Initial Observations from 2014

by Jo Ryan

In 2003 I was walking down Collins Street on my way to work as a graphic designer and I looked, as I always did, at the advertising trends and shop windows along the way. Then I realised, as a designer I viewed the world in a unique perspective – I don’t see the buildings, objects, people, etc. I only look at the words. The objects were just a support structure for the communication.

Then I started to notice how much communication is around us and how easily we block it out or let it in. Words scream for attention or whisper. They inform and distract. They are literally everywhere.

Since that time, I’ve tried to communicate my interpretation of the world using art. I’ve tried various mediums and techniques, including line drawings with coloured acrylic words on board. I’ve tried simplifying the background with detailed acrylic words on board. I’ve even tried watercolour on canvas with hand-stitched words, plus a few other techniques. But every technique didn’t work with the vision I was trying to portray.

Then one day I realised why don’t I try to work with the materials I work with in my industry – printed billboards, vinyl signage and acrylic – and I haven’t looked back. The printed canvas allowed me to manipulate images exactly as I wanted and print to any size. More importantly the vinyl gives me the pure colour I was so desperate to convey. No other medium has been able to give me the exact saturation of pure colour. Using vinyl means it needs to sit on a perfectly flat surface, so I use clear acrylic sheets over the canvas.

I have since started experimenting with spray can stencils for the backgrounds as an alternative to the printed canvas but I’m continually exploring techniques and themes.