Fabric Layerism and the Feminine Form

This series has been created over the last decade and showcases an original form of collage I have named Fabric Layerism. I integrate fabrics, PVA, drawing and collage to create a new type of aesthetic which is a different way of ‘painting’ without needing to use paint.

It builds on the collage ideas of the 20th Century, extending them into the 21st Century; and is a convergence of painting, textile, craft, collage, drawing, and sculpture. The combination of textural elements with the curvilinear shapes emphasis the beauty of the clothed form rather than female nudity.

For me the feminine form is the most evocative and beautiful subject in art, and I draw from all sources of tradition in figure painting traversing the contemporary to the classical.

I am influenced by the work of present-day female artists painting the feminine form. These artists share a ‘female gaze’ perspective which is refreshing and balancing to the historically dominant ‘male gaze’ of this subject.

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Within my images of women, I am passionate about highlighting positive body culture by portraying natural, androgynous and Rubenesque female forms merging with interiors and the natural environment.

Raised in Melbourne, Mark Ewenson has been active in both visual arts and music since the 1980’s. In the 90’s and 2000’s Ewenson focus was directed at painting and mixed media with many solo and group exhibitions in Melbourne and Victoria. Since the early 2000’s Mark has concentrated on developing an original approach with collage he has named Fabric Layerism around the theme of feminine form.

From 2011 an ongoing series has emerged featuring works made without paint, consisting of fabrics, PVA glue, drawing media and photography and found objects. Its fresh aesthetic draws from both 20th Century and contemporary art, creating a convergence of painting, textile art, collage, drawing, craft, and sculpture. In the last decade, with life drawing and it’s cultural hub underpinning Mark’s work, his vision of the feminine form has evolved with strong influences from contemporary women artists and positive body culture, moving towards a reconciling and integration of male and female gaze.

Mark passionately believes that inspirational aesthetics are fundamental to art, and that collage is an important way forward for 2D art and painting to expand and develop into the future.