Artists research - Mithu Sen

When looking for artists I wanted to investigate techniques people use on handmade paper. When looking or artists, I came across Mithu Sen, an Indian artist who works on handmade paper. Her work has erotic and feminine undertones and focuses on human interactions. Below is a piece titled Behind the Tail II. Its a piece made of mixed media, watercolor, collage, gold leaf, inks, and fabrics over handmade paper. I find her use of the flowers to match the delicacy that the paper processes and contrasts the structural bones.
In response to this, I wanted to create some pieces painting flowers using inks and seeing how the medium reacts to my handmade paper.

Inspired by Sen, I created some drawings on handmade paper using pencils to sketch the bone structures and using red synthetic ink to add accents, like Sen uses.

By using pencils, I created more shading and definition to the bones to give the piece more depth. This contrast the single tone of the red ink as there's no shading or definition, giving these drawings an extra layer. By using handmade paper, theres more texture present from the process, which gives the shading more texture and makes the bones look more earthy and gritty, compared to Sen's work.

 Following on from this I plan to do more observatonal drawngs relating to bones and the dead, which is influenced by Sens work. I find the symbolism behind the use of the bones and skulls relating to the cycle of life and death, I can relate this theme back to my original concept, paper. I can link these two ideas together by looking at the journey from tree to paper, and how the tree has to die and be destroyed inorder to make paper, which most people take for granted. People look at trees and take them for granted in the similar way people use and despose of paper.

Reflecting on Sens work, I find the harsh lines and the high contrast of the shadows don't have a clear link to the concept of paper. Paper is seen as a delicare and fragile, whereas the structual rigidity of bones is on the compleate other end of the scale. I want to look at something that represents life in a more fragile form, prehaps leaves or flowers, as they mimis the same delicate qualities paper posess.