September seminar - Exhibition

Take Aways from crit transcript below: Marks made on both faces holds more interest. Marks and stains that come through from other side are successful. Stretched canvases okay as opposed to free hanging. Horizontal plane works with the tablecloth imagery. The murkiness does not detract on the triptych. The bleach writing on front face good. Evidence of histories in the layering, maternal histories, the domestic environment, the labour and skill in the embroidery on the tablecloths. The irreverent line (felt tip scribbles) read correctly.

Transcript from crit.

Layering on the back face but the resulting marks and stains are showing through. Focus on the palimpsest element rather than showing layering as such. Palimpsest being evident on the back side too.

See histories. Specific histories, marks noisy enough to make you think that the marks are intentional. Layers emphasise the historic.

Histories feel maternal. Patterns on table cloths, lace reminds us of grandmothers, mothers, domestic environment.

Like the scale - butting up to make a triptych. Like the triptych.

I asked whether stretched canvases worked as opposed to loose hanging fabric.

Like the colour - the mouldy, earthy appearance, the stain.

We read these as image - photogram, index, read as image far more than fabric, because detail are more present. (previous work showed fabric itself).

Like a plan view, looking down onto a table. Horizontal plane. Not on vertical like curtain (my concerns about loose hanging fabric).

Do I describe these as paintings? I lean more to the drawing aspect rather than paintings, but not easily to define. Stretcher bars bring in painting. I want to elevate it as a painting on show by stretching it.

I work on the floor, on one surface, don’t hang fully on the wall until the seminar.

Staining through from the back face, stenciling on the front face. So decision what to do on the back face and what to do on front face.

Does this affect the appearance of the work when worked on on both side and turned around or when they are worked on just the front surface. Decision to work on both surfaces or one surface.

Easier to read when only done on one surface but more interesting when some marks show through. Which process is most successful.

Bleach writing on front. Staining coming through. marks on front and coming through hold interest.

Domestic experience - marks made in felt tip reminded of children’s marks that are not intentional.

Can’t make so many marks when stretched as stretcher bars get in the way, make an impression. Like the limitations of the sewing machine and how much fabric you can move through the machine. The limitations. Important part of the process or restricitive.

Murky colour - does that work? Spray paint on fabric when not quite dry so when applied it spread a bit - added to the blur. Robert Rauchenberg - collaging newspaper print and then painted over. Smudge, grubby. Old photos, newspaper print on fingers. Double sprayed over tablecloth to blur definition, shaky image, memory.

Contradiction of neat and messy, clean and grubby. Rebellion. Time to create these tablecloths so you don't stain them or protect them from be stained. Rebellion in the use of the tablecloth, bleach, spray paint - disrupt the reverence of embroidery. Being rebellious as a maker.