Jo Giddens
Art at Wharepuke Open Submission 2011 Winner
Jo Giddens is a practicing designer and printmaker with a teaching career starting in 1986 in Fashion design. In 1999 her focus shifted to join the faculty of the prestigious Whanganui School of Computer Graphic Design.
Currently this has expanded to include interests in the area of traditional Fine Arts Printmaking. Having commenced teaching prior to the prolific use of computer technology, a hands-on approach to the making of artwork and publication design is an important aspect of her current practice. The concept of using Slow Media as an approach to design, instead of or in connection with, the fast paced multimedia-internet-technology-highway, is the area of interest that underpins the research philosophy for the development her own creative work and teaching. With a passion for language, typography, illustration and printmaking this ideology tests a strong belief that if today’s designer is aware of traditional media and has handcraft skills it will enhance future creative development and innovation in the publication design industry.
Artist Statement
Printmaking lies comfortably in a studio space void of digital technology. This environment has an atmosphere thick with the scent of ink and materials used in the endeavours of the art maker.
Counter form has evolved over 3 years driven by a vow of computer avoidance in order to embrace hand-making-ness and the traditional methods of creating both art and design work. The context was inspired by the symbolic form of the +used mathematically or for a Google search in place of and. Another element was inspired by the one used to define the finale of a sentence; the commanding fullstop.
A full stop my exist as a circle or a square form and these same shapes might also define the counter shape of letter forms. These typographic elements have retained the integrity of their form and inspired endless possibilities for the compositions punctuated within each of the artworks.
Most of all the experience of creating this body of work involved thinking more and commanded a much greater appreciation in the art of hand-making-ness.