I was obviously working on this one metre square painting in 2013, while living in France. I really like it and must have left something of myself…
So, here is a photograph of the painting, which is now the found work.
I like using commonplace materials, bringing them in a found state to the studio and I prepared canvas painted with acrylic yellow ochre and left it to dry for a few days…
During this time, I was making steps down to the stream running by the studio and I needed one last plank of timber to front the top step. I came across a sawn-off scaffold board, which had a nail-plate on one end. The metal plate was jagged at the edges, not something to have protruding from a step, so I removed it. However, I felt attached to the nail-plate and compelled to save it…
So when the steps were complete, I took the nail-plate to the studio and instinctively placed it in position, on the canvas. I spent several hours thinking and experimenting how to attach it to the canvas. Should I introduce other materials? What to use? I was questioning and careful of my own process throughout. Should I work with the found object or make a photo-real painting of it(?) Bring the real thing into the white space, I heard myself say…
So here then is the ‘sculpture’ and to finish my tale, I decided to reference the timber of the stretcher and the metal of the nail plate, rather than introduce new materials and, with two lengths of fine wire and corner stretcher supports, I stitched the nail-plate to the canvas, bringing this humble found object to this art space.
Thank you for reading the back-story to Nail Plate
burning Birch is said to uplift the spirits. These Birch logs were in the log basket and drew my attention, so I took them to the studio…
Due to the Covid 19 situation, we were not able to take up our 2020 residency with the National Trust, at St Anthony Head, on the Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall. Therefore, instead, we made the 2020 edition from our home on Bodmin Moor. We made thirty-two in total (see below) and have chosen sixteen of these to make available for sale at: https://susanbennetta.com/work-for-sale/
We have just started working on our most recent edition of cyanotypes, from our home on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK. The first “test” set have cooked in the sun, had a very good wash and now drying overnight. We hope to complete the main body of work by the end of the week. Here’s a selection of photographs from the site, where we are working, more later…
Bodmin Moor is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and designated an International Dark Sky Landscape and we have decided to make our work, during this “lock-down” year, using sunlight and moonlight.
We are fortunate to be able to work from our home, here on the moor, with a stream and footpath running alongside the garden and hedge, set in a beautiful landscape; more to follow…
I had just starting to prepare the paper for our Bodmin Moor edition of Cyanotypes and blackened out the project space ready for stage 2, when I got side-tracked and watched the National Trust film we made last year. Here’s a reminder:
Trusting our 2020 edition, from our home on the moor, will be as beautiful.
Sad though not to meet and chat to all the lovely folk who come to say hello and see what we are up to.
Hoping to post this years edition very soon…
Sorry to say that our annual National Trust residency at the former Paraffin Store, St Anthony Head, is now cancelled for May 2020 (as is Open Studio, Cornwall). However, we shall be making a Bodmin Moor edition of cyanotypes during this period, from the home lock-down & for Open Studio Cornwall fans we have just come across this unaired am-dram:
