Questioning myself

I began my project last October by answering this set of questions. 

When I felt at all overwhelmed by my ideas or other people's suggestions,

I referred to the answers I had written to regain my focus.

•What interests you?

•Repeat patterns, multiples, order

•What are your core ideas?

•Manipulation – using my hands

•Audience – how does your audience receive your work?

•In awe – amazement

•Why?

•My experiences of showing off craftsmanship

•Why are you doing it?

•For my own pleasure, to discover and develop my own creative practice

•What do you want to achieve

•To learn new skills well enough to teach

•What are you going to do?

•Explore the relationship between folded imagery and folded manipulations

•What does success look like?

•Something big and awe inspiring

•How do you achieve success?

•Learning through making, testing, developing

•What are you actually going to do?

•Explore my relationship with precision

Tessellating Windows

Work commenced in July 2012

After learning very basic techniques for tessellating I began exploring my own ideas - how to apply imagery to fit into the creased shapes.

I engineered a system for 'cutting and pasting' parts of an image to fit into the design.

For the first print I used tracing paper and I was pleased with the overall appearance.  The effect was a subtle change in scale between the two layers and the quality of light through the paper.

I observed other people interacting with the piece and I decided to develop the design so that the 'corners' could connect with other squares.  The design eventually looked like an "all over" picture with a hidden layer of windows leaving the viewer wondering.

For the next design, I used the 'waterbomb' pattern to create concertina-like boxes.  By printed a photograph onto the design before folding it, I engineered a window to fit in each protruding square.  Alternatively I used CAD to create the illusion of a 3-dimensional object and printed it - this created a very different effect.

This photograph reminded me very much of a woven pattern - I folded this print with the intention of creating an illusion of a weave.

The concept produced further interesting images when curled it into a tube. 

I experimented with joining tessellated sections and developed the idea further using my photographs of windows - these rectangular images were divided by the underlying tessellated pattern which also created a more interesting perspective / effect.

I chose to pleat this photograph because it had vertical lines which gave me a pattern to follow - it created a very rich effect when I concentrated the blocks of colour.

Sicilian architecture

Whilst in Sicily on a study visit, I focused my attention on the local architecture.  What some would see as non-distinguishable buildings, I saw a feast of patterns.  From the tower blocks of uniform windows and shutters, to the design of the balconies and the routine pipes and gutters, I was drawn to observe the overall composition and further explore the individuality of each dwelling.

This concept inspired to me draw and screen print a collection of surface pattern designs.

A selection of my own photographs taken in Sicily, March 2011

Where my ideas began

Own photograph, taken in Bilbao Feb 2011

This photograph has been the inspiration for my last two of projects.

The main themes for my creative practice are multiples, repeat patterns and control.
The core ideas in my work are 'manipulation' - I am at heart a maker and my projects reflect my 'hands-on' approach to process and materials.