BA (Hons) Fine Art: Painting
My work is inspired by my surroundings. I am intrigued by different communities co-existing in one area and by the way in which a place can be regenerated and consequently alter its appearance. I have been influenced by the presence of the row of palm trees in Queens Road, Peckham and their connection with distant more colourful places. Although these grey streets of south London are the inspiration for my work, the intensity of the colours I use is derived from the underlying sense of a brighter, more exotic palette elsewhere, which is indicated by the presence of these palm trees. They seem to reflect the cultural richness of the area. It is the irony of the tropical and the exotic existing with the grey and mundane that is the catalyst for my work. Observations and photographs that I have taken inform the paintings that I create. I pick out elements from these photographs, such as a particular object, shape or colour. There are playful contradictions throughout Peckham, which I attempt to explore and express in my paintings. I use marks repeatedly and it is the repetition in the works that interest me. I am inclined to observe aspects of my surroundings that seem out of place, or give the impression that they may soon change. The underlying aim of the work being to consider and express alternative evolutions of the area and its communities with an element of fiction. http://cargocollective.com/natashasayliss