Hayden Jackson

My work is an emotional response to my surroundings- through colour, shape and texture I explore my relationship with the outside world. I draw influence from certain triggers in my life and outside environments. My work is a balance of evil and beauty. Large areas of soft pastel colours balanced against harsh jagged line work is a metaphor for the turbulent, but also prepossessing world in which we live. My work is also painted in an autonomous fashion, coupled with my own personnel hyper-activity allowing my process to be set on auto-cruise. Across such a large surface I manipulate the movement of the paint; tilting and manoeuvring the large stretcher physically to convey line and depth. However, the manipulation of paint is never more than partially controlled, as the mark making instrument is not the brush, but gravity, chance and judgement. Through this process the elements of order and flux are brought into balance. Paints material quality is the central component of my work. Surface, texture, space and the mark play a large role in my investigation of process and concept. The marks dominance on the canvas explores the discourse of gender through subtle changes in materiality and movement. The figurative abstract portraits talk about basic human emotions and gender stereotypes. This is achieved through contradictions on the canvas; I contrast cool pastels with violent and dominating colours to achieve a counter reaction of subject matter and aesthetic. The motion of manipulation is a fundamental aspect to the process of my work, dominating the canvas is the mark. The mark is not recognized in a traditional sense of a brushstroke but visible within the large semi-controlled areas of poured paint. The pouring of paint replaces the brush, allowing a more spontaneous act of mark making. Control is still evident, it is replaced by a different implement and that being gravity. Once the paint has cured the works are left within a constant state of flux.