Artists Statement for 'The Emperor' Third year Degree Forth Valley College.

  An Artists Statement. Carol Meikleham BAD3 Wednesday, 26 October 2011                               

 Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale Brief     'The Emperors New Clothes'. 

I was influenced by Hans Christian Anderson’s, cut-outs, paper work and his use of the psychologically hidden message.  I was also influenced by Elena Diadenko-Hunter and her use of mixed media and faces/text "The outside looking in" series. Gerhard Richter’s photography portrait work of Ulrike Meinhof before this young woman became a German terrorist in the Red Army Fraction, had an influence.

 I thought up the idea of using paper stencil cut-outs to create a layered silkscreen print or series of prints using colour. Research included reading the Fairy Tale using Penguin Classics and Psychology book; I researched Hans Christian Anderson on the internet, discovering his lesser-known cut-outs. I was very influenced by his work and thinking.  I traced my sketch book work in newsprint creating many stencils for the print design.  I was aiming at a person’s layered personality and psychological motivations outlined in the Fairy Tale, using fresh simple cut-outs and colour printing in layers.  

My main aim in creating this, multiple colour layered, silkscreen print entitled ‘The Emperor’, was to convey a visual portrait which echoes the makeup of a person.  People are made up of many different layers of learning and experience.  I tried to convey this by using colour and simple paper-cut outlines.  We tend to know what a face should look like, so I showed the inner protected self in a ‘looking in looking out visual way’ using a warm happy yellow.  The other colour layers I used strident red signifying danger and attention and soft     violet and blues which become distorted and overlapping and debauched looking.  (like a spoiled emperor) This outlining represents the effects of my concept which was ‘how people see you...reflects how you see yourself.’   This Psychological term ‘The looking glass Self’ is a phrase used by sociologist Charles Cooley, which outlines how people take on board what others say about them, causing them to actually revaluate themselves into what others say they are.  I hope my print reflects this.  I contextualised the faces by adding a translucent crown, which is not visible from a distance, this hopefully means the viewer has to look hard to see what’s there, echoing the looking, and seeing, or not seeing, the invisible material, of the ‘Emperors New Clothes’ which is well known within society.

Self motivations like greed, power, fear, vanity, cause distortions between, The Perceived Self and the True Self.  I used this concept outlined within the Fairy Tale to create and explore Silkscreen techniques; I also explored Illustrator and CS4 Photoshop, text on a curved line for future use. I created a bog uploading my thoughts as a weekly diary.  I also explored Windows Movie maker, and learned how to upload to my blog-spot, (with my mentors help, Taylor Bennie).   I explored Inspirations Map Making.( also getting started off with Taylors help).   During this 7 week brief my Artwork has allowed me to explore and learn new skills for future use.