Completing the final work of my Honours year, I reflect now on what I had made and the story behind it all. For the year I continued my study in printmaking; choosing to look at my immediate landscapes and the relationship humankind has made with it as my subject matter.
A Living World
I have become curious with the natural world around me and how human life interacts with it. Furthermore, I want to experience the story of this ever-changing environment. In Paul B. Sears’s article, Utopia and the Living Landscape, he writes about the impact on the earth and simultaneously our ability to rectify it. “It would be a grave injustice to dismiss utopian though fantasy, visionary and impractical, […] expressed, it is essentially a critique of the defects and limitations of society and an expression of hope for something better” (Sears, 1965:474).
These artworks are depictions of my exploration into the duality of the term Landscape as being a site of both dwelling and reflection. I believe it
to be both an active, lived-in space, and a perspective. Furthermore, that the site of the landscape is temporary and ever-changing according to humankind’s interaction with it. My intention is to create this awareness to be attentive to our surroundings; to be involved with how one operates within their environment, but to also always be proactive in searching for options and ideas into the bettering of our environment. As my work continued throughout the year, it showcases my reflections into visual interpretations of my immediate surroundings of Gqberha and surrounding areas of importance to me. I used the theories of Landscape, Utopia and Aesthetics of the Sublime to analyse and interpret this environment in which I live, and to further view how our environment is constantly undergoing change. There has become this increasing need to be physically and mentally present.
Sarah van Appel
Honours (Fine Arts: Printmaking)
In my second year, I chose to major in Printmaking for the second semester. The first month was honestly the worst but once that first successful print came through, I was forever hooked. Continuing this stream as my third year major was one my best decisions as I have learnt so much; through not only techniques but also from my peers.
Changes
John James Audubon’s ‘Birds of America’ is said to be a portal into the natural world, one which has always been a fascination of mine. His work was printed between 1827 and 1838, and it contains 435 life-size watercolors of North American birds (Havell edition). The images were all reproduced from hand-engraved plates and the collection is considered to be the archetype of wildlife illustration (Audubon.org).
Much like Audubon, I want to experience the story of the ever-changing environment which encompasses me. The symbolic meanings assigned to birds are very interesting to me, as they can significantly shape a person’s reaction to a particular bird and situation. For me, birds reveal the changes of life – the growth as well as the destruction around us. They teach us to experience the world around us. By this I mean to take the good with the bad, and endure through the unpleasant shifts of life – to learn from them.
My work revolves around birds. They are the main subject matter, and I view these creatures as a metaphor for myself and what I have learnt. Life is fleeting, and with it comes decisions to enjoy the glimpse of time I get or persevere through it, and the need to be physically and mentally present. Though this body of work depicts my own personal narrative and meaning, I hope to leave enough space for questions to be asked and other narratives to be made by the viewer. The hope is to inspire and bring about attentiveness.
Sarah van Appel
Bachelor of Visual Arts (Fine Arts III: Printmaking)
In the second year of my degree, I chose to major in Fine Arts, choosing from Sculpture or Painting in the first semester and then between Ceramics and Printmaking in the second semester. I chose Painting and Printmaking. Unfortunately there are no further images of the amount of things which were learnt in printmaking, but only valuable memories.
In my first year of doing a Bachelor of Visual Arts, we got to experience various aspects of all four streams; Fine Art, Graphic Design, Photography and Fashion & Textiles.
Some “hobby” results from various adventures.
