The last exposition towards my Masters

As Masters students, we are encouraged to continually evolve and refine our practice. During the process, we present our progress through regular expositions. Shown here is my final exposition on display this week at Grays School of Art.

Oil and photographs printed on muslin, mounted within roller frames

The multiple panels here form part of a conceptual polyptych work, the inspiration of which comes from my master's project topic of ‘Emotive ethnobotany in the North East of Scotland during the First World War and the interwar years’. 

Sphagnum moss utilised during the first world war for bandages and wound dressings can soak up to 20 times its weight in liquid. The moss also has antiseptic properties. Through my research I have found that throughout the North East of Scotland communities gathered moss which they deposited in their local depots where it was dried and then sent to the regional headquarters in Aberdeen to be made into wound dressings. The display cabinet shows artefacts and ephemera including a wooden bandage roller, the design of which I have mimicked for my frames. 

Through my investigation into Sphagnum moss, I walked local mosses capturing photographic images, and focussed in on the tiniest of details through macro and microscopic photography. This research has revealed a network of spaces forming patterns within the moss. Here is a sample for a future linoprint. This has been created using Adobe Photoshop to work out colour.

As this multifaceted artwork progresses most of the panels will be painted and printed.

Below are current photos taken of my busy studio space at Gray's School of Art.