Statement of Intent

I'm quite glad I have waited a little bit longer to write my statement of intent because initially my idea was quite different to where I am now and doesn't link at all (as you can tell from my previous posts).

What interests or drives you?

I have always loved portraits and portraiture. I like to get every detail right on a face; I never really go for hyperrealism but I like the realness of a face. Paint I feel gives this realness, even if the technique used is messy I feel like the texture adds to the character of the face. Originally I was going to continue my ideas from last year but channelled through a different idea, using lines and drawing rather than painting portraits. However I got lost in the idea and wasn't really enjoying the time I spent on the drawings. I feel like it should be more or a "holiday" piece rather than something I can take with me through the course. The driving force behind my original idea was my passion for the Gothic and the Horror genre. However, because I have changed my idea I can't exactly say that that's still pushing me on. The meaning behind my idea of Identity is how we can change ourselves at the drop of a hat. But not exactly just change ourselves with clothes and makeup, because right now Identity is a very important subject in the world. Sexual identity, physical identity and gender identity have all come to the forefront of discussions all around the world. I am trying to explore how I personally can change how I feel about my identity through portraiture and hopefully reach out to the people who view my work and trigger something within them to be more accepting of the world we live in today. For me a portrait is a way to sate the feelings I had when I was younger, to dress differently and to be different to everyone else but for others that's not enough.

What Materials do you think might best serve your Investigations/Play?

I feel like paint will be the best material for my portraits, I am thinking of exploring oil paints and other forms of acrylic to help me get a better feel for the materials I have been using for a long time. It's all about learning and changing so I feel like adding acrylic mediums to my paintings might help me figure out how I want to use paints in the future.

How will you measure your Success?

I will measure my success by listening to my peers and tutors, letting them both bash and credit my work so I will be able to take constructive criticism and explore different ideas within my work. However, I also feel that if I am happy with a piece I will not change it unless someone suggests something magical that will make it much better. Currently I have measured my success by my colleagues giving me feedback about my paintings, and this is probably why I ended up chaning my idea to begin with.