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ANN BALDWIN. ‘In my mixed media abstract paintings I have set out to explore both the visual effects of text and its tendency to carry meaning whether intended or not.’.
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ANN BALDWIN • ‘In my mixed media abstract paintings I have set out to explore both the visual effects of text and its tendency to carry meaning whether intended or not.’
Although I often present words, letters, and symbols merely as shapes and patterns, so accustomed are we to interpreting these as narrative that it is sometimes impossible to see the forms alone.
Some pieces have been deliberately engineered to appear theatrical and, in fact, include pages from Shakespeare's plays.
Some have the glow or patina of old manuscripts, while nevertheless containing mere mechanical reproductions of calligraphy.
As I paint, I also write annotations 'in the margins', commenting on a particular text or simply expressing separate thoughts and ideas.
As a teacher of Literature, an avid reader and writer, books have shaped my identity and given direction to my ideas.
Each novel I encounter affects the meaning of subsequent novels. Hand annotations in the margins of used books give a clue to the reactions of other readers before me, often very different from my own.
I have adopted a method of painting with multiple transparent veils of paint through which collaged images or words appear and disappear, representing layers of memory and understanding.
Often the process itself takes over from intention and I find myself erasing or covering messages which originally I intended to use to communicate an idea more directly. Thoughts get buried as others surface. Almost like the act of reading itself.
I make several photocopies or computer scans of the most important collage pieces, so that I'm not afraid to glue something down and regret it later. Once I had started a collage with a wonderful focal point featuring a picture of a chorus girl, which I'd photocopied from an antique magazine. Somehow or other the poor girl got buried under paint. Fortunately, I had another fresh copy of the image which I was able to glue over the old one. I almost never use original copies of images from rare sources.
I tell myself ALWAYS that there is more than one way (in fact dozens) to make a particular collage. Most of my pieces turn out very differently from the way I expected and often I am pleasantly surprised with the results.
Remember that even the most successful artists make lots of 'failed' paintings. These so-called failures have been some of my most valuable learning experiences. Making an artwork involves continuous problem-solving. The more problems you have, the more you learn. I had one of my biggest breakthroughs after three hard weeks trying to make a painting work. In the end, I gave up and painted over the whole thing with white gesso. I then painted nothing for about a week. When I finally did pick up a brush again, I experienced a wonderful sense of relief and greater understanding of the creative process.
Want to see this painting as it progressed? Take a look at "Le 4 avril" begun on October 17th 2000 and finallyfinished on March 1st 2001.
Stage 1: I began by staining the canvas in thin washes of liquid acrylic. I then wrote alphabetic characters in permanent felt pen.
Stage 2: I stuck on various collaged papers, including pages from an old shorthand manual, an enlarged copy of a $500 bill, a piece of mulberry paper, and some large words from a 'Teach Your Baby to Read' set. I then made some calligraphic marks in black paint.
Stage 3: I spread thick azure blue acrylic over part of the painting, knowing that this would be covered later, with only a few areas left showing.
Stage 4: A very abstract expressionist phase, this! I scrubbed on cadmium yellow, napthol orange, and some titanium white.
Stage 5: I added some pieces of corrugated cardboard from a lamp bulb package. Then came the difficult part - covering up large areas of color with titan buff to integrate the painting. Naturally by now I've lost a lot of my original markings.
Stage 6: So now I had to start restructuring the composition with blocks of pure black and glazes of quinacrodone crimson and transparent yellow oxide, creating a rather strong grid. I put Marcel Proust's portrait on the banknote, added a palmistry diagram over the mulberry paper, and a few subtle black lines. The question is "Is it finished?" It's hard to say. I'll leave it alone for a few weeks, then judge.
Stage 7: I spent several months staring at Stage 6 (meanwhile concentrating on other paintings). I knew it wasn't working, but I just didn't know what to do. Finally, you'll see where I simplified and softened softened the grid with more titan buff, got rid of some of the fussier collage elements, and drew some tea cups. Obviously this is not finished, but now what?
Stage 8: Another 2 months passed - some paintings are problematic like this! I wrote out a poem called "Les Lilas" composed by Proust for his maid. I pasted on a portrait of his mother (center right). I collaged a photocopy of one of his annotated manuscripts. And finally I increased the contrast by darkening the blues and brightening the ochres. Now I think it's far too strongly divided. Aaaaaah!
Cathy Hegman“Symbolism can add rich layers to your work and open it up to meaning interpretation.”
