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| Pathways, 2013, oil and spray paint on canvas, 24 x 18 inches |
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| Follower of Voltaire, 2013, oil and spray paint on canvas, 24 x 18 inches |
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| Where It Belongs, 2012, oil on canvas, 23.6 x 31.5 inches |
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| Roaming Wild Pastures, 2012, oil on canvas, 8 x 9 inches |
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| Detail of painting in studio |
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| Steven Cox at work in studio |
PB: Your paintings strike me as calm,
measured, and subtle. Tell me about the kinds of things that influence your
work.
SC:
I tend to be interested in broken objects, decaying items, old antiques,
textiles and the reverse side of paintings.
I regularly question how things are made, and how long things will last
before they begin to crumble. At base, I
am influenced by the notion of temporality, where the inevitability of change
unpredictably alters the appearance and formation of an item. I tend to apply this understanding of
temporality to how I approach the making of my work whilst openly abandoning
the notion of creative preciousness
PB:
Yes, when I first saw your paintings, I definitely got the sense of a
weathered patina on the surfaces and that you seem to savor each layer. What
other technical and conceptual considerations have come up in the making of
your work?
SC:
I find that many of the technical aspects that demand most attention
revolve around producing and preserving this aged or weathered surface. Many of my works do in fact take months to
create due to the amount of layers involved.
Therefore the main technical considerations revolve around carefully layering
the paint and allowing drying time, of which both require a significant amount
of experimentation in order to achieve a worthy result. It’s a delicate balance of not over working
the surfaces to a point where the works become overloaded with paint, I like
the grain of the canvas or linen being visible in areas.
With this in mind, there is a
significant balancing act between the control / chance dichotomy. An unplanned mistake or occurrence can lead
to an unexpected surprise, which is of course critically enjoyable to respond
to. I thrive on this happening, though
if it doesn’t, I do feel that the work was subconsciously planned or perhaps
too safe. I do what I can to make each
work a bit of an experiment. Perhaps at
best, I want the work to feel like a stranger to me by the end.
PB:
In the midst of painting, do you find yourself trying to seize an image,
and is there any slippage of the image due to circumstances and contingency?
SC: The slippage that you are referring
to could be interpreted as the unexpected result that begs for my
improvisational response. Perhaps in my
mind, the image would be the noticeable elements within my works that are
carried between paintings. As I am
interested in both the painterly and destructive gesture, I could consider the
surface image as being the processes and gestures evident throughout the works.
PB:
I know that presentation is an important factor in your work. What
considerations are involved as you plan that aspect of things?
SC: I did my Masters in Contemporary Art Theory
and Curating at Edinburgh College of Art, so the curatorial aspect is always in
the back of my mind when creating and presenting my work. I find it important to always consider
presentation when painting, as I aim to allow as much transparency to the
viewer as possible. I find that the
reverse side of my paintings illustrates a historical journey of the making of
my works. For instance, Days of Being
Wild (2012) or Time Will Tell
(2013) originally began as larger works though were scaled down. When viewed from the reverse side, the work
actually shows a trace, revealing its journey from its starting point to its
now end point. I wouldn’t want to present
the works in a manner that allows the back to be viewed simultaneously with the
front, though I do focus on allowing the viewer to see as much about the
process as possible in a traditional sense.
The main way I go about this is by
allowing the sides of my paintings to become as much about the surface as the
surface itself. I aim to continue exhibiting
the paintings unframed as to allow the sides to be viewed, for there tends to
be drips, brush marks, staples and stains on the sides of the works that are as
visually interesting as the surfaces. To
me, this is what the nature of my paintings are exploring, the canvas as
object.
PB: How would you describe a good
day in the studio, and what's the Edinburgh art scene like?
SC: I need to start the day with
some coffee and music to waken the senses.
Once I have made my way to my studio, I do my best to semi-plan the works
that are to be worked on so I can arrange the layout of my studio to
accommodate the works that require working space. A good day within the studio would therefore
involve making some serious progress within one or several works, and I tend to
enjoy having the works that are near completion positioned on a white wall so I
can study them distraction free. I feel
that by giving time to a work, whilst simultaneously enjoying coffee and music,
is one of the highlights to a successful day within the studio.
The Edinburgh art scene is also
something that I have done my best to figure out, though I am aiming to move to
Glasgow as I believe that the environment is faster paced. Currently, I feel that Edinburgh seems to own
too much of a post-art school mentality where it seems just a bit too safe and
slow for serious progress to evolve in any hurry.
