After discussing during a drop-in tutorial which work I should submit for the Grotto print fair - we decided to go with one of my "Troll comments" paintings which I recently assembled into the "Hate Dress" - but that I would paint a new one in the dimensions of the print paper and photograph it on a plain white background, so it would be neatly framed. I started out by reviewing the comments which I have been systematically painting and publishing in blog posts during the last few months. I was trying to pick the most "relatable" and "marketable" comment which could be printed and function as a humorous gift.
The choice of comment came down to the following three:
After consulting other's opinions I decided to go with the "Potato Painting" comment...
I cut four pieces of canvas fabric to size, so I would have. afew options to choose from - I tried writing the text in lowercase and block capitals.I also adjusted the lay-out of the text so it was either written over 7 or 8 lines.
I then added the coloured brush strokes, in slightly different colour schemes to the four different pieces.
I'm honestly dtruggling to decide which one I prefer... Probably the first or last of these four. I am also wondering of I should iron the fabric or leave it with the creases/shadows?
Whilst I was making these, it struck me that I should be painting them with actual potatos. Then I remembered that I actually had some hessian material left over from an embroidery project.
Potatoes were traditionally sold in hessian bags, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to use up the left over material... I cut it to size and there was enough for 3 attempts.
I went to my local supermarket in search of a baking potato but they felt kind of squishy so I bought a sweet potato instead.
I cut the pieces into different sizes and shapes to experiment with what would work best - in the end the thin wedge shaped pieces were best for painting with... Although I will admit that painting with potatoes really isn't easy!
I painted the black text with a brush so it would at least be legible and then added the colours with the potato pieces. This one was looking really good until I, frustratingly, dripped splodges over the text.
It got incredibly messy, so it was just as well that I was wearing my "paitning clothes" and working in my attic which is already cacked with paint.
I feel like the potato pieces were an artwork in their own right, I was thinking about keeping them until I realised they would just rot.
Here are the Hessian fabric options...
I love the fringes of these pieces and the way the material has frayed and unravelled into string.
This was my favourite option until I splodged blue on the text by accident.
The text is clearer on this one but the colours didn't turn out so well...
Consulting social media...
Jonathan helped me narrow down the choice to two options - as we both felt the Hessian/potato painting options were conceptually stronger and visually more interesting. I resorted to my usual solution to my perpetual indecision and consulted my social media followers - given that I want the print to have broad appeal it also seemed like the most appropriate method of choosing - it's also a nice way to engage my followers with my art practice. Opinion was divided but there was a slight preference for the 2nd option.
Photographing the artwork
I took the artwork outside, where the lighting would be better, along with a very large blank canvas to provide a plain white background. I decided to pull out the threads to make the edges a bit more frayed and provide some more visual interest before taking the photograph.
Comments