Amber Parker-Swift
Responding to the theme of sensation , I started by researching art that involves movement and distortion . I began by using segments to create a portrait , seeing the effect it has on the expression on the face . After this I worked a lot with oil paints , and while I focused on portraits , I also attempted the same style with a landscape to recreate the effect of glass . The segments are supposed to make the image seem smooth from far away but up close you can see fractures and how disjointed they are .
While my work started out with precise and defined lines , my more recent pieces involved a palette knife ; the thicker paint was less controlled and more spontaneous . Moving and moulding the paint with the knife was a process that I really enjoyed , and it led me to create multiple portraits based on a smudging technique . While painting was my focus , I have also tried other mediums such as ink and clay . I tried to incorporate the idea of motion and distortion into these . My artwork represents how I have explored a range of techniques and mediums and tried to adapt them to my overarching theme . Inspired by artists such as Glenn Brown , Andy Denzler and Edgar Degas , each medium led me to research a unique process of creating distortion .