Clarissa Dixon

I produce abstract work that is very focused on the materials and process with emphasis on texture and surface. Both printmaking and painting methods are key to my practice. The traditions of these disciplines and how they can be used together; as well as how they can be combined with sculptural qualities and materials. The works can often have sculptural elements to them but are still clearly a painting or a print. I work with various printing methods but often focus on collagraph printing with how both the ink and the impression of the plate show in the print and textural qualities that are emphasised by this. I also experiment with paint, its application and how materials can be added to it. Working with the texture, bulk and viscosity of the material; currently working with emulsion mixed with sand, cement or concrete. The tools used to scrape and drag the material across the surface as well as the size and bulk of the work gives it an almost industrial quality. Emphasis on the works physical presence, its bulk and weight, its texture and surface as well as having both visual and tactile qualities.

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Currently working on abstracted paintings and prints informed by photographs taken around Hull; focusing on texture, pattern and small details around the city. I have been taking photographs throughout the year as I am walking around the city, taking photos of the small details that I notice; collecting them for later use. Textures and patterns on pavements and buildings as they have become worn and damaged over time, items that have been abandoned and left on the street, the building work and changes within the city centre. I isolate parts of the photographs, picking out patterns, shapes, and colours and enlarging, simplifying or exaggerating them.