Jessica Bartlett
My work is made by burning in to the primed white canvas. I use a tool that has a fine tip that heats up to a range of controllable temperatures. The marks made are interesting since they are created through an act of destruction. They sit beneath the surface of the primer, creating shadows. As the viewer walks past the visibility of the drawing changes, giving a dynamic impression. The large-scale drawings are made from simple lines and marks that come together to make something more detailed and complex. They are visually ephemeral, because of the delicacy of the mark. The drawings convey the essence that everything is evolving from, or into nothingness.
I am interested in drawing objects that are often collected and categorised. The objects often come from something that was once alive and so they are in effect, a trace or an echo, of life.
We often aspire to capture feelings of beauty or intensity but are limited by our abilities and knowledge. My work investigates these aspirations and limitations through looking at objects such as feathers or moths that are a beautiful yet melancholy reminder of the life once there.