Lara Bowen

Research Plan & Portfolio

Painting with Light: Representing memory and perception through light and colour

My interests as an Artist

I have been a practising artist for over 25 years, primarily working with paint. My work consistently explores themes of time, light, memory, and colour. Whether capturing a moment, experiencing the play of light through leaves, or arousing nostalgia through colour, each body of work is designed to elicit an emotional response from the viewer. It fascinates me how a coloured substance, applied to a surface in a certain way can evoke feelings.

Recently, I have begun to question the "why" behind my practice. I am often told that my paintings make people feel happy or that they carry a sense of melancholy. This feedback has led me to explore the intersection of neuroscience, symbolism and colour. During the pandemic, I engaged in a series of experiments, playing with colour names and creating a body of work that investigates the subtle shifts in tone, the emotions or themes associated with specific colours, and how these could be used to chart our collective understanding of that period.

Throughout my career, the commercial aspects of art have often played a significant role. The business of running a studio and the annual rotation of events have punctuated my year, influencing the nature of my work. The tension between commercial viability and the pursuit of artistic freedom has prompted me to seek a break from this cycle. I am eager to explore new lines of inquiry and to reconnect with my creative instincts. I see the MA program as a catalyst for this new direction.

For many years, abstract still-life paintings of flowers in vases have been both my primary means of expression and a source of commercial success. However, I now feel that this subject has been exhausted as a means of expression—or perhaps I have been exhausted by the commercial pressures woven into it. As a result, I find myself turning away from this form and seeking new avenues for artistic exploration.

A description of what the work will involve

Inspired by a recent talk with Es Devlin, who spoke about preferring to enter a meeting with an 'empty head', I do not wish to prescribe too clearly what shape the work will take.

Underpinning the motivation for this project is my fascination with how light and colour influence our perception of memory and experience. I am driven to articulate a sense of synesthesia and abstract expression that I find challenging to define but I am excited to venture along various creative paths, aiming to find a clearer and more cohesive direction in my work.

In my artistic practice, I have previously utilised projection, photography, and other media, but I consistently return to painting. However, a recent return to explorations in photography and film have introduced a sense of immediacy and spontaneity, inspiring me to try other mediums that might capture this dynamic energy. My project may incorporate film, photography, text, glass, textiles, and potentially sensory elements like smell and sound in an installation format.

Recurring themes of memory, experience, emotion, colour, light, and time will remain central to my practice. I am eager to integrate these themes with new media, to experiment with various approaches, find innovative methods of expression, and refine my artistic language.

My colour field paintings, inspired by Helen Frankenthaler, have been pivotal in my commercial practice, exploring sensory perception and emotions. I seek to advance this investigation further. In addition I am keen to explore how visual 'records' are drawn from deep memory when in the creative flow state.

For example, the first image is from a visit to Monet's garden in 2017, where I took photos of my son under the Wisteria.

Some time later I was painting my memory of this day, without referring to any photos. The coral petal shapes didn't seem to 'fit' in the final composition but each time I attempted to paint over them it felt instinctively wrong and I uncovered them repeatedly.

Some months later I found the photos and noticed the shapes made by the light on Tom's shirt. This experience of subconsciously drawing from memory fascinates me and is pivotal to my interest in memory recall.

How I will start my research for the project

I will first explore the historical and contemporary contexts of light, colour, and memory in art. This will involve delving into how these themes have been utilised by both classical and modern artists, such as Helen Frankenthaler and the abstract expressionists, James Turrell, Robert Irwin and the West Coast Light and Space movement. I will engage with academic texts, exhibition catalogues, and critical essays to gain a comprehensive understanding of how these themes have been interpreted and applied over time.

In additionI I will investigate artistic movements and theories related to sensory perception and memory. This exploration will include examining how various movements have approached these concepts and how they have evolved.

Interdisciplinary research will also play a crucial role in my project. I plan to examine scientific studies on the effects of light and colour on perception and memory, researching colour theory and the psychological impact of these elements. Furthermore, I will explore research on synaesthesia and cognitive responses to sensory experiences to gain insights into how these phenomena can be represented artistically.

Practical experiments will be a key component of my research. I intend to experiment with a range of media, including film, glass, and textiles, to understand how these materials could be used in my work. This hands-on exploration will help me determine which materials best convey the sensory experiences I aim to express. I will also continue to experiment with photography and projection techniques, focusing on how these methods can impact the perception of memory and experience.

Field research will involve visiting galleries, museums, and installations to provide insight into contemporary approaches and practices. Additionally, I will seek to connect with artists who work with similar themes, gaining valuable insights into their processes and methodologies through interviews or studio visits.

By adopting this comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach, I aim to build a robust foundation for my artistic exploration. This will enable me to create work that is both innovative and deeply informed.

Possible technical requirements

I will employ a mix of media, moving away from paint, and experimenting with glass, projection, photography, fabric and installation. I would like to be reintroduced to the basics of printmaking, textiles and fashion design, I intuit that I may represent memory through words and that I may literally wish this to be worn, in effect manifesting that which is usually unseen. There are also nascent feelings about environmental sounds and other field recordings

Lighting: Adjustable lighting to simulate different lighting conditions and to accurately view and document colour and texture.

Film and Projection: Equipment for experimenting with film and projection, including projectors and film development tools.

