Frances Edmonds
www.francesedmondsartist.com
@francesedmonds6
Statement:
My work from the last few years has been made referencing objects displayed in the British Museum, using drawings and photography to examine their qualities and presence.
The most recent paintings focus on early Roman blown glass objects as I was drawn to their qualities of vulnerability and strength. I was fascinated that the objects I was drawing were made by the act of someone in 1st-4th century AD using their breath to give form to a vessel displayed in front of me. I become familiar with these forms, they have a character and essence that goes beyond their earlier existence as functional objects, like gifts from the past that have travelled through time.
These studies have led to the development of a series of paintings that explore the essence of the objects, placing their forms in an imagined reality where they are exposed to atmospheric shifts and environmental elements. The relationships between the objects are examined. Within this scenario I am able to explore colour, paint and surface concerns and I am interested in the inclusion of more abstract, symbolic, pictorial elements that work alongside the more painterly aspects. These are evident in both paintings submitted here - ‘Undertow’ and ‘Sassetta’s Fire’. These abstract elements reference Japanese prints and early Italian painting.
www.francesedmondsartist.com
@francesedmonds6
Statement:
My work from the last few years has been made referencing objects displayed in the British Museum, using drawings and photography to examine their qualities and presence.
The most recent paintings focus on early Roman blown glass objects as I was drawn to their qualities of vulnerability and strength. I was fascinated that the objects I was drawing were made by the act of someone in 1st-4th century AD using their breath to give form to a vessel displayed in front of me. I become familiar with these forms, they have a character and essence that goes beyond their earlier existence as functional objects, like gifts from the past that have travelled through time.
These studies have led to the development of a series of paintings that explore the essence of the objects, placing their forms in an imagined reality where they are exposed to atmospheric shifts and environmental elements. The relationships between the objects are examined. Within this scenario I am able to explore colour, paint and surface concerns and I am interested in the inclusion of more abstract, symbolic, pictorial elements that work alongside the more painterly aspects. These are evident in both paintings submitted here - ‘Undertow’ and ‘Sassetta’s Fire’. These abstract elements reference Japanese prints and early Italian painting.
'Undertow'
60 x 40cm Acrylic & oil on linen 2022 |
'Sassetta's Fire'
40 x 40cm Acrylic & oil on linen 2021 |