Hayley Tompkins, born 1971, is a visual artist working in glasgow. She creates installation and produces work that can move between object and painting. i was drawn to tompkins work for the colours and the atmosphere of her paintings. Often i look for a concept or try to understand the reason for creating, however ,i’m trying to enjoy and experience work more for just the visual qualities.
“I don’t want people to feel alienated by the objects i actually want people to ,ideally, look and think i know that already” – she talks about the viewers interaction with the art and i feel that this is an important point for my theme. i want people to see comfort and caring within my work and i think that comes from recognising familiarity.
Her work ‘digital light pools’ (2014) for the venice biennale was displayed over two rooms on the floor, with a collection of photography amongst paintings, it feels as though you are sifting through visual memories. i love her muted colours that feel so nurturing, you aren’t forced to look for anything specific. The minimalism of the work helps to break down our observations and simplify it though colour. she very carefully thinks of how the work is presented, in the bottom left picture, the canvases are spread at uneven intervals; i like how this softens its presence without feeling too assertive. Her work has inspired me to take a step back from the concept and explore the visuals of my work more.