ABOUT JO BEATTIE
My work is a reflection on memories of people we love and how we associate them with what they wear. All of their patterns and colours are embedded into our memory and become inseparable from our image of them. Patterns and colours determine not only our character and how we want to be perceived by others but they also define us in a time, place and culture.
My work uses shadow to enhance the image of our patterns and identity. I am interested in the way my artwork can evoke a memory by having a shadow of the image reflected onto a plain background a distance away from the actual work. This enables the shadow to become larger and more defined. The shadow effect has become an increasingly important part of the way I can emphasise the idea of embedding our memories of the past into the abstract and stylised images of my present work.
My work visualises a fragment of a precious memory. Therefore it is important that there is as little external boundary to my work as possible. I sometimes work so the edges of the work are broken and fragmented to enhance my ideas. At other times I have chosen a background material for the work that is light and see through. The aim is for my work to look suspended in space; a snapshot of a moment represented in a three-dimensional format. The unbounded and physical nature of my work enables a suspended image of a moment in a persons life to occupy a space, leaving the shadow of a memory behind.
The work is produced in anyway that best creates the atmosphere I am trying to evoke. I predominantly use print, paint, dyed fabrics and work detail with machine and hand stitching. The backgrounds are wire mesh or totally see through to enable the shadows to become a prominent and integral part of the work.
I sell my work, exhibit, deliver talks and demonstrations and also work to commissions so please contact me via my e-mail for any further information.
