This project began with studies of hydrangea flower heads. As a child I had been fascinated by the pink flowers that thrived in our chalky garden and I was astonished to discover the blue flowers of Cornwall and then blue and violet flowers in Brittany. This project explores the ways in which the individual elements of petals and flowers cluster together to form flower heads and bushes. I saw this as a metaphor of how we come together and sometimes work in groups that are different from our individual selves and are also sometimes part of something bigger.
This body of work was exhibited at the Otter Gallery, Chichester, January 16 – February 14, 2010.
Blossom Series
This body of work uses the metaphor of flowering as a life cycle of beginnings, growth, change and transformation. Some images focus on the massing of separate elements to make a different whole and subsequent fragmentation. A language of imagery has been developed that is repeated and transformed, echoed in the use of printed fragments and collage. The series contains several large pieces of work, smaller panels and works on paper.
Viv has kept a detailed studio log of some of her recent projects on www.vivmartin.co.uk and uses her blog to comment on current work and activities.
