Jason deCaires Taylor

Jason de Caires Taylor is an underwater sculpter who combines his love of the underwater with his sculptures to create underwater seascapes that also act as artificial reefs. these sculptures speak volumes of the mans impact on the underwater world. in one of his works Unstill life he recreates a front room scene under the water which is actually a growing reef. I love his use of the confined domestic space in something as open and wild like space of the sea.

Frank Murdoch

Leonardo Erlich: Swimming pool

It is not always easy for me to dissect my work, but i have learned the necessity of it in which to consider the context of my work. i have always seen that my work incorporates kitsch elements and i do enjoy a lot of kitsch influences but these are mostly from a point of nostalgia and not from a purist sense. My influences are very much rooted in the world as i perceive it, at first i always thought this quite insular but i have since identified that the postmodernist perspective is more reflective of my work. 

According to Grenz, postmodernist have a particular perspective that starts with the persons reality and experiences. he goes onto tell us how art pieces will evolve and start to take on different meanings and reactions according to the place , time and experiences of the person considering it. So appreciating kitsch from a nostalgic place is not the same as Greenberg speaking about in his 1939 essay avantgarde and kitsch. 

Goldfish bowl

Current Cameras. Theory. Medium.

Cameras-
Since arriving in glasgow almost three years ago i have been notoriously unlucky with my equipment. Being the victim of two burglaries, a number of thefts and lost luggage has made me more open to using a range of equipment. These are mostly lower quality and are limited in what they can achieve but they give me scope for other textures and effects in video work. The imagery is of differing size and quality which enhances the contrasts in my imagery giving a sharp and defined transition of the images. The qualitative element is very different in all the cameras and strongly reflects me and my thought process.

The cameras i am currently using are a Fujifilm finepix S2800 HD Digital Camera, a Vivitar dvr510n with underwater case, a Samsung Hand held Camcorder, an Olympus 850sw waterproofed (this however is my parents so i have limited access) and numerous film cameras including, underwater disposables, Canon Z135 and Olympus OM-1.


Theory –
My theory base is very rooted within post modernism which I have found to be a more open medium allowing an eclectic mix of fields. “In practical terms it means that art could be made of anything, include any imagery and address anything” http://rhoadley.org/presentations/InstallationArt-s.pdf
The primary function of post modernism is that it starts from the persons reality and apparent realities. It acknowledges that Art is defined “by social constraints and is subject to change inherent in space and time”. I appreciate this open and enlightening perspective. My work is also heavily influenced by Kitsch art which brings to me a nostalgic element that strongly reflects my personal heritage.

Medium -
My work and thought process is more comfortable with post modernist perspective and presently I have found installation art (being mixed media, multidimensional created for a specific space in mind),  accommodates this most satisfactorily
Installation art is about a specific space and making it a place by understanding what the space represents.

Tim Allen

I came across an artist today named Tim Allen. He is based in seattle WA where my mother is originally from. He uses low quality media and produces some enlightening cosmic art. Here are a few of my favourite pieces.



http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/tim-allen.html

  

What really caught my eye though was this piece.

                                                      Once again the fish and the sky meet.