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My initial inspiration for Soundings has been a small Spanish book packed with depictions of the the wonderous undersea world. Aptly titled El Mundo Submarino (The World Under the Sea ) this book highlights species of sponge, corals and other amazing little sea creatures that have been used for therapeutic drug research. In recent times the huge threat such sea life has started to come under pressure due to pressing problems like global warming and the huge and indiscriminate use and abandonment of plastic. While these issues are important to me they are not the only reason for these paintings.
Originally these photos grabbed my attention because of interesting shapes, colours and possible textural detail. But in reality these found images provided a neutral launching pad for my paintings. The first works were detailed and somewhat literal interpretations in watercolour of particular scenarios that caught my eye. However, images after the initial depictions became more abstract and started to take on a life of their own.
The small circular Treasure pieces and the larger work I can't see the wood for the trees have grown out of explorations since my exhibition Reach Out (2012) where I have attempted to capture the essence of regeneration in an organic and abstract way through the unpredictability of the painting process. Often I seem to have unconsciously and obsessively gone down the path of the organic, dendritic forms that are so crucial to the natural and biological world, amongst them tree forms, brain synapses, vascular systems, the pulmonary system and electrical charges.
The painting process continues to be an ongoing preoccupation for me - the unpredictability when you start with no certainty of outcome as you experiment with how the acrylic paint and mixed media react. I add paint and other media but also I'll often submerge a layer with gesso. I veil things or I'll take sandpaper and abrade it back a number of layers or deliberately disrupt the painting in some way. The very name of the source book - El Mundo Submarino - seems to hold meaning too...not just literally but also at a personal level. Maybe the idea of a deep mysterious sea world metaphorically parallels the unplumbed and unknown depths of our inner self?
Dorothy Helyer 2018