Micrograph Progression
Started creating the first micrograph cyanotype works of my pigments made with materials found by myself, like clay from my garden, copper pipes from my next door neighbour and iron oxide from the exterior of my old incinerator.
Imbedding or situating the artworks to the place the materials and data originate, I call this mapping. The first examples here are made by exploring and finding raw material, manipulating it to make it workable as a pigment and taking micrographs of the pigment/raw material to use in the physical artwork. Digital negatives are created of micrographs using open source editing software, then I print that on a transparency to contact print on sensitised paper in my exposure unit. Extending this further, using pigments made into paint, which I will be researching and developing in the coming weeks as I’d like to explore making watercolours and egg tempera.
These pigments will then be used to work into the micrograph cyanotypes to make more macro representational works, using the micro as a layer, adding texture and forms to work into. I always like this idea of pulling figurative elements from the micrographs, then forming more narrative as I paint, drawing from my own worldly experience.
This is part of Methodicalism, my methodology, my philosophy; to extend, elongate, to act, to do, to develop, to be curious. Within that it is an extension and development of my ongoing painting series called ‘Anthromicroscopy’ which is the mixing of anthropology and microscopy, as I look at both the micro and macro of our composition. The things that make us human, our thoughts, behaviours but also through colour and form inspired by or directly from microscopy.
This was first a thought I had around five or so years ago in 2021 still in the first year of my degree at Camberwell studying painting after looking at works by the Artist Daniel Richter, a German painter who’s paintings are incredibly colourful, some of which reminded me of histological micrographs. After this initial idea or lightbulb moment, I ordered a histopathological textbook full of colourful micrographs of tissue samples/stains, this combined with my experimentation in the application of paint to canvas was the catalyst for the series.
So now it is no more just a painting series, and no longer just inspired by or referencing appropriated imagery, I now create my own original photomicrographs from samples collected by myself, these are imbedded in the work using cyanotype and probably other photographic or projection techniques in the future to help build paintings. These aren’t the end of the work but the very beginning, they are like cells splitting and forming a new organism.
Indeed I will also be exploring the digital and have started to create proposals, sending them off to different organisations to collaborate, I want to work with others to help create a public dialogue about the work I’m doing, through public exhibition, workshops and maybe even talks.
