Molly Graham BA (Hons) Fine Art and Art History 2020

My work combines the abstract marks of oil and emulsion paint with hand cut vinyl and screen-printed images onto MDF, depicting a duality of abstract and somewhat representational objects. The images and objects I choose are largely considered as mundane, ordinary or disposable, with most sourced from bargain shops or representative of my Northern surroundings. Such images and objects are of interest as they represent a multitude of ideas from consumerist culture to merely a bizarre thing found at B&M Bargains. 

Although my work includes unconventional images, I set them against a background of brightly coloured expressive brush marks which is usually at odds with the subject matter. The paint marks elevate these images, whilst the vinyl marks bridge the gap between the screen-printed images and the paint marks, inciting a playfulness of paint and mark making. 

The use of diverse materials is very important in my practice, as not only do they perform in different ways, they carry meaning as the ‘mashing together’ of such ‘high’ and ‘low’ materials, processes and images dismantles any type of hierarchy in my work. My work may include visual contradictions but through this I aim to create harmony within the composition to reflect the importance of such every-day objects, images and sentiments