2/9/2021
During lockdown 2020, I completed a collection of works I decided to name Anti Gravity in reference to the free fall of not only the COVI19 crisis but also my personal journey at the time. How is this especially relevant to my Master's studies? I think ALL aspects of my art practice are relevant to the individual projectsÂ
The shapes that pervade the pieces allude to those of the Scarborough Cliffs and Whitewash Heads close to where I live in Sumner, Christchurch. The subject matter evokes a feeling of calm suspension. There is no tension or awkwardness, rather a knowing of being consciously elevated. The works speak of the of spiritual, emotional and physical states of being I encountered and evolved through personally running up to and during the lockdown period. The colours in the works are specifically chosen for nostalgic reasons with the pink in the paintings being Tony's Pink the colour I had on my bedroom walls as a child. The colour was designed by close family friends Tony Nightingale Resene's founding owner, and my mother Pieter Stewart. The golds and deep greens and blues invoke the tones of the burnt land and dark seas.
A large part of my creative journey alludes to a natural aesthetic. Parallel to this, I have poked a stick at invasive frequencies such as mass media programming. If we are influenced by the positive power of nature then to me it seems logical that emf’s and city-based & societal frequential patterns may have a negative effect on the human psyche and our ability to feel grounded and whole. My work applies a post-colonial - post-modern perspective to a contemporary New Zealand art practice, constructing a new visual for ancient belief systems whilst grounding my work in the current New Zealand landscape and creative environment.
This is why this collection is relevant to the Master's project, as it grounds as it helps establish a dialogue and visual narrative. I have chosen to try and make EVERY aspect of this creative journey into a collection of finished works, much like one of my creative heroes, Christo whereby his working drawings were in my opinion as intriguing and delicious as the final works.
The shapes that pervade the pieces allude to those of the Scarborough Cliffs and Whitewash Heads close to where I live in Sumner, Christchurch. The subject matter evokes a feeling of calm suspension. There is no tension or awkwardness, rather a knowing of being consciously elevated. The works speak of the of spiritual, emotional and physical states of being I encountered and evolved through personally running up to and during the lockdown period. The colours in the works are specifically chosen for nostalgic reasons with the pink in the paintings being Tony's Pink the colour I had on my bedroom walls as a child. The colour was designed by close family friends Tony Nightingale Resene's founding owner, and my mother Pieter Stewart. The golds and deep greens and blues invoke the tones of the burnt land and dark seas.
A large part of my creative journey alludes to a natural aesthetic. Parallel to this, I have poked a stick at invasive frequencies such as mass media programming. If we are influenced by the positive power of nature then to me it seems logical that emf’s and city-based & societal frequential patterns may have a negative effect on the human psyche and our ability to feel grounded and whole. My work applies a post-colonial - post-modern perspective to a contemporary New Zealand art practice, constructing a new visual for ancient belief systems whilst grounding my work in the current New Zealand landscape and creative environment.
This is why this collection is relevant to the Master's project, as it grounds as it helps establish a dialogue and visual narrative. I have chosen to try and make EVERY aspect of this creative journey into a collection of finished works, much like one of my creative heroes, Christo whereby his working drawings were in my opinion as intriguing and delicious as the final works.