Summary of Redaction.
- martine75
- Apr 20, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: May 8, 2023
What were the keywords? Redact, Layer, Conceal, Disclose, Temporality, Underpainting, Scraping Back, Palimpsest, Scumbling, Stippling, Dry Brushing. What have I produced and learnt?
Exercise 1: Make, Remove, Transform.
What do I want to achieve with my colour choice?
Using my brush to conceal/apply the paint to the surface may be 'drawn to create a purposeful shape to erase and reveal. (By protruding peaks of colour, for example, the black in my work).
Unearthing the underneath of the work discovers something buried, the temporality of the layers beneath.
Why do I want to part reveal or bury images or information?
Revealing refers to making something previously hidden or unknown more visible or understandable. This could mean, for example, bringing attention to a previously overlooked aspect in my work or shedding new light on its meaning or significance maybe?
The removal process can play a role in my conceptual and aesthetic goals. For example, to explore themes of loss, memory, or erasure.
Can I create a sense of absence or negative space that invites viewers to consider what has been lost or forgotten? Do I want to do that?
I like the combination of both techniques as they intrigue the viewer.
The wet surface is exciting with the blending and buttery consistency of the paint.
Each layer of colour choice is crucial. It sits next to or between another colour.
Exercise 2: Less is More...Sometimes!
'Sweeps, mixes and dapples beneath the metallic.'
Acrylic and metallic leaf on found canvas 100cm x 50 cm
Digital crops/redactions of the painting.
Using redaction (with the metallic leaf layer) has allowed specific details to stand out more prominently and become the focus of attention.
The tension depth and surface tension are exciting, and when the light bounces on the metallic surface, this adds a further dimension to the piece.
The colours work in harmony with each other complementing the composition.
The digital redactions complement 'Sweeps, mixes and dapples beneath the metallic.'.
Exercise 3: Drawing as Painting.
Redacted in a Rectangle (B.O.P)
(renamed from the original title of Bird of Paradise)
Digital crop of acrylic on watercolour paper.
Disintegrating Skies
Acrylic Ink/ paint and gold metallic leaf on Khadi paper 30cm x 30 cm
I have learnt that I will happily take this reductive process forward. Redaction and erasure create opportunities to experiment. The opaque placing and highlighting of areas and my newfound understanding of layering place me in a stronger position to form compositions that please me and speak to me as an artist.
I can see how redaction affects the structure of the piece.
Are certain parts of the image becoming more prominent or meaningful due to being highlighted by the redaction? Yes, the layering process achieves this effect.
Are other parts of the image becoming less precise or more ambiguous due to obscurity? Yes, this inward-outward layering and the manipulations of the surface texture are exciting because they produce texturtastic results!
Am I creating a sense of tension and complexity in the composition while also exploring themes of censorship, the hidden and secrecy? Not yet, well, perhaps. I feel when my encaustic wax arrives, and I may be able to achieve more translucent and ethereal results. I have newfound tools to create a powerful and thought-provoking piece of art that engages viewers on multiple levels.
Exercise 4: My Practice.
I used to be scissors.
Mixed media on a 50 x 40 cm copper support.
With my 'newfound tools' of redaction and erasure, I reflected on how to use my tutor's feedback and artistic influences to redact this painting. Recently I looked at the photographs of the paintings I saw in Bilbao's Guggenheim, and reflecting on Rauschenberg, Kiefer, de Kooning and Twombly, I noticed the scraping and sgraffito in the works of Tapies especially.
Cut the corner.
Mixed media on a 50 x 40 cm copper support.
Hiding in the corner
Digital crop of mixed media on a copper support.
This layered, concealed underpainting has influenced the title (which also describes the actions performed).
This is a palimpsestic work and includes areas of a process of construction and destruction, resulting in a surface rich in texture and meaning.
Scrapping back and surface tension are explored by adding and removing layers of paint or glaze in this painting.
Techniques used include dry brush, wet in wet, and veils of glazing with broad strokes to conceal and reveal.
Using this cutting and sgraffito mark-making shows the temporality of the piece, and the title echoes this 'cutting through'.
She was influenced by the paintings and artists' mark-making seen first-hand in Bilbao.
The copper base surface is brought forward from beneath, erased to capture the rich warmth of the underbelly of the work, the strength below that all the layers are adhered to.
Subtle details are highlighted by the mixture and variation of the textures, glazes and techniques used to erase and redact the surface. These create tension and intrigue.
The sgraffito mark making has energy and movement to catch the eye of the viewer and make them stop and take in the space the 2D space made to cut deep into their memory.
The metal surface is a twist on the norm. I like that. Its support is heavy and accommodates the media well.
The redaction and surface tension (challenging to show in the photograph).
The layers peep through and complement the overalls of the piece.
The surface is very textured, some delicate, some veiled, some glazed, and all harmonize to create the passage of time passing.
The length of time it takes to create a work like this. Ovethree three days.
The curation and thought will be needed to frame this work.
The metal is heavy and thin and will be difficult to frame without reflection on the framing or position of the exhibited piece.
Palimpsestic Paradise.
Acrylic paint, collage/decollage papers, metallic leaf, aerosol on mount board, and watercolour paper.
Using the original painting from Exercise 3, I made a border/frame of sorts. Then, with Tapies in mind, I used the sgraffito mark-making to inscribe the surface with the name of the flower Bird of Paradise. The leaf of a South African book on flowers native to the country peeps through the underlayers.
I have overthought the piece and feel more confident with the digital crop. Why? It is more contemporary and has energy and fluid but striking effect.
Yes, there are more!
Using the digital crop concept, I redacted many painting surfaces. I was using my discernment and developing knowledge to position the cropped area. I (for the first time) am proud to upload the images.
I have also made two videos of paint, paint being spread, squelched, squeezed, sloshed and sliding on the surface. These I'm not sure about. I think they need refining. What I like about them is they digitally redact, reverse time and add and subtract material. The slow-motion film also slowed the sound, which is eerie and uncanny. I am unsure about this also.
Is the video still a painting? In Painting Beyond Itself, Isabelle Graw reflected on the Greenbergian purity and specificity of the medium, limiting the possibilities of painting and stifling experimentation with new materials and techniques. This integration certainly pushes boundaries. I can imagine these videos on a loop with various divergent pieces, paintings, and prints of the painting (cropped). Food for thought, indeed.
Video - A Gooey World Lurking.
Video - Uneasy gloop.
Digital crops.
How can I curate these?
A painting on a support can be complimented by a digital crop (printed photograph). It doesn't have to be printed onto a canvas. That would be boring! I think digital video, printed photographs and painting can all be assembled and complement each other. For example, Joseph Kosuth put the assembly in One and Three Chairs, but the artist made none of the pieces.
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