Ellipse Series

Ellipse series

"Are these paintings or sculpture or somewhere in between?"

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My ellipse shaped works are created with an historic gesso technique used centuries ago to prime wooden boards for painted religious icons and early paintings. Gesso is mixed using crushed lime, natural gelatin glues and water in various consistencies to cover and texture boards. Gestural expressive movements create flowing and dripping marks. Recently a more structured thoughtful mark making process reflects observations of Northland, New Zealand's seaweeds, flora and land, river and seascapes.

The lustrous surface created with pigments and oil mediums is reminiscent of the pearl's birth from the layering of nacre inside the oyster. Inspired by inherited strings of pearls and mother of pearl oval shaped buttons this surface is created using layers of fine glazes to coat the surface of the ellipse creating a play between shadow and light, texture and flat surface. These works change as the days light moves around the room. The works can be hung vertically or horizontally with the textural marks often defining the orientation.

The ellipse shape evolved from investigation into family genealogy and a series of cocoon mono prints I created as a response to finding the desecrated graves of my settler ancestors at the Grafton Cemetery.

Please email for more info at jujuwood@gmail.com