These works consisting of skins of oil paint burnt and peeled off the canvas are the newest development in my examination of the act of tearing and peeling and its residual impact, through the traces left behind. The process of tearing and peeling engages the interstitial space between the fragment and the canvas surface, each rip exposing rawness underneath, revealing its past in unpredictable ways. The remnants and residues left in this space are a reminder of the act of disconnection, and become the main subject of contemplation. These are layers that both reveal and conceal the traces left behind. They embody the history and relationship between the surface and the removed piece, by making visible the traces as bruises. They are insistent colours in the form of residues carried from the surface from which the piece was removed, indicating the existence and passing of something. My process therefore becomes a vulnerable act of not only revealing but also accepting what is now exposed. The presence of the traces is paramount, because they recall the absence of their origin, and call attention to the torn fragment’s existence, its past and its moment of birth. The unpredictability of what traces will be left behind during each tear forces me to accept and embrace the unknown.
The colours in these works are reminiscent of the colours of the evening, a time that carries traces of day as well as of night, and yet reveals a distinct identity of its own. It is when white light gets dispersed, revealing brilliant oranges, pinks, and purples and grey-blues that are not seen during other times of the day.
In this series, I have embraced the naturally forming bodies of the skins of oil paint, which wrinkle, fold and curl of their own accord after being removed from their surfaces, left on my studio floor and I have allowed the individuality of each fragment to form, where the fragment finally becomes the whole without the anxiety of separation.
