Mixed Media

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Statement

I began with his photograph. I examined his image – studied it, remembered it and traced it. The pencil followed the contours of his body. From the tip of the finger to the top of the head and back down again. Each line was familiar because my hand had traced the path before. Remembering how soft his face was my marks became tender and fragile. I lost track of time enthralled in this drawing trying to find him in the grain of the paper as if he was hiding, waiting to be pulled out.

I am concerned with making work that makes me feel closer to someone. I am interested in human connection, but more specifically intimacy and the vital role self-disclosure plays in intimacy and intimate relationships. There is a focus on limiting my canvas to further understand the function of the media I am using and the role it plays in context to my work.  The immediacy of photography gives me opportunities that are not offered through drawing. However, drawing allows me to create a physical trace through hand-made mark making. This physical connection has always been essential in my practice. The combination of these media identifies several intimate forms and the use of linear multiple panels suggests a narrative through a cinematographic structure. Rooted in memories my work reveals my ties to Newfoundland, the longing for the island: my home and the realization of what will be left behind.

The destination you have in mind when you set out
is nowhere you have ever been;
where you arrive finally depends on
how you get there,
by river or by road
- Stanza from Rivers/Roads by Newfoundland writer Michael Crummey

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BIOGRAPHY

Mike Gough was born Corner Brook, Newfoundland. In 2003 he attended Sir Wilfred Grenfell College to complete a BFA in Visual Art .  During his undergraduate degree Mike had the opportunity to participate in various group exhibitions in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, France and England. Following this he went on to gain a Bachelor of Education from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2007.  Spending most of 2008/2009 teaching in the public school system he began building a body of work for his first solo show at Christina Parker Gallery, St.John’s, NL, Canada in August of 2009.  In 2009/2010 he completed a Masters in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, England.