Being surrounded by the visual does not necessarily mean we notice what we see. In this
image saturated culture we often fail to pay attention, interpreting images in everyday life
without much conscious thought at all. Therefore the looking and taking note of images
effectively is especially important in the act of painting. Strategic use of images help us
access aspects of knowledge that may have otherwise remained hidden or ignored. Symbols
and metaphors provide ideal triggers for such occasions, as they have the ability to
characterise and communicate, often difficult to describe, experiences. From the most basic
forms to complex images, each has a meaning to us, whether we are conscious of it or not.
We learn these connotative meanings through our own personal experiences in culture and
society.
My work focuses on the realm of pictorial narrative, exploring ways in which painting can
communicate passages of time and how this can be imbedded into the painting process
through the notion of painting as ‘becoming’. The different stages of development in the
painting process suggesting the various moments and perspectives within a narrative .
Jasmine Middlebrook – artist statement