Enliven a gentle perspective - Mayumi Sherburn

 

I am a mixed media artist, who focuses on two media. One is abstract collage (concentrating on colour and texture on Japanese paper) and the other is printmaking (linocut and drypoint with chin-collé). I value intricacy and a minimalist approach. Those aspects are an expression of my Japanese heritage and personify the essence of my work.

 

I completed my Diploma in Art and Creativity with Honours at the Learning Connexion in Wellington in 2017. In 2018, I held a successful first solo exhibition at Taupō Museum and since then I’ve been showing my work. I live in Taupō but we also have second house in Whanganui.

 

In this exhibition, I have composed a collection of subtle collages. I was searching for ‘incompleteness’. This is one of the concepts of Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂). Another aspect, ‘Less is more’ is becoming almost cliché and where to stop is always quite a challenge for me. I have started with deconstructing completed work then reconstructing something with a nuanced perspective. Layers of torn paper and touches of colours represent the depth of the feelings or narratives behind them. Random paper-stitchings work as a mark-making tool. I often work spontaneously and move with whatever flow takes me. I try to free myself from the square and create a breathing spaces in my work.