Photography Equipment and Lighting Kits: Softboxes, reflectors, and other lighting equipment to control and manipulate light in photographic experiments. I have access to much of this.

Translucent and reflective materials: Various types of clear, coloured and textured glass, perspex, mirror and film for experimentation.

Textile and Fabric Supplies: Fabrics, textiles, and sewing materials if exploring textile art or incorporating textiles into installations.

Design Software: Programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or other image-editing and design tools for digital manipulation and analysis.

Digital Apps: Applications for creating digital collages, layered images, or experimental visualisations.

Installation and Interactive Elements:

Sound Equipment: Speakers or sound systems for incorporating sound into installations, including software for sound design and editing.

Scent Diffusers: Equipment for integrating smell into installations, including diffusers or custom scent delivery systems.

Field Recording Equipment: Portable audio recorders for capturing To achieve the project’s objectives,

Bibliography

Jones, Caroline, Mather, David, et al. Experience: Culture, Cognition, and the Common Sense. MIT Press. 17 Oct 2016

Rubin, Rick. The Creative Act; A Way of Being. Caningate 2023

Sumeracki, Megan and Need Kaminske, Althea. The Psychology of Memory. Routledge, 2024

Dr Shaw, Julia. The Memory Illusion: Remembering, Forgetting, and the Science of False Memory

Doubleday Canada (13 Sept. 2016)

Gage, John. Colour and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction. University of California Press, 1993.

Zeki, Semir. Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and the Brain. Oxford University Press, 1999.

Turrell, James. James Turrell: A Retrospective. DelMonico Books; 2023

Nemerov, Alexander. Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler and 1950s New York. The Penguin Press 2021

Timeline

Research Phase, Term 1: Studying works of artists who focus on light and colour, as well as theoretical texts on perception and memory.

Experimentation Phase, Term 2 & 3: Creating experimental pieces that focus on individual elements—light, colour, memory, and experience.

Integration Phase, Term 4 & 5: Developing artworks that integrate these elements, using various media to explore their interplay.

Reflection Phase, Term 6: Analysing the completed works, documenting the process, and reflecting on how the integration of these elements has evolved my practice.

Portfolio Overview

I work in series, collections, or projects, depending on my mood or what has recently inspired me. By acknowledging these different bodies of work, I allow myself to move between them, letting them influence each other. My goal is to connect these series and develop a cohesive practice that enables me to express them seamlessly.

Flowers in Vases

Throughout my career as a painter, I have used floral still life as a subject to explore themes of memory, emotion, colour, and light.

Post graduation, I trained in stained glass, later returning to paint due to its accessibility and flexibility. The influence of stained glass is evident in my colour choices and compositions, as shown in the timeline of pieces below. The use of black to outline shapes, high-quality pigments, and the contrast between bright areas and shadows all aim to recreate the sensation of light shining through coloured glass.

People often comment that my paintings make them feel happy. When I mention the stained glass influence, the connection becomes clear.

The title "Flowers in Vases" might seem to belittle the subject, but still life was a practical choice - one that worked for me on many levels.

While the subject is simple, each painting holds complex memories of people, experiences, and conversations.

Whether these memories stem from sadness or joy, loss or rebirth, travel or stagnation, these paintings have chronicled my past 20 years. Over time, they have become increasingly abstracted as I experiment with compositions, moving away from the traditional toward something more contemporary.

These paintings have been my primary practice for most of my career. They have been both representational and abstract, created in various paints and digitally drawn. I feel I have hidden both behind them and within them. It is important to mention them here, as they are the springboard from which I wish to leap.

Now, I want to explore how colour and light evoke such strong emotions within us. While the themes remain the same, I wish to change the transparency with which I express them.

Colourful Language

The lovechild of contemporary lingo and our emotional connection with colour.

Born from a love of paint charts - all those tiny velvety squares with evocative names - and a response to how the pandemic affected our vocabulary and changed our lives, Colourful Language explores our connection with colour and our shared experiences.

Early in the first lockdown, I noticed that much of the language we were using sounded like fancy paint colours: “Furlough,” “Isolation,” “Distance.” This observation planted the seed for a new project. Through conversations, experimentation and playfulness, this evolved into a range of limited edition prints, bespoke hand-painted samplers to document unique lockdown experiences, and large-scale canvases.

I find it fascinating how so many agreed that certain words are particular colours, as if we have collective synaesthesia.

The project has since expanded to include other lexicons, such as Mid-Life, New Parent, and a specific colour chart for Brighton.

Colour Conversations

The titles and corresponding paint mixes from the Colourful Language project served as the starting point for this series. These abstract colour-field studies explore the subtle and contrasting relationships between colours and the emotions they evoke, marking a departure towards a new freedom of expression.

I describe them as painted by my soul rather than my head. While the initial colour palettes are chosen, and the structure and compositions are semi-controlled, the rest is led by the pigments and how they react when I soak, burnish, and wipe the paint from the canvas.

Sometimes I use different quality of paint beside each other to play with the way the pigments behave .Other times I remove large areas with a spirit-soaked cloth to leave the hum of a stain behind.

The result has a luminosity provided by the white of the canvas and a ghost of the pigments. These works feel like a step toward working with colour and light in different media, such as glass.