A Series of 12 small works on paper exploring transparency and soft forms
Painting Alla Prima - Transparent white into Process Black
Flotsam
The word Flotsam means the remnants of a shipwreck -Flotsam are items that resurface from the wreckage and Jetsom are things deliberately cast off a ship.
Over the years Flotsam has taken on other meanings but the central theme is the cast offs, the lost things, the overlooked and abandoned.
I have always loved the sound and feel of this word - and these pieces are a response to this and the the notion of resurfacing thoughts and ideas - abandoned or lost. These soft little forms floating in space.
One of my constant lines of enquiry in my work is the idea of yielding, softness and gentleness - I spoke about it in an earlier post.
These flotsam paintings take that into a question about whether we have abandoned the understanding that softness is also strength.
“Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness.” Lao Tsu
I paint these little pieces in layers, like all my work, there is an immediacy to the marks and I feel that I want to embody the movement and expression of softness in the way that I use the brush.
I make delicate strokes with fluid paint, built in layers, each responding to the one beneath, to give harmony to the forms and a feeling of one connected shape.
The Flotsam Series are available to purchase in my shop - Please email the studio if you have any questions about these or any of the paintings featured on my website .
Thanks for reading
Genevieve