Painting with Light: A practice-led exploration of contemporary painting and the illuminated frame

The rationale of Painting with Light is the development of a self-illuminating frame that explores the space between painting and wall-based art. The aims of Painting with Light are to: analyse the self-illuminated frame as a useful device for the paintings as wall-based sculpture, question its function as a frame within the gallery through the rejection of gallery lighting and to examine the usage of thermochromic pigments within contemporary painting. The following practice-led research offers a cumulative reading of contemporary theories and practices concerning the picture frame, painting, wall-based sculpture, light, the role of the spiritual in art and the gallery environment. Installation/Painting is the title given to the research exhibition that presented the artworks and associated manifesto. The research exhibition focused on gaining the spectators considerations of the relationship concerning the space between the paintings as wall-based sculpture due to the light radiating from the self-illuminating frames and the effect this had upon the audience in the gallery. It is an ambition of this research to re-address the spiritual in art and to question if the effect of light upon the spectator has spiritual connotations. Painting with Light uses both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis to measure the change of experiential sensation within the audience when viewing the paintings. This information is collated from sources such as interviews and questionnaires taken from artists, gallerists and the audience. Within the production of Installation/Painting, studio practice investigated combinations of picture frames, surfaces, lighting, thermochromic pigments and acrylic paints in search of justification for the works of art to be viewed as a new technical and aesthetic development within contemporary painting. The thesis’ claim is that the combination of the new self-illuminating frame and use of thermochromic pigments create an original technical and aesthetic artwork for the spectator. Aside from the technical developments and investigation into light, the self-illuminating frame is shown to have a new and positive influence upon the audience experience. The illumination of the gallery space supports this view with the light emitted from the LEDs inserted into the picture frame. The thesis’ investigation into the space between painting and wall-based sculpture has provided the platform for immersive environments to become innovative technical and aesthetic developments within contemporary art. Evidence taken from the research exhibition in the form of questionnaires and interviews found that the combination of the self-illuminating frames and thermochromic pigments had a beneficial effect upon the individual in terms of gallery experience. It is within this experience that Painting with Light aspires to re-address the spiritual in art in relation to the role of light in philosophy. The production of the artworks for this practice-led research has justified placing Painting with Light as a new objective within contemporary art. Key Words: Installation/Painting, self-illuminating frame, wall-based sculpture, spiritual, artist, gallery, audience