Studio Practice: Light, Surface and Colour: Sauerbier House A.i.R. Practice Post #5

The A.i.R is particularly focused on producing an exhibition at the end of the 11 weeks. To this end and given the exploration into new paints, supports and the subject matter of the Onkaparinga river, a specific language was pursued in this series of studies. Much of the research has involved walking around the banks of the estuary and further in to the National Park. Whilst this work has involved looking it has also been about moving over the landscape. Traversing dunes, slopes, gorge, grass slopes, river banks and marsh. An element of mapping has evolved and although this is a familiar concept in contemporary art practice, here, within the specific bi-cultural context of Australia, traversing pathways, tracking and routes is perhaps a different way of thinking about land. I can only sense this as I do not know and this is perhaps sensitive territory as an outsider, but it certainly is an awareness as through my very brief experience of different weather, light and times of day and evening, the river feels somehow intrinsically different to that of my home landscape.

Onkaparinga Study #1 Acrylic on Paper 22.10.18

With this in mind the series of studies here is focusing on the exhibition paintings to follow. Edges and shapes are more rounded and although straight edge shapes feature (as a useful geometric dynamic) in earlier stages, the studies developed, as always through the process of making, into a more map like configuration where horizons of pigment evolve around and in response to one another. Path like linear blocks move around and sometimes interspersed or defined with interval brush or paint tube marks; demarcation of pace, interval or stride, perhaps.

Onkaparinga Study #3 Acrylic on Paper 22.10.18

The acrylic paint is fabulous to work with in one particular way. The thin tracings of the smallest synthetic hair brush that I bought with me to South Australia, are so fluid that in one take the linear mark can be traced from one side to another and in conversation today with painter David Hume, I see that the acrylic paints that I am using (see practice post 3 for details) are more fluid (almost pouring) from the tube compared to those at home. Certainly this is something I have never really been able to do with oil paint but in this case, the linear application is fluid and goes on without refilling the brush.

These are series based studies made in four on one sheet (fixed) and therefore the principle of the eye moving from one to another and cross reading is intrinsic to the perception of the work as a whole, and follows the previous studies (practice post 3 and 4). In some ways this follows my studio practice where on my easel (the 6 x 5 metre wall that I work on) a number of paintings are worked on simultaneously, perhaps as many as 16 or 18. Although in that case, configurations change during making (they are moved around on a daily basis) the question of whether they should be exhibited together remains. Usually they are separated off and perhaps framed and sent to different locations. Here however, the series work so far has been on paper panels where the primed paper support is fixed and can only be worked on in one state and exhibited as a fixed series of studies.