Final Show for Painting Discipline

Identifing Subject Matter

My inspiration for this project was the architecture I saw everyday and using some of the processes I learned from the materials project, I wanted to look at the basic shapes these buildings have. 
My contextual research began with David Hockney and how he paints in simple shapes. I looked at abstract artists like Ruth Root and Ann Pibal to investigate how the look at form and structure. 

To make work for this project I used similar materials as the last project, gloss and varnish on plastic, experimenting with the texture of different surfaces and how they can be manipulated. I also made some monoprints, similar to the prints I made in the print elective as a way of looking at basic, geometric shapes. 

Grids

For this project I am working with grids. Using industrial materials that are already manufactured in the pattern of grids, I printed them and painted through the negative spaces. The work I made was not planned, they were just a series of experiments, one leading on to another.  This is work I really enjoyed doing, I found that there was a natural progression. These are some of the images I made during the project:

Painting- Research for Materials Project

Photos from first semester that influenced my ideas.

Surveillance

Over the last few weeks there has been a change in subject matter within my project. It developed from unnoticed spaces to an aspect of surveillance. This development completely excites me and I'm really enjoying the kind of work I am now doing. Most of this work is now lens based. Photography and video are things I have little experience in and I am learning from this exploration.

 Following another tutorial and using the photos I took as reference, I began with videos of the colleges surveillance videos. I set up an camera and tripod and took a video for about a minute. Then using Windows Movie Maker I changed the colouring to black and white and slowed the video. The reason for this was that I wanted it to feel like it was dragging out, as if someone had been looking at the video for a long time. I liked that the piece was a video of a video, channeling films like Paranormal Activity. I feel like there is a eerie feeling from this. As the video would not upload, these are some stills:

Along with the video I took photos of the security cameras. For some I slowed the shutter speed. These were my results: 

Slow shutter and moving- blurred images

Slow shutter

Contextual Research- Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window strongly relates to my project and the theme of surveillance. It is about a wheelchair bound photographer who spies on his neighbours from his apartment window. He becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. It was released on the 14th January 1955. While shooting the film, Hitchcock only directed from 'Jeff's' apartment. I love some of the shots in this film, especially those from Jeff's view like through the camera lens.

Contextual Research- Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is about a young woman who steals $40,000 from her employers client. She encounters a young motel proprietor who is under the domination of his mother. This thriller was released on the 8th September 1960 and earned $15 million in its first year. My photographs reminded me of film stills and Alfred Hitchcock was the first director I chose to study. The theme, and specifically the shot of 'Norman' looking through the hole in the wall, I strongly relate to.