Materialise
David Hayward : Bunyola
Materialise is an exhibition that celebrates two artists who consider materials to be central to their practice.
When an artist or maker begins the process of creation, there several potential starting points. Some might set out with a specific idea in mind or perhaps from a photo. They might be taking inspiration directly from life - a landscape or a still life. In contrast, others start with a looser idea or direction to follow and lean on the materials to guide them.
This organic approach to creating is where the artist is in partnership and at one with the material. They are the composer or even the magician. They are conducting the process while free-flowing at the same time. They are in the moment, responding to the materials and how they are feeling.
If they had started that piece at a different time, they would have produced a different result. That the artwork is a result of capturing a sequence of moments in time is a fascinating notion. A divergent decision made at any moment would produce a different piece.
Once the series of initial choices are set, the concluding stages are a combination of deliberation and instinct. Finally, the artist must decide whether a piece is finished or not, requiring a delicate and nuanced decision.
Su Jameson : The Tongue is a Fire and Blue (detail)
Materialise references the mediums that these artists employ and the manifestation of the materials giving birth to their art. It is about ideas coming together to form their reality, which is beautiful to witness. The works on show have been constructed over many months. They are unrestricted by any preconceived idea. Individual pieces have evolved in response to the last or the next in the cycle and are intuitive expressions of the moment. Their endpoint was unknown at the time of making, but the aim is for honest, nuanced work that strikes a chord.
David Hayward holds his ideas while creating to evoke a memory of experienced landscapes. He seeks to summon a sense of space by bringing together his love of landscape and abstract in his pieces. He says
"Memories invariably inform pictorial decisions about colour, surface and structure of specific locations, yet leave room for the viewer to find a resonance of their own."
His encaustic images are built up in layers, often cut into, overpainted and scraped back to reveal traces of earlier marks. This process allows visual accidents to occur and unexpected connections to be made.
David Hayward : Time and Tide
Su Jameson interests lie in human dynamics, interactions, how we fit or don't fit. From the joys and woes of small-scale, family and social units to more extensive global tensions, we all build an armour of sorts. Her work depicts the markings, text and textures that we pick up along the journey. As the group of figures grows, she sees it as an army, with characters of strength and vulnerability, hope and despair. She says
"Initially, an architectural type structure is made using texturised clay slabs, and then more humanistic impressions emerge as heads are added, and expressions developed. These can happen in moments or be subject to constant change until a connection is achieved. As the work grows, suggestions spark, and stories or memories surface. But, I don't wish to tell specific stories; it is more exciting for me to nudge others into seeing and feeling their own."
Following the construction stage, the clay surface becomes a highly textural canvas to which colour slips, underglazes and oxides are applied freely in layers. Different energies dominate, as the works' dynamic is continuously shifting in this new period of uncertainty. Initially camouflaged under slips and glazes, it is not until they have been fired multiple times, sometimes with more applications in between, that each piece's real character is revealed.
Both these artist hold materials central to their practice, using their minds while flowing and creating alchemy in the artworks they create. Hayward and Jameson's synergy brings rich, intriguing and exciting visual experiences, which I hope you will enjoy.
Materialise runs from 7th May to 7th June at Kellie Miller Arts, Brighton, UK
Su Jameson : Tick Tock