After creating my clocks piece, I began to see the lines on the faces of the clocks point to each other, forming patterns and shapes. Wanting to explore this, I took some tracing paper and followed the lines to a satisfactory shape that I was happy with aesthetically.
Rather than just repeating the same idea of tracing my path through time as being my only avenue of exploration, I decided that if I could take an abstraction of the outcome of my idea, I could work with the opticality of the shape as well.
This is the shape that came out of the tracing, and immediately it screamed to me to be a form that could be transferred to a 3D rendering as well as a 2D image. As such I made a minor sketch of what this shape might look like in 3D.
After the discussion of my clock work with my tutor, in which we spoke of my being colourblind, Jeff told me a story of time he spent with Julian Opie and his suspicions of Opie being colourblind too. Jeff spoke of how a piece Opie was exhibiting consisted of columns (of which I cannot find a picture or name) with all the out-of-the-tube colours of paint striping the columns seemingly randomly. It came therefore that maybe, rather than limiting my colour palette due to my colourblindness, I should open it up to use all colour in an uncontrolled method.
I came to the decision then to fill the ‘panels’ in my shape with a different colour each, and I would do this also in the 3D constructed piece when I get to that point.
I was pleased with the appearance of the colours, the larger panels are less blotchy due to the amount of paint I had of these colours and so I had less need to water the paint down in order to get coverage.
The background, like the blotchy, smaller panels is such more for the economic use of paint rather than a stylistic choice.
I decided that I wanted to split the panels up with a black line (in this case using electrical tape, similar to the works of Michael Craig Martin, for its uniformity and striking nature) as I think it adds a sort of 3D effect into the piece.
Finally I decided to give the piece a border in the electrical tape to focus the eyes on the part of the canvas I want them to see. This means the out-of-the-border nature of the background colour matters less in breaking up what the eye sees as the piece.
As an artwork in itself, I’m pleased with how it has turned out and with the electrical tape borders, the blotchy nature of some of the piece begins to look as if it’s giving off a stained glass effect. Though I will admit, I think the planes of flat colour would probably have made me happier. In addition the curves are not as smooth as they could be, the panels not as well drawn.
The artwork has an aesthetic. One reminiscent of pop art, which disappoints me, perhaps it would be better to do a ‘Stella-esque’ style painting with a shaped canvas.
However, I do believe it is a promising outline for the possibility of a sculpture on the same subject.
Robin Leverton 