SC:
There are a few individual artists who I keep in close contact with and
speak to regularly about painting, as well as my own painting. I feel that it is healthy to have a good base
of creative contacts around you in order to avoid feeling like a single fish in
a big pond. Though the artists who I do speak
to regularly are Christopher Orr and Ross Chisholm, they are good friends whose
work I feel an affinity with. Not necessarily
on an identical conceptual level, though primarily through discussing technique
and notions of temporality. I feel that
mutual perspectives on painting regularly overlap in a nice way.
The works of other artists who I am
friends with always keep me inspired, for I know that they are constantly hard
at work and this keeps my motivation alive.
Additionally the works of Michiel Ceulers and David Ostrowski are also
punching out at me; I think their work is fantastic and always a pleasure to
explore. I recently interviewed them
both for HUNTED PROJECTS and it was
great to discuss their works with them.
PB:
Since you founded your blog, Hunted
Projects, is there a nexus between it and your own work, and how has your
own progression been affected by it?
SC:
HUNTED PROJECTS began as a
curatorial project in Edinburgh just before graduating from my MA in
Contemporary Art Theory and Curating at Edinburgh College of Art. Primarily HUNTED
PROJECTS began so I could exhibit the works of Edinburgh based artists
whose work I believed in. It was
initially a platform for the audience of Edinburgh to engage with artists, who
at the time, were not exhibiting widely or regularly enough. I truly believe that to this day, there needs
to be more regular opportunities for ‘emerging’ artists within Edinburgh.
Now, HUNTED PROJECTS focuses on interviewing international artists where
I feel it’s necessary to interview pivotal figures of contemporary art. All of the artists who I have interviewed are
artists who I would love to work with.
They are hugely ambitious artists who are creating very exciting
works. My progression as an artist is partially
influenced by the energy I receive from the amazingly inspiring and interesting
dialogue I engage in through HUNTED
PROJECTS In Dialogue, though at base, my inspiration to explore my own
practice is independent of HUNTED PROJECTS. I do what I can to keep HUNTED PROJECTS and my work fully separate, though at times it is
difficult to choose one over the other.
I really love HUNTED PROJECTS
and it is fantastic to be in contact with some fantastic artists who are not
living within Edinburgh.
PB:
What’s your take on what’s been happening in painting these past few
years?
I am unsure if I fully believe that
what is being done across the board is particularly progressive as there are a
lot of regurgitated elements that are evidently noticeable when viewing a lot
of young painters’ work, though across the board it comments on the zeitgeist
of a global socially connected culture amid an international recession. I feel that it really comments on the
difficulty of being original when everything is online and is unavoidably viewed
on a huge range of Internet accessible computers. Everyone is looking at the same things, and
more regularly now then ever before, so there is an understanding that it is
tougher than ever to be an original painter, if it is at all possible. At the
end of the day we are all fighting with the same materials.
PB: What's in your personal library
and on your walls--and what sounds fill your airspace?
SC: Currently I have a mixed bag
of works on my walls as I have a few works in storage at the moment, though
currently I have prints by Christopher Orr, Andrew Cranston, Kevin Harman and
Invader, paintings by Mason Salterrelli and some old Jeremy Fish prints from
2007.
Books, I have a real mix of
material. I have the History of the
Royal Scottish Academy 1826 – 1976, Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art,
Selected Maria Lind Writing, Contemporary Art-From Studio To Situation, The
Future of Art, Art in Theory 1900 – 2000, a few Armory Catalogues,
Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot, Hans Ulrich Obrist Essays, A selection of artist
publications: Daniel Turner, Ryan Wallace, David Ostrowski, Eric Yahnker, Sam
Martineau, Alex Pollard, James Nizam, Ross Chisholm, Wilhelm Sasnal, Albert
Oehlen to name a few. And a collection of
Afterall, Kaleidoscope and Art Review
publications.
Regards to music, I have recently
downloaded the Nine Inch Nails discography, Daft Punk and I listen to my friend’s
music - The Young Fathers, and Dandy Riots.
They are really worth checking out as they are doing fantastically at
the moment.
PB:
I’m looking forward to seeing your work soon. Tell me about the recent and
upcoming exhibitions that you’ve been included in.
I also have some curatorial
projects in the making though nothing is concrete at the moment, though a few
group exhibitions should take place between now and October if everything goes
to plan. Just keep referring to my
website for updates, will be exciting for sure.
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