Painting
Lisa Lorraine Hester
The Primordial series
A primary concern in my work is how we perceive our inner worlds. By using an amalgamation of techniques ranging from geometry, portraiture, abstraction and screen printing I am attempting to create an image that is metaphorical of our psychological experience. My work is reminiscent of cave paintings, primitive art and depth psychology. I am interested in creating a duality in my work, exploring how instinct and reason are both complimentary and opposing characteristics of our psyche.
My paintings are a combination of mathematical grids and playful abstraction. I am exploring the balance between a controlled principle and the unpredictability of expression, reason and instinct.
The Primordial series has been made in response to my engagement with a group of five children aged between 4 and 8. With the children I emphasised freedom of expression, I collected drawings, encouraged painting and taught film photography. I was interested in a child’s approach to creativity which is rooted in the unconscious and uninhibited by ego-consciousness. Through this interaction I began to fully appreciate raw creativity, void of any preconceived notions and full of fun and curiosity. To emphasise this instinctual approach to art I have used the children’s drawings as a reference in my paintings.