Robyn Alexandra
Home Message Archive aboutfacebookfern of the flowers
« / »
Abstraction of the letter M IA1 (Top left - whole. Top right/bottom: close ups)Watercolour, oil and metallic acrylic paint, pen and blue indian ink Using a stencil of a letter M in Times New Roman, I wanted to experiment with negative space, the properties of different paints, varying shades of a predominantly cold colour palette, visual/literal texture, straight lines and various paint application techniques. I mainly used watercolour paint, the properties of which conceptualise the sea, so I used the colour palette of green (seaweed), blue (water/sky) purple (coral/rock) and gold (light) to compliment this.

WoodlaneA4Silk screen print Cutting erratic straight lines in a paper stencil and printing onto a pure white piece of material gave a contrast between the white negative space of the forest trunk forms against a sea of green/blue forest floor. I wanted to keep the print fairly simple and abstract, which is why I used a limited colour palette and only straight lines.

Encaustic Oil PaintingsLeft: 5x7”Right: 11.5x7”Oil, white emulsion and wax on plywood  On a trip to London I noticed that all of the wildlife, natural elements or foliage was trapped and isolated in parks behind railings, confined in pots/hanging baskets or controlled in perfect lines to follw the pavement. This was so different to where I live in Wales, where the landscape is in control and we bend around it, dealing with mountains, valleys and rugged scenery. I used this as inspiration for an obsessive documentation project.I layered oil and wax on board, with areas of rough bristle marks and raised mounds of oil paint juxtaposed against harsh straight lines and chunks of wax. The bottom layer is of pure white and wax, to give a clinical, controlled feeling of attempting perfection, with an oil paint top layer of shades of green, blue, purple and yellow - colours in nature and full of life.

Metal Manipulation6 pieces of steel, varying between 1” - 2” width/height Adding heat to steel gave ethereal colour effects, like spilt petrol. I experimented with placing fingers/objects on the steel before applying heat to give different patterns. The second set of pieces have also had letters stamped into them: (from left to right) ‘free’, ‘expressionless sirens’ (referencing a line in a poem by Sylvia Plath called Crossing the Water) and ‘rain’ (I also left small dents in this piece using a nail).

UnderworldDigital PhotographPart of a series entitled Ending, this image is an interpretation of Hell. I was comparing Christianity with Celtic paganism, looking at how Christianity demonised certain personality traits of the pagan goddesses and idolised others, creating the strict sinner/saint archetypes. I researched the idea of the death of the senses/sanity, looking at instances of possession, witchcraft and human sacrifice, whose victims were typically female. 

Ceramic DollLeft: Digital Image. Doll is 12” tall.Using clay slip moulds, I created a ceramic doll with gaping holes at the eyes. I carved holes to add expression to the face and as a reference to the idea that eyes are the windows to the soul. Dolls are strange imitations of life, and I wanted to contrast the lack of humanity from the fixed position and white body with the depth of the darkness of the skull to create an unnerving object.By using photography, I extended this idea further, zooming in after focusing whilst using a slow shutter speed to create the effect of movement and personality. 

Fern des FleursDigital PhotographsI wanted to capture Fern (female model) hidden amongst the flowers in a way which simplified the human form, reminding the viewer of the organic shape and textures of human skin and features. The two images, although similar in composition, were processed differently to provide different concepts - in the first image, it is as if the individual grows out from the environment, and in the second, the land surrounds and traps the subject. This is a reference to the times we have control over our environment and destroy it, and to the times that we are engulfed by our circumstances.

Fern by Robyn Alexandra

Fern des Fleurs by Robyn Alexandra

ChrysalisDigital Image For this image, I took a portrait of Fern in a coffee shop and then layered it with a photograph I took of dead butterflies and moths in Cardiff Museum. This is the first image in an ongoing series called Chrysalis where I explore depression and abuse.