The title of our A2 exam was “Inside, outside and everything
in between”. Initially I began researching the idea of mental disease and how
the “inside” distorts the “outside” in regards to mental illnesses such as
schizophrenia, but as my researched developed I became increasingly fascinated
with the disorder, dysmorphia. The greatest interest to me is how society and
images portrayed in the media can impact on our self esteem so violently it
leads to individuals mentally distorting their physical appearance.
After obtaining these images I began to use different types
of mediums to explore the idea of “dysmorphia”. I began by using pencil to show
the harshness and “grittiness” of the distorted image I was creating. I also
used inks making sure I stuck to cold colours, such as greys and blues to
represent the pain of this crippling disorder. I found when using inks I could
create “explosions” of drips and this added further dimension and obscurity to
my pieces. I also created a series of
etchings which I felt developed my use of different mediums and I really
appreciated the way it allowed me to use the harsh edges and texture to display
the harshness and distortions of dysmorphia on the body.
I also began exploring textile work I proceeded by painting a realistic image of a friend with oil paints then I enhanced the skin tone using cold colours to create an almost grotesque image, I believe using oil paint was the best medium to blend and contrast these colours, I then stitched over the piece almost to represent an manifestation, to portray how the disease manifests over reality. I also enjoyed sewing over images and tearing away the paper to show how the disorder cripples people and manifests itself, and how reality is torn away from the individual.
In order to continue my research into this idea of how animals are free from distortion, I visited tropical world hoping to capture images of birds, which represent freedom. With the images i wanted to give a notion of “surrealism” and I was influenced by impressionism and the works of Degas and Monet, I love how in Monet’s waterlillies have such clarity but are painted in a abstract way. I started to incorporate this technique into my art as the abstract really coincides with the ideas of distortion of the mind.
I was also inspired by contemporary artist Charmaine Olivia
whose paintings are extremely intelligent in the way they capture light and the
depth of expression. I attempted to recreate a few of my own photos in her
style which really developed my use of depth and traditional painting skills.
For my final exam I decided to create a large scale piece
using oil paints. I used two of my own images which I had taken of a friend and
painted them using the concept of light which I had acquired through Charmaines
Olivia’s work; to show the distortions I enhanced every element, I contrasted the
lighting and I experimented with colours to give the piece a slight distortion.
I also incorporated the “animal” concept from my research which portrayed the
message of “how animals are free from the distortions”. I also attempted to add
a certain degree of impressionism into my work which intertwined with the
original painting to show the manifestation of dysmorphia and how it consumes
its victim.