Face to face Baby clothes piece

I am really happy with how my face-to-face piece has turned out. It was originally intended to be nothing more than a test piece, but the more I work on it, the more I feel it has the potential to become my main piece.

Because it started as an experiment, I did not put much thought into the board I was using. The work is mounted onto chipboard, which is extremely heavy. Once the baby clothes were soaked, glued and painted, the weight increased even further. This has highlighted the importance of considering materials from the beginning of a project. If I were to create another piece like this, I would explore lighter alternatives such as MDF or other boards that would be easier to handle and display.

Although the piece still needs finishing and the background requires further work, I am excited by the direction it is taking. One of the aspects I like most is that the image of my children face-to-face is not immediately obvious. At first glance, viewers tend to see an abstract arrangement of shapes and textures. It reminds me of optical illusions where, once you know what you are looking at, it becomes impossible to unsee it. I think this sense of discovery is one of the strengths of the piece. The image reveals itself slowly and encourages people to spend time looking more closely.

One of my favourite aspects of the work is the white surface. Before introducing colour, I was really drawn to the first test piece because it had an almost porcelain-like quality. Painting the clothes white has highlighted every contour, fold, seam and texture. The contrast between light and shadow has become much stronger, allowing the details of the clothing to stand out in a way that I find visually exciting. Because of this, I have decided that I would like to keep this piece white rather than adding colour.

Another interesting observation has been the audience's response. Many people have wanted to touch the work as soon as they see it. I think the combination of texture, folds and recognisable materials invites a physical connection, which is something I find encouraging as it creates another layer of engagement with the piece.