Over the last few months I've created a series of drawings, painted, stained and splattered with tea bags. These were first seen and displayed as part of a project I was involved in by an arts collective called The Fabelist, at their IMPRINT exhibition. (Read more about the project here and in my blog post)
I use not only the tea as pigment but also the tea bag to create playful and spontaneous splatters and drops that try and complement the clean line work of the drawing in pencil and pen.
I enjoy the hues the tea produces and mainly its staining properties giving a used and vintage feel to the work. I build layers of splats and drops, fusing the natural pigment of the tea further into the paper as if time has ravaged the work and the hues change and the stains take a life of their own as the results can never be certain but always unexpected.
A cultural ritual of sorts also as tea for us british is a much sought after pause from our daily lives, a moment to reflect, to breath, to talk over, to energize or unwind. These drawings hold ideas and emotions to ponder and reflect upon, based on the world around us and how it stains and permeates over time, just like thoughts and ideas which have an impact on our minds and hearts.
(Facebook photo album)
Neko, a photo by Carlos Martyn Burgos on Flickr.
Building Blocks, a photo by Carlos Martyn Burgos on Flickr.
It's Cold Outside, a photo by Carlos Martyn Burgos on Flickr.
