The Dawning Of Consciousness

My body of work, titled The Dawning Of Consciousness, is about felt connections between the psyche and the found object explored through an historical exploration of the alchemists' use and interpretation of the colour red. My influences range from minimalism to nouveau realism and artists such as Louise Bourgeois. The colour red has many associations in art but for the purposes of this series it represents life. The alchemists believed that the final phase of their process known as the 'rubedo', or the dawning of consciousness, was the end of the work.  This resulted in the birth of the philosopher's stone and everlasting life. The materials I select are chosen carefully through a pre-sense or feeling. For this series I worked with a high gloss enamel paint. I wanted a reflective surface in the negative spaces of the works that would reflect the image of the viewer, thus combining both mind and matter through the reflection passing across the surface. The alchemists believed that all elements in nature are connected. They worked through a series of chemical processes in search of enlightenment; the dawning of consciousness with the spirit. Within my practice many of the objects connect, and those that do not are nonetheless reaching out to suggest possibility and chance.

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Dawning Of Consciousness, 2021  

high gloss enamel paint, stones, test tubes, feathers, minerals, glitter, wood, flasks, vinyl tubes, 9 x wooden panels wall mounted , 4 x wooden panels wall mounted, 2 x pieces of wood in white with inserted feathers, 1 x pole in red with floating feather on cotton

3800 x 4000 x 4000 mm

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The Reddening, 2021  

flasks, stones, wood, vinyl tubes, acrylic paint on wooden boards  

609 x 457 x 40 mm

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Chemical Marriage, 2021  

acrylic paint, ostrich egg, wire, flasks, wood on wooden board  

609 x 457 x 40 mm

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Spirit Rising, 2021  

acrylic paint, stones, wood, wire, flasks, vinyl tubes on wooden boards  

609 x 457 x 40 mm