A departure from the bold, full frontal, heavy look of SAMURIDE... I wanted to embrace and explore the feeling of 'escape'. I find myself at a creative cross-road, with a strong desire to move away from hard-edge *ballsy* forms and line work - towards a looser, more dreamy, softer and more fluid-like composition . Being a hard-core perfectionist, with a OCD tendency (ok, ok - im an OCD pin-up girl!) Ive wanted to let go, 'loosen up' and not to 'overthink' this piece - and instead, let my feelings guide the direction and composition of this work, 100%. The reasons behind it....? I guess sometimes when you work for yourself, it can be quite isolating, the walls around can start to close in on you and you...
And so begins my next piece in my 'SAMURIDE' series! This time, I draw inspiration from 'Oni' masks, ie. traditional Japanese demon / ogre masks from anient Japanese folklore. I wanted to express a passionate energy and a spirit of vitality in this piece. Incorporating traditional Japanese symbols and crests - as a play on the patterns and forms seen in motorbikes. I wanted to enhance and further explore the concept of a 'Free-Spirit' one that was dynamic, bold and FIERCE! Where spray cans are the exhaust, and passion is the fuel! Mixed media on Arches watercolour paper. Pen, Japanese Ink, Car enamel metallic paint, Spray acrylic, pencil, watercolour. Size 76 x 56cm
A visual diary of my work-in-progress. 'Arthropods of Anarchy' is a series where I wanted to explore and recreate the beautiful details and forms of Crustaceans. I love observing the complexity and intricate structures of their exoskeletons, as well as the beautiful textures and interconnectivity of their shells. These creatures reflect a combination of both resilience as well as fragility - through the contrast of their finer , more intricate forms eg. antenna and legs; compared to their more rugged and rigid shells. I wanted to embellish and further add to their textures, and elaborate their joints - wanting to create a greater sense of 'hardening-up' these already tough, creatures of the deep. PRAWN Watercolour, Pencil, Japanese Ink, Pen on etching paper. 100 x 70cm...
