Chance, Process & Outcome

To me, the relationship between chance and intention in Jessica Warboy's work Sea Painting, Birling Gap, 2017 is bridged by a faith in her method. When Warboy submerges her work, there is no certainty as to what the final piece will be. Whilst Warboy has control over which materials interact, she has no control of what the interaction will be or the direction it will take.

Whilst it may seem as though Warboy's work is the handiwork of natures impulses, we must accept that the artwork could not exist without the influence of the artist. Her relationship with the world and desire to capture a part of it through her collaboration with the shoreline gives her audience insight as to who Warboy is as an artist. In Sea Painting we see the result of two entities coming together to create a collaborative expression. Without one or the other, the final piece would not be achieved. Warboy has documented a moment of time, forever captured on raw canvas with the assistance of nature itself. As such, Warboy has created an artefact which can be recognised, appreciated and criticised.

When creating artwork I exert a vast amount of control. A large proportion of my work requires me to work closely with my medium and create in fine detail. Though recently I have become less constrained in my practice by letting go of my need for complete control and perfection. An example of this would be my recent works where I encased items in plaster and let them warp during setting, even this requires some element of control. I do find the concept behind Warboy's work highly liberating in her ability to let go of the image in her mind and work with something unpredictable. I hope to take insight from this idea and transfer it into my own practice.

Jessica Warboys, Sea Painting, Birling Gap, 2017