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Stephen Carpenter

Born

1972, Lichfield, England

Type of Artwork

Painting
Prepared to undertake commissions

Art Education

1993 - 1996 Solihull College (Franchised from Coventry University)

Mixed Exhibitions

1996 Solihull College Fine Art Degree Show

Artist's Statement

The work that I produce is based on the subject of the human body. However, I have attempted to move away from traditional representation of the figure to work more closely with the body's surface; concentrating on the textures, colours and patterns found in human skin and flesh.

Most of my work is based on photographic imagery of the body as the camera can capture details not visible to the naked eye. I begin by sectioning off parts and areas - isolating them from the whole to which they belong - the process resulting in fragmentation. The paintings that I produce through this fragmentation become transformed into abstract and ambiguous forms and images in their own right. Nevertheless, they still refer to the surface of the human body through the use of colour, texture and mark making.

I experiment with various materials such as cement, plaster and wax to create the textured surfaces. These are then cut into to produce the kind of patterns, lines and scars found on the body's surface. The use of oil paint, in thin and transparent layers, attempts to suggest the complexity of colour and texture (and the transparent luminous qualities) that human skin and flesh possess.

Artist's Work

Design