Dancing Tree
Another New Studio
Dancing Tree 27 02 2024
The sculpture I started last month has occupied all my time since apart from a trip away between the 7th and the 9th. I wanted the surface to be active and to give the piece the feel of the dancing tree that is its working title. On the 1st I worked on the surface with an idea of reflecting the way light shows between branches of trees and after a lot of work ended up with an entirely unsatisfactory surface.
Dancing Tree 01 03 2024
Dancing Tree 01 03 2024
So much so that I honestly felt it detracted from the form. The view above is more dynamic because the pattern is not flattening the surface.
Studio 04 03 2024
Back in the studio on the 4th I decided to take the pattern off by attaching new sheets to the surface.
Dancing Tree 04 03 2024
This had the effect of thickening the surface and also making it sit tighter to the form.
tree textures 04 03 2024
As I still wanted to get the effect of the sun through the trees, or at least to imply a space seen through the object, I began to make drawings from the object, recording each stage as I went. So firstly I drew the object loosely on A1 cartridge, I make a set of five, then I blocked in the larger forms with blackboard paint and took a monoprint of each sheet. I added additional elements in printing ink and black gouache and again printed each of them. Then I left them to dry while I took a trip away.
Tree Textures 11 03 2024
On my return I decided to split the images into strips and leave white gaps between to have a much more active surface.
tree textures process
The gif gives a stage by stage view of the process.
Alongside this I also used the paper I’d put down to catch drips and spills to start a new drawing.
Floor Void 04 03 2024
Leaving the central space left when this was originally used for ‘tree flower’
Dancing Tree 12 03 2024
The next thing was to put the black and white stripes on the surfaces and then print the pattern using strips of paper.
Dancing Tree 12 03 2024
Dancing Tree 12 03 2024
The structure doesn’t look like the sun streaming through the trees, but does have some of the dynamism and will work well as part of the three trees set.
Dancing Tree 12 03 2024
It’s worth looking at the difference between the two states, one from the 27th February and the next from 12th March.