Statement:
In my project I am focusing on architecture in Leicester and how different factors affect elements such as windows and doors including age, personal preferences, and modernity. I have been working at quite a small scale using acrylic paints on paper and cardboard. Using acrylics has been effective as they dry quickly and are easy to layer. I have combined block colours with textured brushstrokes to give a worn look to my paintings. I have experimented with the colours I have used by making use of a colour wheel and doing different versions of the same painting to see how colours affect the overall outcome. I began primary research by going into different areas of Leicester to take photographs and do quick drawings of buildings and houses. I am hoping that my work demonstrates to the viewer that Leicester has a lot of history and that things are constantly changing architecturally as new needs need to be met. I made sure to do research into the history of architecture and architecture in Leicester to explain why certain decisions were made about different architectural elements. I felt intrigued by the fact that streets in Leicester, particularly housing, were originally designed to have the same style of features yet now as I walk around Leicester this has changed for several reasons. The changes, though sometimes subtle, take away from the history of the place and make it more modern. With the compositions and angles used in some of my work, I have created a feeling of claustrophobia which I feel could relate to the lockdown and is something I am hoping to investigate further. By using drastically different colour palettes, I manage to demonstrate different times of day which is important as features such as windows will have different reflections depending upon how much light there is. In my work I enjoy using bright colours with large areas of contrast as I feel this really draws the viewer in and it includes a lot of layering which I enjoy. In this project I have learned that it is important to consider colour palettes without rushing into them as colours used can easily affect the mood of the images, creating a different effect altogether. The strengths of my work is how confident and bold I’ve been with composition and shape but to improve, I need to move away from working in the sketchbook and use grid paper to create more accurate drawings. I have found it interesting to find influences that create films involving architecture rather than art including Sean Meadows as this generated more ideas involving council estates and ways to portray architecture in my work. I am hoping to continue to develop a body of work in the upcoming weeks making improvements on the areas I am lacking in.