Presentation Notes (07/09/21)

John Fitzpatrick began his art career studying fine art printmaking at Glasgow School of Art. After graduating in 2000 he joined the Glasgow print studio and is now on the board there.

One artist that has influenced his work is Richard Serra. Serra is a New York based Sculptor who creates large-scale, site-specific sculptures. The large sheets of metal form curves and angles that allow the viewer to walk inside and through the sculpture. This allows the viewer to become part of the work and experience it in a much more personal way. The interactive component of Serra’s work allows it to move and change as the viewer moves around the work, viewing it from new angles and perspectives.

This idea of the viewer’s experience being integral to the artwork was also explored by Mark Rothko. He was an important figure in abstract expressionism and painted, among other work, very large black canvases designed to ‘eclipse and consume’ the viewer. Another important figure in abstract expressionism is Jackson Pollock, known for his action painting, and paint dripping technique. This is emblematic of one of the key principles of abstract expressionism- the experience, focusing on the process of making and not the end result. Pollock didn’t plan the end result of his paintings, the end result was determined by the process he took- the ways he moved around the piece, the arc of his arm, the way the paint splattered. In this way his work became a record of the process of making it. This influence can be clearly seen in John’s work. in his series ‘mechanics of making’ he explores the process of making, with little concern for the final result. The final work operates as a record of the process, and a catalog of the marks made. This series also reveals the influence of Brice Marden, who used unconventional mark making techniques to explore different ways of drawing. His work is also more about the process than the end result, as the finished piece exists as a record of the marks he made.

Another highly influential figure is Donald Judd. He was an artist who would design modular, geometric, repetitive sculptures that he would then have fabricated. He created series of objects with small differences between each one. His work influenced Carl Andre, who created sculptures from simple materials like brick and tile. His pieces were created in response to the environment around him, fitting into a specific gallery or space, and using the materials he had access to from that space. This work has had a clear influence on some of John’s sculptural work in plaster. The repeated tiles with varying depth and angles recalls Andre’s use of repetition, and Judd’s series of similar objects, each with minor changes. This influence, and the influence of all the artists mentioned can also be seen in John’s series of etchings. The use of material, and the respect of the material’s inherent characteristics is reminiscent of Serra’s work in steel and Marden’s work in brick and tile, and the geometric shapes and use of black is reminiscent of Rothko and Judd. 

The concept of focusing on the process rather than the end result is relatively new to me and is definitely something I will be considering as I continue making work. In the same vein, the concept of focusing on the material’s inherent qualities, and allowing them to inform the final piece, is also something that I would like to explore.

-M

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