Degree Show – 6 Degrees of Something
Chrissie Richards is at heart a painter, but her installation also features collage, sculpture and sound. Richards’ installation is an attempt to capture the essence of coastal places: from her current life in Brightlingsea to memories of seaside visits as a child. Her work begins with a process of collecting. Chrissie gathers images, impressions, motifs and materials from her daily life and coastal walks. These find their way into abstract collages and constructions that in turn inspire paintings. For 6 Degrees… Richards also presents a sound piece, made up of field recordings taken in Brightlingsea. The sound piece includes songs by a sea shanty group called the Motley Crew and the sounds of children playing in the water. These voices ground the viewer with a reminder that humans are ever present in this environment.
Chrissie has worked with the representational possibilities of painting since she started with us. Over her time on the BA Fine Art course at UCC she has moved from direct figuration to a more abstract method in which she uses motifs, forms, colour and composition to evoke the mood and memory of place. Chrissie has worked with multiple ways of creating paintings including painted sculptures, and wooden assemblage.
In Chrissie’s most recent work she uses painted paper collages to create compositions that she then turns into paintings. This back-and-forth between collage and painting has been particularly fruitful. For her final degree show work she incorporates sound and installation to capture the atmosphere of the Essex coastal town where she lives and works.
Matthew de Kersaint Giraudeau – BA Fine Art Course Leader
‘I am interested in the intersection of past, present and future, how all our experiences are stitched together to make us who we are. My practice combines collage, painting and sculpture to explore memories of time and place.’
Interview with The Perspective Project
I was honoured to be interviewed by Rachel of The Perspective Project; an organisation that tackles mental health stigma through art and creativity.
My conversation tells you more about my belief in the importance of good mental health and why it supports and informs my art practice. You can listen to my interview here: LISTEN NOW
