Elaine Crowley
“Embracing the chaos of domestic life” has been at the forefront of completing this work. Found and domestic objects hold a strong presence in the work and represent the reality and fun of the studio environment.
My recent work is a mixture of large and medium-scale paintings on canvas and wooden boards. As an artist and a sports teacher, I am keenly interested in the journey of learning, particularly learning sports and skills that can empower and bring meaningful experiences to young minds. I am a parent, I homeschool and I have chosen to explore my topic through observation in my own life. Using moments captured at various stages of learning in a variety of skills, I hope to portray parts of this learning journey.
The work in this collection demonstrates a creative freedom with unpredictable results. Working generally amidst the busy everyday, I use found objects and heavily layered, abstract acrylic printed and sprayed backgrounds to demonstrate this dynamic energy. The colours are vibrant and are applied using various unconventional techniques of application: printing, pouring, splashing, and spraying.
The visuals lend an urban feeling, they are a reflection of the environment in which I am working and the age bracket I have chosen to focus on. The figures are painted initially with acrylic but have an oil finish for softness. They are coloured untypical of what one might expect in complement of the eye-catching backgrounds.