George Crusher
Through exploring the prompt of sensation , my exhibition developed into a mixture of portraiture and layering . My response to the theme of portraiture was conveyed by how I could manipulate the human form to express a sensation the viewer will experience . I combined this approach with the idea of layering to emphasise this sensation and develop the complexity of my work . Layering allowed me to learn , develop and combine various artistic techniques across the two-year period . Using sitters from the year group , I experimented with how light can impact the artistic expression of their emotions , allowing me to portray different effects from the same photograph .
An artist that has influenced my work is Phoebe Boswell . A lot of her work combines naturalistic events with portraiture to develop the feeling of the overall piece , which I mirrored through my theme of layering . Like Boswell , I also I used a fishbowl approach to bring the sitters ’ emotions into focus . More recently I have been studying Kunichika ’ s use of woodblock printing to integrate block colours and impact the mood of the piece . I explored this using monoprints and linocuts .
As my work progressed , I began to combine my two themes , leading me to look at the idea of rundown natural surfaces and how this can work together with my portraiture to create contrasting sensations in the same piece . The connecting themes of layering and portraiture allowed me to develop the theme of sensation in a way that pushed my understanding of the subject and forced me out of my comfort zone .