As part of our MA artistic research, we are encouraged not only to be researching according to our topic, but also to be conducting materials research and materials investigations. This is therefore my first attempt at making my own paper pulp clay and creating an artwork from these new materials.
One happy accident was that after sprinkling the gold dust onto the wet clay, I touched the artwork with my whole palm, and the place where I had touched the gold completely changed from matte-grainy to smooth-shiny. I really liked this and so decided to apply this effect to the whole of the artwork.
As much as I had not initially enjoyed the finish of this clay on a previous piece, I liked how it translated onto a canvas. There’s a real earthy feel to the finish that is reminiscent of footage from the Mars Rover that shows different textures of the land on Mars.
Debbie New 