PATTERN SERIES
MELODY ARMSTRONG
PATTERN SERIES
April 5 - May 17, 2014
Opening Reception • Saturday April 5 • 2 - 4pm
New paintings of tessellations, repeating organic forms, and metallic textures using acrylic, oil, metallic leaf, and cupric chloride.
Melody Armstrong received her BFA specializing in jewelry and metal design from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 1999. In her painting, she is influenced by her jewelry designs as well as by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, Gustav Klimt, and M.C. Escher.
MYSTERIA GALLERY
Contemporary Visual Arts
2706 13th Avenue Regina SK
306.522.0080 • www.mysteria.ca
ARTIST STATEMENT
‘Pattern Series’ is a body of work directly influenced by my jewelry designs and the development of those designs into jewelry objects.
By using the process of repetitive succession I manipulate and render the forms by taking them through different stages of illustration, metal construction, photography, and finally paint on canvas.
Expanding my ideas further into abstraction I reshape these natural forms for expressive purposes, and make a significant departure from subject and object to organic patterns and geometric structures by focusing on the pattern, texture, line and shape.
My objective is to be inspired by exploring and developing my design aesthetic of juxtaposing industrial and naturally occurring shapes, contrasting surface treatments, textures and colour, and bring those to a two dimensional surface.
Working with oils has opened a new avenue in my creative process, finding that they allow me to accomplish my intended application in a more fluid and dynamic way. I incorporate metal leaf into the paintings to imitate the richness and reflective nature of the jewelry that has inspired me.
I use the copper etching byproduct, cupric chloride, applying it as a medium to the paintings. What has been removed in the beginning stages of my jewelry process gets reintroduced, recycled, re-purposed into my two dimensional work.
Just like copper and silver jewelry, the cupric chloride and fine silver leaf will age by oxidizing in the environment.
In ‘Pattern Series’ I demonstrate how one idea transcends mediums and dimensions, how one material or technical process influences the next step in my artistic expression.
MELODY ARMSTRONG – PATTERN SERIES – 2014
IMAGE LIST:
AMETHYST – oil, acrylic, 18” x 18”, 2014, $500, SOLD.
BASSE TAILLE TEXTURE #1 – TRIFID – oil, 36” x 36”, 2010, $1000.
BASSE TAILLE TEXTURE #2 – WAVE – acrylic, copper leaf, cupric chloride, 18” x 36”, 2010, $750.
BASSE TAILLE TEXTURE #3 - WAVE SQUARE – acrylic, metal leaf, cupric chloride, 36” x 36”, 2014, $1000.
BASSE TAILLE TEXTURE #4 - WAVE IN-BETWEEN - acrylic, copper leaf, cupric chloride, 24” x 24”, 2014, $675.
CITRON PATTERN - oil, acrylic, varnish, 12” x 12”, 2013, $350, SOLD.
CROSS SECTION CHECKERBOARD - oil, fine silver leaf, 18” x 18”, 2014, $500.
CROSS SECTION PEARL REFLECTION - oil, fine silver leaf, 12” x 48”, 2014, $850.
FOUR POINTED STAR PATTERN - oil, acrylic, metal leaf, 36” x 36”, 2009, $1000.
FOUR POINTED STAR YELLOW - oil, acrylic, fine silver leaf, 12” x 12”, 2014, $350, SOLD.
HEXAGON PATTERN #1 - SMALL SCALE – oil, acrylic, copper leaf, cupric chloride, 12” x 48”, 2014, $850.
HEXAGON PATTERN #2 - LARGE SCALE - oil, acrylic, metal leaf, cupric chloride, 24” x 48”, 2014, $1000.
MORPHIC FIZZ - oil, fine silver leaf, 24” x 48”, 2013, $1000.
QUATREFOIL PATTERN - oil, acrylic, 12” x 12”, 2014, $350.
QUATREFOIL - oil, acrylic, 18” x 18”, 2014, $500.
ZIG ZAG PATTERN - oil, acrylic, 24” x 48”, 2014, $1000.
Techniques:
BASSE TAILLE
Basse-taille is an enamelling technique in which I create a low-relief pattern on copper using the etching process, a translucent enamel is then applied to the metal, allowing light to reflect from the relief and creating an interesting effect.
The exquisiteness of these objects influence and inspire me to experiment with their qualities further. I am then inspired to paint these wonderful forms, giving them a dynamic two-dimensional perspective on a much larger scale, thereby challenging what is art and what is craft, and connecting functional and non-functional art.
COPPER ETCHING
I etch my own designs into copper sheet to be used to create jewelry forms. Using a safer etching alternative to the traditional hazardous chemicals, I employ an Electrolytic Copper Etching method using a resist, salt water and a battery.
The copper that is removed during the process attaches to the salt molecules to form cupric chloride in solution. It is heavy and settles, I then drain off the clear liquid from above and use this “sludge” to apply as a medium to my paintings. Once applied it dries very grainy and quite matte. This cupric chloride will slowly oxidize over time developing an interesting verdigris colour.
