Sam Harley

I am a current a forth year student studying Painting and Printmaking at The Glasgow School of Art.

Harley’s practice explores ideas of everyday aesthetics with a focus on mundane throwaway objects. Our everyday lives are so repetitive that we often overlook the simple things in life and do not give enough love and attention to these objects. Through Harley’s mark-making and clever combination of the 2-D with 3-D, defamiliarisation occurs with the work. The objects Harley uses are found on the streets and have been rejected by the original owner. She re-purposes the neglected by defuncting the intention of the product. Harley up-cycles the objects to create a tension between high art and the disused.

Harley’s practice also considers challenging the traditions of painting. One part of this is adding the found objects to the work but occurs in other manners too. Areas of thick impasto oil paint contrast with watery thin washes of acrylic as well as the matte interior house paint. By not stretching canvas correctly, painting onto the walls behind the work, displaying work on readymades and purposefully letting oil seep out all lends itself to this idea of resisting the conventions of painting.