Staff Exhibition – Silks

Staff Exhibition – Silks

I had to choose some work to submit for the staff exhibition at Hull School of Art and Design. I was unsure which element of the work I have been producing I wanted to show. I eventually decided on a couple of the silks I have been working over several months. They are fairly large in scale so I thought they would have impact and I was keen to see how they would look displayed in a white space.

When I first saw them in the exhibition I was pleasantly surprised and really pleased with how striking they looked. The simple curation give them the uncluttered space needed for the viewer can be completely engaged with them . I am pleased with the richness and depth of colour and the visibility of the build up of layers of dye. I liked how they worked as a pair, complimenting each other. It was satisfying being able to view them from a distance they have an intensity and getting close achieving the ‘glow’ I have been pursuing.

Re-evaluating this work has made me sad that I have put the silk work to one side in pursuit of the larger paintings on canvas I have been involved with. The paintings are frustrating as the colours do not have the depth, intensity and jewel like quality attainable with the dyes on silk. I intend to revisit this process to see if I can refine and control the outcomes to achieve more precise results.