• To see the jewelry that has inspired these paintings please visit my blog @
http://melodyarmstrong.blogspot.ca/2014_04_01_archive.html
PATTERN SERIES
April 5 - May 17, 2014
Opening Reception • Saturday April 5 • 2 - 4pm
New paintings of tessellations, repeating organic forms, and metallic textures using acrylic, oil, metallic leaf, and cupric chloride.
Melody Armstrong received her BFA specializing in jewelry and metal design from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 1999. In her painting, she is influenced by her jewelry designs as well as by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, Gustav Klimt, and M.C. Escher.
MYSTERIA GALLERY
Contemporary Visual Arts
2706 13th Avenue Regina SK
306.522.0080 • www.mysteria.ca
ARTIST STATEMENT
‘Pattern Series’ is a body of work directly influenced by my jewelry designs and the development of those designs into jewelry objects.
By using the process of repetitive succession I manipulate and render the forms by taking them through different stages of illustration, metal construction, photography, and finally paint on canvas.
Expanding my ideas further into abstraction I reshape these natural forms for expressive purposes, and make a significant departure from subject and object to organic patterns and geometric structures by focusing on the pattern, texture, line and shape.
My objective is to be inspired by exploring and developing my design aesthetic of juxtaposing industrial and naturally occurring shapes, contrasting surface treatments, textures and colour, and bring those to a two dimensional surface.
Working with oils has opened a new avenue in my creative process, finding that they allow me to accomplish my intended application in a more fluid and dynamic way. I incorporate metal leaf into the paintings to imitate the richness and reflective nature of the jewelry that has inspired me.
I use the copper etching byproduct, cupric chloride, applying it as a medium to the paintings. What has been removed in the beginning stages of my jewelry process gets reintroduced, recycled, re-purposed into my two dimensional work.
Just like copper and silver jewelry, the cupric chloride and fine silver leaf will age by oxidizing in the environment.
In ‘Pattern Series’ I demonstrate how one idea transcends mediums and dimensions, how one material or technical process influences the next step in my artistic expression.
MELODY ARMSTRONG – PATTERN SERIES – 2014
IMAGE LIST:
AMETHYST – oil, acrylic, 18” x 18”, 2014, $500, SOLD.
BASSE TAILLE TEXTURE #1 – TRIFID – oil, 36” x 36”, 2010, $1000.
BASSE TAILLE TEXTURE #2 – WAVE – acrylic, copper leaf, cupric chloride, 18” x 36”, 2010, $750.
BASSE TAILLE TEXTURE #3 - WAVE SQUARE – acrylic, metal leaf, cupric chloride, 36” x 36”, 2014, $1000.
BASSE TAILLE TEXTURE #4 - WAVE IN-BETWEEN - acrylic, copper leaf, cupric chloride, 24” x 24”, 2014, $675.
CITRON PATTERN - oil, acrylic, varnish, 12” x 12”, 2013, $350, SOLD.
CROSS SECTION CHECKERBOARD - oil, fine silver leaf, 18” x 18”, 2014, $500.
CROSS SECTION PEARL REFLECTION - oil, fine silver leaf, 12” x 48”, 2014, $850.
FOUR POINTED STAR PATTERN - oil, acrylic, metal leaf, 36” x 36”, 2009, $1000.
FOUR POINTED STAR YELLOW - oil, acrylic, fine silver leaf, 12” x 12”, 2014, $350, SOLD.
HEXAGON PATTERN #1 - SMALL SCALE – oil, acrylic, copper leaf, cupric chloride, 12” x 48”, 2014, $850.
HEXAGON PATTERN #2 - LARGE SCALE - oil, acrylic, metal leaf, cupric chloride, 24” x 48”, 2014, $1000.
MORPHIC FIZZ - oil, fine silver leaf, 24” x 48”, 2013, $1000.
QUATREFOIL PATTERN - oil, acrylic, 12” x 12”, 2014, $350.
QUATREFOIL - oil, acrylic, 18” x 18”, 2014, $500.
ZIG ZAG PATTERN - oil, acrylic, 24” x 48”, 2014, $1000.
Techniques:
BASSE TAILLE
Basse-taille is an enamelling technique in which I create a low-relief pattern on copper using the etching process, a translucent enamel is then applied to the metal, allowing light to reflect from the relief and creating an interesting effect.
The exquisiteness of these objects influence and inspire me to experiment with their qualities further. I am then inspired to paint these wonderful forms, giving them a dynamic two-dimensional perspective on a much larger scale, thereby challenging what is art and what is craft, and connecting functional and non-functional art.
COPPER ETCHING
I etch my own designs into copper sheet to be used to create jewelry forms. Using a safer etching alternative to the traditional hazardous chemicals, I employ an Electrolytic Copper Etching method using a resist, salt water and a battery.
The copper that is removed during the process attaches to the salt molecules to form cupric chloride in solution. It is heavy and settles, I then drain off the clear liquid from above and use this “sludge” to apply as a medium to my paintings. Once applied it dries very grainy and quite matte. This cupric chloride will slowly oxidize over time developing an interesting verdigris colour.
• To see the jewelry that has inspired these paintings please visit my blog @
http://melodyarmstrong.blogspot.ca/2014_04_01_archive.html
