about me
2008
These works focus on blurring and detaching the function of household objects to create hybrid designs that sit between sculpture, design, craft and painting. These works are primarily sculptural developing a language between the wall, sculpture and space that lies in between, touched upon in her earlier work. By installing her work in ways that refer directly to this space Spence aims to focus on the idea of where a painting and sculpture would traditionally be put, merging and questioning the categories that exist. Sculpture an colour are combined with elements of painting to construct a visual painting.
Using colour and form to construct compositions Spence adorns and decorates household objects. She puts emphasis on the process of transformation, which is often tedious, time consuming and repetitive. This becomes another dimension to her work.
2007
This body of work continues to explore how image and words are dependent upon each other and the significance and importance of words when determining our perception of objects. Looking at the role of the artist and her power to control the viewer’s perception of various materials and objects she transforms discarded household materials into animated creatures. Spence uses sculpture in a playful, childlike manner installing some pieces on the wall, creating links to aspects of painting and composition. This element of painting is a theme that is recurrent throughout her work.
2006
This body of work explores an individual’s perception of an experience and its uniqueness and impermanence. Using sculpture and painting it plays with the notion that it is almost impossible to re create a moment in time with the exact emotion experienced. The work began with a collection of written 'experiences' from a number of family and friends. They were asked to write a short or long paragraph about an experience they remember. They were encouraged to write whatever they want and this could be detailed or brief, accurate or interpretive. The paintings were created from the copied text itself and images painted from Spence’s visual interpretation of their written experience. This illustrated the significance and individual nature of an experience and the uniqueness of our imagination when we create images from words. It suggests that words and image are dependent upon each other whilst having limitations. She installed this work in a number of ways, often engaging with the idea of where a painting or sculpture would normally be found, linking the two forms together. Spence is interested in the formal qualities of painting and sculpture and how these work together.
