I painted ‘Modern Knights’ two years ago at the end of an extremely stressful period where I had been pushed right out of the comfort zone, and subsequently right on the cusp of me changing media and direction with my work. Both this previous work and ‘It’s Recyclable’ are large scale, expressive and much more loose than my normal styles, and utilise found materials. They feel to me like idea spill overs before a regrouping... And with the thoughts I have for my next works, I think they are like visual gateways before another passage.
They are a bit of expressive, not so intense and been really fun to put together.
'It's Recyclable' 1000 x 1000mm, Mixed Media, 2015
'It's Recyclable' is about putting the pieces together- both visually and literally. The Japanese text written amongst the leaves are phrases I use daily to apologise, explain myself or express my misunderstanding or comprehension. 'Tarting up' the mundane fits Japan's intense desire for beauty in all things, and I like the irony in a way that I have knitted the net package of the box back together and yet it wouldn't fold up to hold anything because the pattern has been offset. The loose drawing style is overlayed with hundreds of hand painted dots, multi- layered with paint; an investment of time and precision onto an otherwise ordinary surface. The Sakura or Cherry Blossom tree is an internationally recognisable symbol of transition, new beginnings and growth.
萌名 木作夢 :
Today I had my Japanese 'hanko' stamp kanji selected for me for Moena Moxham and remarkably it translates to 'Crush-Name | Tree-Make-Dream'.
Mokusam 木作夢 (Moxham) tree-make-dream having significance to me with a funny story I shared with the girls. 'ki' (tree) being the crux of the fun :) How appropriate seeing I just painted a Sakura Tree?!
I am an obsessive clocker of patterns, groups and systems. Mentally categorising things is how my brain filing system keeps things allocated. I had a EUREKA! moment today regarding the next step in my artwork- putting merit to my theory about my creative process.
Interestingly I thought: When you stop searching and growing you start dying, and so in some ways the collections of thoughts and ideas; gathered in a blog, are a documentation of death and the process towards this (although when you tip over into degrading rather than progressing is the interesting marker)... kinda macabre, kind of wonderful too. It was the comma on a conversation up at The New York Bar (The Park Hyatt Shinjuku- the bar from Lost in Translation) where a Canadian and I talked about people who worry about trip distance, versus people who see the time as an opportunity for adventure within itself- like travel Babushka dolls... ^=^ Thoughts?
I love how the photography of the work and process is it's own dimension. The work as 'discarded' material under the Sakura tree, the people in transit, the conversations I had with people who stopped and were interested, the help from Kurena and Minami; the unrepeatable time bubble it was made in versus the ease with which it can be folded up and packed away... process v. outcome?
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Hitting Harajuku to see the girls dressed up, I was a day too early for the traditional get together, but on my wanderings was stopped by a wonderful photographer for a wee impromptu photoshoot. His name is Ukawa Dai and here are photos of his work and a link to his tumblr- not only talented, but super duper cool and kind to match. Check him OUT! ;D
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LOST IN TRANSLATION
Park Hyatt Shinjuku: All I can say is it's WORTH going to the New York Bar to view the skyline and the other visitors hehe, ironically there are Bob's and Charlotte's hanging out everywhere, mixed with slick aristocrats and Translation fans. The view is to dye for, the staff are Devine and the food just glorious.
If ya haven't seen the flick- it's a damn fine goodie- Bill Murray (legend) + Scarlett Johansson (pocket rocket) plus a dash of Sofia Coppola (Directior); what's not to love?
The movie really IS Japan with all it's beautiful quirks :)
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