Harriet Westgarth - MFA Painting
My paintings have recently evolved from using acrylic on paper to oil paint on canvas. I cherry-pick drawn forms from my sketchbook and piece them together clumsily to create a composition. Although marks are made quickly and instinctively, I will think through steps in advance. This could mean viewing a photo of the painting for a fresh perspective or just spending time with a painting, leaving it to sit and mature before going back to painting. I will play out scenarios in my head of line, shape and colour until I land on the right next move.  Often drawing inspiration from everyday life, Subjects around me, I focus on minor details of objects, light, structures, or other artists’ work, curating a collection of these details into a painting. The works balance both figurative and abstract elements, focusing more on the materiality of paint. This method allows recognisable imagery to emerge in my work, like shadows of their sources seeping through. Elements are layered over each other, with each added section conversing with previous ones. The painting creates pockets of information, documenting brushstrokes and showing where the painting has evolved. As the paintings do not copy specific images or compositions, I find that over time, paintings become more than just objects; energy and presence emerge; they become separate living entities. Texture and opacity are carefully considered throughout the application, allowing the brushstrokes to become both the subject of the painting and a tool to keep the viewer engaged. I describe this as playing pinball with the viewer's eyesight, letting them naturally dart from one side of the artwork to another. Lines and shapes guide the audience around the canvas, breaking up the interwoven composition.
