Automatism and the techniques used by Ithell Colquhoun
- rachelthompson63
- May 20, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 6, 2023
"In art, automatism refers to creating art without conscious thought, accessing material from the unconscious mind as part of the creative process"
I came across this term whilst researching Ithell Colqhoun and admittedly was a bit disappointed in myself that I haven't yet heard the term given a lot of the process led work I've been doing!
In a previous posts, I talked about making imprints with some painted experiments. I wanted to try a few more of these as I engage with automation and, in the back ground, consider the work of Colquhoun, who also worked in a similar way. I want to see what I can find out and what I notice about the effects this produces.
I've been really interested to read about some of the processes used by Colquhoun as part of her ongoing explorations in surrealism and the occult.
Dr Amy Hale (author of Colquhoun's biography 'Genius of the Fern Loved Gully' that I'm currently reading) writes about Colquhoun's relationship with colour in the below essay, and outlines some more of her techniques in the interview below:
She talks about how, within occultist theory, colours were themselves seen as forces and energies.
I like how she mentioned how "color produces powerful and profound impacts on the body, emotion and spirit". It makes me think about the scheme I often use (blues, greys and inky blacks, with yellow ochre thrown in here and there). I'm always drawn to this scheme but feel I 'must' deviate from it. Perhaps I don't for now, and should just follow my instincts in terms of choice.
Techniques of Colquhoun:
Colquhoun engaged with the process of automatic painting, something bound to her from her days in the Surrealist movement. Here are a few techniques she used:
Covering paper in paint before pressing a fresh piece of paper over the top and working into the forms created. This is something, coincidentally, I have been doing for a while and have documented here (as well as more below)
Frottage - essentially rubbing
Holding paper over a flame and seeing what marks are made
Sprinkling chalk over water before pressing paper onto the surface. Working into the forms made.
In all of these techniques, Colquhoun was allowing the form created to generate the process. This is something I really connect with. Whilst I'm not heavily influenced by occultist theory, I do like how as artists, we can allow a force of some kind (whether other or within ourselves) to shape and coax artworks into shape.
18th May
Seeing as there's an element of play with the automatic techniques used by Colqhoun and the Surrealists more broadly - I thought I'd ask my daughter and her friend to test a few things out!
Crushing chalk into power:
Sprinkling the powder into a tray of water:
Gently pressing paper onto the water's surface:
Seeing what pictures it makes:
"It looks like people!"
Working over the top and adding new colours:
20th May
A few experiments I tried myself using brusho for the first time. I can't believe it's taken me this long to try brusho!
A wash made with pressing paper into a tray of water, sprinkled with brusho. I then tapped more brusho onto the then wet surface using a dry paint brush. I love the heavy pigment.
The paper tends to curl up which can be fiddly, but I also like how it causes the paint to spill and pool at the edges. When this dries it has an interesting effect.
Wash printed onto another piece of paper. The tray I have is quite small so in order to do this on a large scale I'll need a bigger one!
Working some circles in over the top, and thinking perhaps there are some people emerging here? I'd love to draw them out a bit - but I tend to get to this place where the accidental marks are all there and I can see directions for things to go - but seem to lack the application! Or at least it feels like attempts I make to push the painting in a direction causes it to lose something of itself. I'm not sure what the solution is here. Maybe I could try some loose marks of figures before dipping the water in?
May 31st
Having left the above experiments for a bit, I went back to them today to see what direction I could take them in. I've been battling with what forms to paint recently. Despite being drawn to shapes and abstract forms, I can't help but be critical of what I produce, feeling there must be something more to add. I often feel positive about the washes and how they're produced (ie fluidly and without too much conscious thought) but then I'm not sure where to take things next! What do I add to take it to a different level?
I'm also still working quite small (although today saw an image of some lovely ancient engravings on a standing stone that would make a great large scale 'map' of gatherings/pilgrimage) and am quite happy with the layers I added to the above pieces today:
I worked within and around the circle shape I teased out with the wash print (made using dipping paper into brusho/water - see above). It created a sense of composition I liked. All figures the same scale and I wonder if pushing at this would create something else.
I like the variation of scale, it blurs the lines of where we are and who we are looking at. Having been heavily dominated by blue (always drawn to blue) I think the addition of yellow enhances the scene well. As ever, I think how I'd like to try this on a larger scale, but concurrently feel a sense that I would lose something from it or that it wouldn't sit quite right.
Questions from today:
Why do humans gather together?
What do we gain and give when we do this?
Keen to read more about this from an anthropological/sociological perspective.
June 23rd:
Using a strong blue brusho over a wash in a different tone is creating some real depth. I'm dropping the brusho on with a dry brush and then working into some areas with water. Leaving some dry speckles creates variation.
Here, I'm thinking about subterranean energy and something that is held underneath that's full and active and pulsing - but perhaps we don't see it.
I've added some gold and love the contrast with the blue.
Again, leaving some areas as wash and other areas more speckled.
I'm allowing the paint to form on the paper and then pulling out figures and forms.
Then, making meandering marks with pen/pencil and creating links and lines between each feature - indicating a journey or path. There are references to stone circles, with lines leading to and from them, pulling us back to them and repeating the visit.
A larger scale one here. This is thinking about Cornwall, where I often think about as a place of calm. I'm engaging with psychogeography - how do I feel when I'm there and in the landscape?
I found the figure too dominating though - this often happens. I don't like to shout!
instead, I turned the paper to landscape orientation and used the brush rhythmically to dab marks in and around the wash. They could be stones,or they could be footsteps. I tried not to think too much - what landscape forms? Trying to capture association and memory. Are these blues found in Cornwall? Perhaps the tones are too jewel like. Cornwall has lots of grey and green. Maybe I should try the same with some different colours. And scale again - try larger scale!
July 6th 2023
Something I read yesterday about Colquhoun's automatic techniques was the technique of Entopic Graphomania:
This book is such a rich source of information on IC. I'm researching her for both my research paper and my own work and it's leading down this really interesting path of the sub conscious and how we can interpret marks and work in a way that connects our mind and bodies. It's interesting how IC and the Surrealists were working with some really new ideas (and I wonder just how much they were aware of some of the early theories of neuroscience?
In this book Richard Shillitoe says that as early as 1889 the French psychiatrist Pierre Janet "first advocated the therapeutic use of automatism". I wonder how much these artist knew about the thoughts surrounding this. From my understanding, Colquhoun was more interested in how drawing our subconscious allowed us to connect with 'the other' and her intention was more for a "spiritual understanding'.
I have begun some experiments that are rooted in Entopic Graphomania.
I have had a few explorations of painting connected dots before now, thinking about footsteps primarily, and how our footprints are left in the ground physically but how this also echos how our thoughts, actions and memories leave marks in the same way. We travel around, go back and forth and re tread familiar ground - or venture into new ground. I'm trying to convey this below:
As I paint, I'm engaging with flow and gentle movement. It creates a huge sense of calm to paint in this way and I feel it's more than a preference - it's an actual need! It's been a stressful few weeks and I just know I return to working in this way for a reason.
The magic of brush pulls out some marks here - which perhaps I covered over too much with quite a zealous application of colour! I think next stage will be to see through and into these marks and see what paths can be found.
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