artists

artists

the chosen artists all represent different aspects of my theme of technology and nature, showing them separately and together. the most prominent theme within this document will be nature as this is a more common theme within art, and as a result it will be most likely that nature will also be more prominent within my art, however I will aim to include a greater quantity of technology. because technology and nature are often viewed as opponents and in contrast I aim to present them in a more unitive way.

Christopher Gasparian still alive

using the human from to create sculptures made of wire and sometimes including mud rock to add greater detail, the sculptures often feature either a full body or a bust in which the wire is used to create a basic frame that is then coated in more wire wrapped horizontally and jaggedly around the frame to create the full sculpture complete in a human form, around many of the sculptures is additional wire that encases some of the sculptures for example in one piece the additional wire is used to entrap the figure in a matted net that surrounds the figure randomly. the metals are dark and placed somewhat randomly giving them a far more intimating presence. Most of these sculptures seem to have some representation to an element of entrapment as materials like wire of often used to bind create enclosures, while the darkness of the metal hints toward more negative emotions, also the poses of the sculptures also reinforce this as they are not what most would consider a natural pose that does appear to be uncomfortable.

Judging from the tittle of the title and the art itself this hints toward perseverance within human nature and using the drive to survive to endure through a dire situation with the entanglement of wire representing both physical and emotional trauma in which can be overcome through perseverance.

In relation to my theme of technology and nature this is the most loosely connected as this refers to a more physiological element of nature in which focuses primarily on how a person may be/feel trapped and how we all try to survive and despite all we are still alive.

In my opinion this style of art is very close to my preferred style of sculpture using wire and mud rock to from partially realistic forms making them an interesting subject that draws the eye, also the strong representations within each piece makes them worth a lot more to me.

mads Petersen the anatomy of tech

By combining biological elements with electronic devises the artist has depicted them as similar to nature as they run like organ systems and are able to carry out a function or multiple function like the organ systems in our own bodies, also by putting them together in a way that continues the design of the electronic device he has juxtaposed then using a verity of hot and cold colours like pinks and blues alongside the dull greys and polished blacks making the two elements stand out astoundingly well showing the difference between the two. The strong juxtaposition is incredibly effective as the two elements he uses are very different but also ironically similar as they both carry out functions but in ways that are both similar and different combining technology and nature in function.
The style that this artist uses is realistic but brighter and more simplistic using digital mediums to create his art, for example the controller lacks detailed texture but the basic textures are visible also the colours are more outstanding like the teeth and connecting tissues have stronger shades of red and blue making the entire piece more vibrant. The transition between device and organ/organ system is abrupt like in a biological diagram in which layers of an organism is shown from an angle that gives the best view, also buttons and other such receptors are left in place but shown connected to nerves or tissues that connect them to the device but as part of it like an eye in a camera.

The style of his art is very bold and stands out against the white backgrounds using bright colours in a simplistic style to draw the eye of the viewer to compare the dull and bright colour palettes which is a style that works best when using digital mediums. Also because of the digital nature of his art the actual subjects are far more relevant and eye catching.

His art connects to both elements of nature and technology using organs and other innards to represent technology as organisms highlights the similarities of various gadgets and living creatures in a juxtaposing way, also by presenting them in a way similar to a biology diagram enforces this highlighting the organisation of the biological components within the devices, also by using a white background he supports the appearance as an unlabelled diagram while drawing attention to the central image.

This style of art is my favourite of the three, as much as I love sculpture, this style represents how I portrayed nature and technology almost perfectly. Also the use of digital medium is preferred by myself as I do enjoy using software such as Photoshop and such alike that. Also this the most relevant in literal terms as it.

Andy Goldsworthy

unlike the two preceding artists Andy Goldsworthy uses shapes such as spirals and other abstract shapes to give an aesthetic appeal to all of his pieces that can reflect emotions or the very essence of nature itself, the materials that he uses in his art are almost always natural with his most famous pieces being made from leaves and ice in which he places the leaves in a chromatically order with the darkest on the outside and fading into the lighter shades before using a solid black centre to break the harmonious colours, the ice star on the other hand is made by fusing various icicles to a central point having all the edges jutting out by heating the bases and refreezing them to create a delicate but sharp sculpture. Using the leaves, a lot of his sculptures have somewhat of a psychedelic appearance using natural forms and making them appear unnatural while the ice is delicate but appears like an effective weapon, from this it is apparent that each piece has a different meaning and connotation attached to it, however they do all strongly connect to their season for example the ice like winter is sharp and cold but often short-lived and fragile.

Andy Goldsworthy’s art mostly relates to the natural side of my theme and also the elements of sculpture that I intend to use. His art is a great inspiration for colour and creative use of natural material to give an appealing aesthetic, however this does not connect to any aspect of the technological side to my theme.   

Through the years Andy Goldsworthy has been mentioned and taken inspiration from on many occasions during my fortnightly art activities during the years I was home educated however I had never had the chance to use his art as inspiration for any larger projects.   


Pollyanna Pickering   

The poppy field

Published to commemorate Pollyanna's 2012 exhibition of work at the National Memorial Aboretum this painting features Pollyanna’s favourite barn owl, Angel amidst a field of poppies. This painting depicts British wildlife using a photorealistic style, to achieve this level of detail Pollyanna uses gauche paints which are similar to oil paints but also to acrylics, allowing for far richer colours than acrylics but taking less time to dry than oil.

This painting in particular was chosen not only because it is an increasable depiction of nature with beautiful levels of detail but because it represents Pollyanna as an artist with her close connection and love of birds of prey and the British countryside as well as being personal to her showing one of her owls. 

Overview

Spending the 15 years of her career tending to her licenced wildlife sanctuary in the peek district in Derbyshire which specialised in birds of prey, however locals would often also bring various woodland animals such as foxes or even badgers, and as a result the had to care for more than just raptors. Most of the animals brought in to the wildlife centre were orphans that were raised and rehabilitated on site with those that could not be released in the wild spending the rest of their natural years in the sanctuary. Over the years hundreds of birds and mammals were raised, Cared for, and rehabilitated by Pollyanna Pickering. However as her artistic career expanded she decided to downsize due to spending more and more time away. To compensate for this she set up the Pollyanna Pickering foundation to help aid wildlife even if she wasn’t there in person.

All of her paintings feature photorealistic wildlife scenes such as landscapes and mostly using mammals and birds as the centrepiece to each of them to create a stunning beautiful extract of nature, in addition to this all of the creatures that she paints have been witnessed by her in their natural environment refusing to paint anything she hasn’t seen with her own eyes adding a very personal aspect to her art making it more desirable with each piece being connected to a different trip or inspiration.

The Patchins art festival is where I met Pollyanna personally in which we discussed her art as well as more casual topics before asking Pollyanna to fill in a short questionnaire which can be found in the evidence folder. I love her art as because of