Unencountered
Exhibited in 2021
With this series of works I imagined the unseen realm that whales and sharks inhabit. What might their stories tell us if we could follow them into the dark depths of the ocean? I explored the idea of depth through layers of paper cut elements. As I put them together I saw that they interact with light in unique ways. As daylight changes, so do the cast shadows in these dioramas. In a way, the passage of time becomes a part of these artworks.
— WORKS —
These works were created using graphite, watercolour, oil based pencils, scalpels and paper of various grammage. To view the dimensionality, watch videos here.
Sea Lichen 30 x 30 x 6 cm | 2021
Run 32 x 26 x 6 cm | 2021
Ocean of Stars 31 x 34 x 6 cm | 2021
Passage Of Sound 30 x 30 x 6 cm | 2021
Slip Off The Gyre 30 x 27 x 6 cm | 2021
Below The Floe 32 x 32 x 6 cm | 2021
Hidden Worlds 25 x 25 x 6 cm | 2021
Eulogy For Lunch 31 x 25 x 6 cm | 2021
Distance To Somewhen 30 x 30 x 6 cm | 2021
The Great Escape 31 x 25 x 6 cm | 2021
Tales From Midnight 30 x 25 x 6 cm | 2021
The Big Splash 24 x 24 x 6 cm | 2021
From Rorque To Rorque 30 x 30 x 6 cm | 2021
Fishing Knots 27 x 26 x 6 cm | 2021
Tide Us Over 30 x 30 x 6 cm | 2021
— IN FRAME —
EXHIBITION 11/2021
79 Roeland Street, Artist Admin, Cape Town
— PROCESS —
To bring in stories about my marine subjects, I used various layers of paper, each worked on using a different medium. The backdrop for each animal was plain paper, cut with precision scalpels. The whales and sharks themselves were painted on thick archival paper (640gsm). I worked on the paintings with oil pencils. This way I could create a rich depth of colour, so although the animals were small I could try to bring a sense of weight to their presence.
The process of cutting patterns into paper was quite calming. As I tried to create distinct narratives for each cutout, every one of them presented a unique challenge,. The challenge of cutting a complete story without error required concentration and patience. I particularly enjoy taking this kind of effort and can stay involved in the process for long periods of time.
I could only plan the outcome of these works up to a certain extent. How they would finally come together would only reveal itself in the final assembly. Like dessert, I saved this sweet process for the end of the project. For a few weeks I would delicately assemble these artworks, finally getting to enjoy the crescendo of a few hundred hours of work!
The template
Placing the first layer
Removing the template
Placing the primary elements
The complete assembly