Read up on Jasmine Mansbridge's colourful geometric artworks, whose unique Thought Catcher installation will bring Affordable Art Fair Melbourne to life.
Works by Victoria based artist, Jasmine Mansbridge, stands out from the crowd for her colourful geometric and architectural forms – inspired by metaphors that tell the stories of human experience.
During Affordable Art Fair Melbourne (5 – 8 September, Royal Exhibition Building), Jasmine will be creating a series of large-scale interactive installations entitled Thought Catchers. Discover more about her practice and plans for the fair in our latest meet the artist interview:
I’ve been painting for a long time, but in the last few years my ideas have flowed over to include large scale artworks (murals) and installations. I have mixed days and my routine varies – at the moment I have a studio in my home in Hamilton, in country Victoria, and another in Geelong. I also travel every month or so to paint my large-scale work. When I’m home I generally do family stuff during the day, cooking and the like, and then I paint at night until late. When I’m away, I work long concentrated hours. It’s a juggle and a lot of hard work, but I can’t imagine it being any other way.
I paint most days and it is a meditative, cathartic, therapeutic and necessary thing for me to do. I tell stories in my work, both my own and one’s of general human experience. It’s my way of processing how I go through the world and all I have seen, experienced and heard. It’s also a way of preserving time and myself as an artist. I am always conscious of the fact that my work will outlive me.
The Thought Catchers are a long-standing idea which I had five years ago which then started to take physical form, firstly on a small scale and then slowly getting bigger, until now. They’re now also finding their way into my paintings. The idea is a simple one – to catch a thought, and to hold it. The installations are designed to engage a range of viewers (from children to adults) in way that allows them to connect with their place in this world, whilst at the same time temporarily disconnecting them from the reality around them. Physically, they are essentially cubes, with a shape cut out, but the design of the Thought Catcher requires a physical stepping into the space of the cube, this action separating outside and inside in a tangible way.
Yes, when I’ve had a few good sales I’ll always try to spend a portion of that on an artwork from someone whose work I like. I feel like it is a kind of good karma as I know from personal experience how much it means when people invest in your work! My three big splurges are works by Lilli Waters, Sally Lee Anderson and Stefan Dunlop. I also know that unlike other items such as a sofa, art increases in value over time and it also becomes part of your visual life and can be passed down to the next generation.
I have had major interstate moves, several times in my life, and I travel as much as I can. I love to travel and like nothing better than to see something I have never seen before, or to be somewhere I have never been. I see the brain as a computer, and it sits up and pays attention when you have fresh eyes. It’s like a new download of creativity.
With art, I didn’t have a formal art education and so I’m still learning and discovering new things. I would once have said once that it was the likes of Jeffrey Smart and Rick Amor (Australia) for the stillness and presence in their work. But more recently I’ve discovered the work of Josef Albers whose colour theory I felt an affinity to and Al Held whose play with geometry is second to none. There is also Escher I guess, whose iconic stairs have been in my mind since seeing them as a child.
To just keep doing and making work regardless of whether or not you are having so-called “success”. It takes time to develop your audience and your community. Also, to fail fast, and move through and past disappointment as quickly as you can.
I’m currently painting a large-scale artwork in Hackney Wick, London, as part of HACKNEY WICKED festival. I was invited after meeting the team when I painted in Hong Kong. Then I’m really looking forward to getting back to Australia and fine tuning the Thought Catcher installation and finishing up my works for the Fair.
We can’t wait to experience the Thought Catchers installations at the fair, and loose ourselves in Jasmine’s mesmeric designs on the Gallery by Fenton and Fenton stand. To do the same, join us at the Royal Exhibition Building, 5 – 8 September for Affordable Art Fair Melbourne – snap up your tickets using the link below.
Main Image:
Jasmine Mansbridge in her studio.
Featured art from first to last:
Jasmine Mansbridge with her painting, Your Turn for the moon.
A peek inside Jasmine Mansbridge’s studio.
Jasmine Mansbridge at work, creating one of her colourful geometric paintings.
Jasmine’s stunning works are an interior designers dream!
Jasmine Mansfield’s work during a Motherwell Street Residence.
Installation by Jasmine Mansbridge.
Jasmine Mansbridge at her studio.