ARTIST STATEMENT
Death isn’t as cruel as we make it to be; in truth it’s just an unpaid bill, an old acquaintance – the song everyone knows. Grief is cruel, it drags you down into dark depths. Submerged portrays how I see grief. A grief I feel terrified to feel, I’m scared I will be submerged and eventually I will drown. The most mundane activity without them feels like torture, washing the dishes turns into a chronic sharp pain. This piece is to not be just a window into myself but a mirror for those who have felt what I fear to feel.
ARTWORK PROCESS
Initial experiments were the use of mark making, drawing the face and the body to capture personality. I started researching contemporary Australian artists, looking at their use of texture and colour to create mood in their works. Other research led me to consider grief. Submerged was created as an emotional response to the song 'Say Something' by a Great Big World and my fear of grief. Through the use of acrylic paint and oil sticks I create a surface that is rough and gritty, the man's expression capturing the depth of his grief and the water symbolising his sadness.
