Madison Shackell-York’s work is created by building up layers of various mixed media textures. Using both wet and dry mediums, she creates nice areas of contrast not only in the depth of the tones and colours but also in surfaces so weighty, you can feel them.
Below, Madison introduces us to herself and her work and talks about the process she goes through from receiving the brief to the final stages.
It’s really interesting to hear Madison talk about the way she currently works and what would be ideal. Her current process involving the computer having been developed out of necessity, but her wanting to really delve into a more hands-on approach with printing.
She also talks about the importance of taking a breather from a project near the end to regain some perspective.
Good advice for anyone who goes blind to what they’re actually creating after too many googly-eyed hours in front of a computer screen as I’m sure many of us have!
Hi, my name is Madison Shackell-York and I am an image maker living and working in Bristol, UK. I am currently interning for Distillers Press in Dublin, Ireland for the next two months.
When given any brief, I begin sketching words, text, imagery that instantly pop in my head and from there I run with two or three of the strongest concepts. I sketch up a number of compositions, playing with perspective until I find the strongest outcome. I enjoy the problem-solving element with communicating a message to an audience by finding the connection between the idea and the image.
All of my work is hand rendered initially, using Quink or Versatic pencils and then I compose the separate imagery via layers on the computer, simulating the traditional technique of printing.
As my work goes through layering in different stages, it can be difficult to know when to stop, which is why I always make time for a period of reflection. Whether its 5 minutes or 5 hours, coming back to an image with fresh eyes, allows it to come together and be finalised.
I like the concept of my work to be hidden within the layers, so the message communicates after a second look. Ideally, I would love to produce all my work using the traditional way of printing, to become a master of the craft, as with a computer, your work is always never quite finished.
© Madison Shackell-York, 2014
