111216 RUINS

(Unnamed Sketches #1 2011)   Charcoal on Paper

(Unnamed Sketches #2 2011)   Charcoal on Paper

The theme is about ruins, the residue of human civilization. I want to create an image that is subtle, that will let the audience feel like walking into it, and breathe inside the atmosphere I’ve created. The reference of these works is building that covered by climbing plants and weeds. 2 kind of line is used, straight line create artificial element in the image, buildings, concretes, bricks, walls, pillars, windows and doors, it is articulated, full of symbolic hint; Inspired by Jackson Pollock’s painting technique, Julie Mehretu and Giorgio Morandi method of usage of line, curve line represent the plants, the vitality in the boredom, it is un-predictable, It is impossible to imagine the result of the end of the process, I just keep the line growing, just like flora growing in a relic. 

It wasn’t my responsibility to definite my artwork, my errand is to express my sensation, after locate myself between them. 

My tutor Mr. Wayne Lloyd makes me think of these questions:

What is it about drawing that is similar to your theme?

• ·         Is your line like the jungle?
• ·         Is the paper like architecture?
• ·         Is it colonizing the paper?

While most of the other people is seeking for new form, new technique and new materials that never exist and being used to create art in human’s art history before, I insist to use these kind of “old school medium”, I believe pushing myself to exceed the limitation of a medium, whether in massive scale or miniature, complexity or simplicity, is a training to one self’s spirituality. Drawing can be just like scribble which allows you to express your emotion un-wittingly. 

Every single line is the residue of my creation process, just like the residue of human civilization. We have vision, we have plan, but when we proceed to realize it, we cannot make it like a bubble-jet printer, to print exactly what we want out of the draft or mind. We will make some changes, adjust some defect, make some detour to avoid trap. Every time I apply a new line is just like starting a new journey, I choose where to start, but I can’t predict where to end, and the line just keep on rolling and rolling, if the paper is the architecture, which I imagine it is the relic of human civilization, my line will be the plants with vitality, slowly, it covered, colonized the paper. In the end, what you see is massive of viable line climbing on the paper.

(Unnamed 2011 #1)   Charcoal on paper

(Unnamed 2011 #2)   Charcoal on Paper

(Unnamed 2011 #3)   Charcoal on Paper

Visual Form & Technique

My artwork always develops from photography, as it is the atmosphere of the environment that inspired me. I’ll travel to these places and took photograph of them, when I’m going to work on them as a painting, I’ll re-create them onto the action field. The images are processed in my mind, superfluous detail is withdrawn, and then I’ll articulate the composition and paint it with a more expressive way.

During my college time, I’ve try this subject matter on oil-painting and printmaking. I’ve use impasto technique to blend with turpentine on canvas to create un-expected effect.

I try to paint it in an expression way, compare to meticulous method, this kind of painting style can express the emotion and feeling. The conscious is revealed unwittingly during the painting process.

Some say that my previous work is similar to the German artist Anselm Kiefer’s style, but I never thought about it, just feel like splashing the colour onto the canvas after I’ve arranged the composition.

Due to the restriction of medium after I’ve graduate, I start to work on drawing, as I can concentrate developing the atmosphere of the 2D action field as color is withdraw from the drawing.

My work always consist Line and Space. Inspired by impasto, I use the side of a compressed charcoal to imitate the texture of a palette knife, instead of using pencil to create layers and layers of stroke to build the tone. But after I look into Giorgio Morandi, Jackson Pollock and Julie Mehretu’s work, I was impressed by the scribbling line that reveals the sub-conscious of the artist.

In this series of work, I use line and stroke, create the shading and atmosphere.

Studio space at Spike Island, Bristol