Art Diploma Blog Ellie Fisher: 7th March Grayson Perry & Keith Haring Development

On Tuesday 7^th March, I started to generate critical Artist studies around the works of Grayson Perry’s Tapestry works and ceramic pieces. The artist explores the aspects of society, humans, identity, gender, sexuality, social status and religion. He deals with these subjects through the way that is accessible and yet not patronising through the choice of colour and illustration. His work from a faraway perspective can be seen as intricate patterns and colourful details but as you look closer into his works it is seen as powerful and includes dark and striking meanings. The artist emphasis current subjects and I have discovered the artist previously through a documentary exploring the diverse male role and specifically working class society. This documentary was inspiring and influential towards my development of the topic as the start of the project as Perry researched into working class men and the role they have to support the local community and society. Also, the artists researches into the communities of coal-mining and creates a large scale tapestry at the end of the problem which I felt was incredible and influential towards the project and topic in which I have developed. Perry captures current topics and subjects in society and expresses anger and sadness he has felt whilst creating them. This has been inspiring towards my subject of “Justice” as Grayson Perry expresses his emotion through his works and hit current topics which society can relate to and understand easily. Through his style of work he can capture and engage the audience through a different technique which gives his artwork identity and style. Also, Perry captures the traditional Textiles techniques well and explores pieces which are tapestry and influential towards my project as I have previously researched them through the project. To capture Perry’s work, I decided to create two sheet studies exploring ceramics and Textiles Separately. This allowed me to understand Grayson’s work through both choice of materials and perspectives displayed in his works. In the workshop task I focused creating Grayson Perry Ceramics works and identifying striking areas which I have captured from a book I gained through my project proposal and bibliography. The task has allowed me to use research, analysis and evaluation to develop solutions towards my study. Also, the task has allowed me to solve practical, theoretical and technical problems the project. Finally, the task has given me confidence to adapt knowledge to create studies and generate a variety of material used to complete the task.

To start the task, I started to build up a collage at the centre of the piece and use a selection of recycled materials to capture the tones and shadows gained from the brown colours on the study. A watercolour wash was applied to the surface of the design to allow me to place a striking, powerful message that Grayson displays on the ceramic piece. The message is a monologue expressing a childhood perspective and talking about a dead pup which is seen as a shocking message towards the audience. I found the message striking and emphasises Perry’s work effectively so I wanted to place this outlook at the centre of the design. A problem I faced was that I was unsure how to create the font as I wanted to create a messy but also symmetrical font through the same size and style which is similar to the piece on display. To solve the problem, I placed stamps onto the surface of the design using black ink which was inspiring and effective as it complimented the background well but also was striking within the piece. I was pleased with this outcome as it allowed me to emphasise Perry’s style effectively and gain the audience’s attention within the study. Next, I decided to cooperate textiles into the work which relates back to the other choice of material used through his artwork. I developed embroidery pieces exploring countries displayed through the chosen ceramic piece. As these countries are known in the media as war zones, Perry has changed the perspective and used floral and peaceful colours to capture them. To adapt this into my study, I used recycled floral material and calico to spell out the names and running-stitch used. I was pleased with this outcome as the letters worked well within the surface of the design and allowed me to spell out the letters free-hand through embroidery. The chosen material worked well and I was pleased with the overall appearance of the design and outcome. To finish the study of this ceramic piece, I used ink to capture the silhouettes of guns and fire within the surface of the design which captures the contrasting colours of the peaceful tones used. Within Grayson Perry’s work, a sense of striking marble colours were on display which was an element that I wanted to explore and place within the sheet. A problem I faced was that I was unsure what choice of material to use as watercolours would fade easily and acrylic paint wouldn’t blend effectively. To solve the problem, I decided to use the combination of Ink and brusho which gave the spiral effect and outcome I aimed to achieve. The complimentary colours worked well within the surface and I was pleased with my problem solving. Outcome of the piece is demonstrated below.

Outlook of centre piece which includes embroidery pieces

Watercolour wash and background

Ink Outline and background

Next, I am going to include further studies within the sheet to complete the outcome and develop my second study of Perry’s work exploring the aspect of his Textiles work.

Within the studio practice I developed the background layer exploring the works of Keith Haring. Through my independent study, I generated lino-prints and samples of the works I have previously created through the choice of colours including red and black. As the pieces were still drying, I decided to create the background layer for the critical study. To create his work, I used a simple background layer of wallpaper which included cartoon hearts which symbolised his style and graffiti across New York. The background was simple as I wanted to capture the lino-prints within the foreground of the design. Next, I placed a postcard which I gained from my visit to MoMA gallery which identified my primary research and understanding of his works. Then, I placed the prints onto the surface of the design with coloured card to highlight where the pieces are going to be placed to create a collage effect. The outcome is presented below and I am going to develop this further and incorporate further samples and gouache studies of the cartoon figures and messages displayed.