past and anticipates the future. We're always seeing more than just one moment in time. His former student David Reed (USA 1946-), recounts how Guston discussed the ideas around the absolute reality of living in a time when belief and life were fused (such as in Piero della Francesco’s (c.1415-1492), paintings of The Life of Christ), and the futility of mimicking such styles, one must paint according to the time one lives in.

“He then said that in modern times art was schizophrenic, meaning that art was removed from life. He saw the influences of the school’s painting tradition as something that was removing us from our own lives and the world in which we lived.” 1

Glen Snow Exhibition @ Demo Gallery

Altered Seating Plan

Attending this show helps me consider materiality in my own work, what do I value and what processes would I like to explore. I have been reading the work of Jesse Murry and find unexpected links with Snows work.

fig 5
Glen Snow
Untitled (altered seat upholstery), wood, textiles, acrylic 2023
Untitled (altered legs), wood acrylic, wood glue, 2024

Glen’s preoccupation with Object/Painting is showcased and revealed many layers to his thinking which I found useful for my next steps in pursuing a more materially driven painting. By this I mean my narrative is the paint embodying the emotions I want to explore.

Jesse Murry (USA 1948-1993), writes in his notebook

“I begin with the need to transform the surface of the painting into a personal and meaningful space”

Port of Call
2024
Oil and canvas collage

Little postcard size drawings and collages/paintings can be beginnings of larger works.

future painting 1
oil , acrylic and charcoal on paper
2024

footnotes

1 Reed, David. "Soul-Beating." February 2, 2011. Art Journal. Accessed [18 March 2024]. URL: http://artjournal.collegeart.org/?p=59

2. Murry, Jesse. "Windows, Walls and Dreams (1988-89)." In Painting Is a Supreme Fiction: Writings by Jesse Murry, 1980–1993, edited by Jarrett Earnest, ix-xv. Foreword by Hilton Als. Accessed [18th March 2024]. URL: https://soberscove.com/files/2021/07/Sample-Pages_-Painting-Is-a-Supreme-Fiction.pdf