Clinton De Menezes

Clinton De Menezes, Passage series. 

Recently found this artist through the Saatchi online website.

"Working in a variety of media 

and with materials as varied 

as model train set props and 

figures, found objects, earth, 

plaster, ash, fire, water, 

pigments, varnish, emulsion 

and oil paint, my current work 

is an attempt to conjure up 

‘landscapes’ that are 

positioned somewhere between 

utopian dreamscapes and 

fractured apocalyptic 

geographies"

- Clinton De Menezes 

End of Semester One

The end of semester one brings the first round of assessments for the year, this gave us the opportunity to see where our tutors thought we were and hear feedback on our work. This is my space during that time.

Second Large Mixed Media Piece

This is another piece of work I had produced in semester one. I feel this piece in comparison to the other large mixed media piece has come out more effective. The colours have worked really well with each other as has the application of pigment which is very prominent in this piece. The application of the media was more intuitive and confidently placed. As I was new to this process before this semester I feel like with every piece I am gaining more skills and understanding with what ways to applying the media to can gain different effects. I really enjoy the first piece for the intensity of the colour, but this one I enjoy more for the texture and way the media has reacted with each other on the board. 

Large mixed media piece

Large Mixed Media Piece

This is an updated picture of the large mixed media piece in an earlier post. I have built up the surface more and worked into the patterns created with this process. I'm really enjoying this technique, and am much happier with the results. It's very difficult to replicate a natural process through mark making and painting, using the loose pigment and heat gun give a much more realistic natural mark process.

Large mixed media piece

Close up of my favourite part of the painting, I like the shapes that have formed with the layers of pigment and the intense patches of colour.

Manipulated Photographs

I'm really enjoying all the surfaces that I'm working to depict, they are massively interesting and all very different to each other. These pieces are photographs I have manipulated with different exposures and tints to emphasize the colours and textures in the formations. 

Recent Work

I have been using different media to create rock like surfaces. I have created layers with different media and a ranging thickness of paint.

Large mixed media piece; acrylic paint mixed with copolymer, charcoal, oil bar, tissue paper, grit, ink on board. (A work in progress)

Close up of image above. (A work in progress)

Mixed media piece; pigment, iron dust, marble dust on board.

Mixed media piece; pigment, iron dust, marble dust on mounting card.

Over this summer I have become interested in the rocks around the shoreline in my home town of Crail. They vary so much in colour, form, texture and with various amounts of erosion and build up. Over years they have changed due different factors including weather and industry. In particular ship building and fishing. My family very involved heavily in the industries. My father worked in the ship building trade. My grandfather was a fisherman as were many of his relatives. I started to think of the rocks in relation to the industry and my family's roots. The layers in the rocks represent the layers of my family's traditions in this area which have been built up over many years.

Pittenweem Art Festival

These pieces i have submitted into Pittenweem Art festival over the last couple years.

In this piece i tried to get across the idea of movement and waves. 

Mixed media; Paint, pastel, fabric, stitch on paper.  

Paint on board.

Paint on board

Last Semester

These are some of my favourite pieces I made last semester. I focussed on the themes of memory, family and traditions. I took the imagery for the pieces from old family photographs from my childhood in Crail, Fife. The colours and patterns I used throughout the pieces are colours I associate with the area. 

Acrylic paint mixed with matte copolymer, fabric, tissue paper, knit, graphite on board.

Acrylic paint mixed with copolymer, graphite, pastel, charcoal on board.

Acrylic paint, charcoal, graphite on board.

 Both acrylic paint and charcoal on board.