“I never met a colour I didn’t like”.
– Dale Chi Huly
Cherie Bagshaw’s practise follows from an interest in the process of art itself and the effects art has, both on the artist and the viewer as an expressive state. Bagshaw’s inspiration for this work possibly derived from her boyfriend, who is studying a biology degree, therefore introducing an interest in the microscopic. From this, Bagshaw thought about the more common things that are viewed through a microscope, living things in particular, which led to considering the more unusual things to be viewed under a microscope starting with wallpaper, and then her own paintings. Bagshaw explores ideas in detail, currently doing so by creating paintings from microscope images of previous works. This discusses ideas of herself as an artist being dissected but also highlights micro images of paint and the relationship between what we see and what is actually there. A further influence is photographer Steph Mantis who is a photographer who focuses on the microscopy of unusual foods, such as fried chicken and honey. Bagshaw’s paintings often result in more abstract appearances which leaves the viewer unaware of the original subject matter, an element that fascinated her and is now driving her to produce more abstract pieces.
