Joseph Brown - Documentation

African Jewel Beetle, Spray paint on MDF board, 22 x 30 cm

African Jewel Beetle Detail

Drawing inspiration from unit 1 I decided to create another piece using spray paint, this time using three main colours. I hoped to represent the iridescence of the beetle's body.

If i work with this medium again in the future I would consider including a design for the background or staining the surface before spraying a design on to the board.

Sol Petals, Batik on Cotton, 23.5 x 31 cm

Sol Petals Detail

Continuing into Unit 2 I decided to focus on experimenting with batik painting techniques and made my first one based on a flower whose bright colours caught my attention on a walk.

I believe I was able to capture the bright colours and bold shapes of the flower and its surrounding environment.

I installed eyelets on to this painting to give myself the option of various ways of installing which I investigated in the studio and during my solo show.

Foot of Blackberry, Batik on Cotton, 30 x 30 cm

Foot of Blackberry Detail

I created another batik painting this time based on the leaves of a blackberry bramble I viewed within the same general area as my first painting.

I wanted to try different ways of displaying my work so I tried placing this painting in an embroidery hoop. I think this creates an interesting finished outcome. Investigating how my work can be framed, both literally and figuratively, can provide my practice with greater cohesion between individual pieces.

Purples, Batik on Cotton, left to right 30 x 39.5 cm, 23.5 x 31 cm, 27 x 34 cm

My experimentation with batik extended further as I started to try hand-dyeing my wax drawings of flowers. Submerging the material in dye baths resulted in two-colour prints similar to cyanotypes. Using wax resist and dye application provided me with inspiration for different ways to colour my work, enabling me to explore contrast and colour in a new way.

In Unit 3 I would like to incorporate both ways of dyeing into my paintings as both dyeing styles can be best used at different points of creating a painting.