Helen Wilkinson

acrylic, graphite, collage, pen, ink, pastel on paper
30cm x 42cm
Title Composure

"I am very interested in the idea of a painting as a portal, both into space, but into interior space too - into the mind" - Sarah Sze.

I visited Sze’s ‘Metronome’ installation at Peckham Rye station. Her themes remind me of how the mind can become a whirlwind of thoughts – triggered by a bombardment of experiences, communications and demands on us - all hidden beneath the more composed face we present to the world.

The outside face we present to the world hides and protects our inside world. Yet it is also supported by our inside, like thread on a cotton reel. The work explores the experience of the contrast between outside face and inner whirlwind. Meaning is incorporated through the choices I made, such as a colour palette from my ‘outside’ self’s clothes, and 'thoughts' from my iphone photo history. I experimented with composition, the combination of macro composition versus intricate layers. Research helped me choose how to arrange my ‘thought cloud’ - to create space and to integrate collage with the painted and drawn layers.

“My OFCAD year has been a life-changing adventure… broadening my horizons in art, learning about a range of skills and ways of approaching art. I am looking forward to taking time to experiment more widely with the media I learnt this year and repeating the process of research and development to discover more how I can express myself through art.”

STUDENT SHOWS

Helen Wilkinson