Original artwork description:

I collect the waste card widely used for packaging, from local outlets. I like the idea of recycling material which has been, perhaps, torn, walked upon and discarded, and turning it into art.

I cut, tear and paint the various pieces by thinning the oil paint and sponging it into the card so that it seeps naturally into the folds and marks already there. Colour is kept minimal as an alternative to the high gloss of most modern advertising imagery and also to emphasise the surface and texture of the work. I then attempt to remove this fresh oil paint by scoring and scratching the surface and sanding it down to reveal the corrugations beneath.

In ‘Journey 1’, a foot print has been collaged into the work to add interest and also to reference the tracks made by two individuals on a soft bed of clay which were shortly afterwards filled in by fine volcanic ash and lay undisturbed until they were unearthed 3.5 million years later. It is not impossible that those feet could have contained a blueprint for you and me.

The piece was then glazed to prevent damage or dust affecting the surface and contained in a plain 3 cm flat white wooden frame, ready to hang. 61x65x2cm

Materials used:

Oil paint on cardboard packaging with collage

Tags: