Honor Greenwood

Manchester/ London, UK

Born in Manchester and now living in London, Honor Greenwood, is a visual artist whose work falls at the intersection between painting and sculpture. Having recently received her BA (Hons) Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, Greenwood continues to work in the capital, creating large scale installations as well as works on paper and canvas.

Her work embodies fragments of architecture, form, the body, colour and space. Whilst her work flows towards sculpture, painting as a medium is at its heart.

Greenwood’s practice begins by studying the movement of a single brush stroke. By mimicking this movement using various techniques, tools and materials, she perfects its shape and flow whilst challenging traditional ideas of its aesthetic. Repetitive mark making is evident in the work and acts an essential method of exploration for the artist. She comments that certain marks in her work resonate with her and act as a catalyst for the next painting. There is a clear cycle of reflection, adaptation and repetition within her practice and it is evident that each piece has a significant effect on the creation of the next.

Honor Greenwood

Kings & Queens 

2020
Spray paint, acrylic and oil on hand cut cardboard 350 x 150 x 400 cm (approximate dimensions)

Layering is a noteworthy feature in Greenwood’s style. In her two dimensional work, the simple layering of paint creates complex translucencies, textures and depth. In more recent work, the coming together of bold, abstract, two dimensional forms creates a three dimensional layering that pushes the work into the realms of sculpture and installation.

The subject matter of her paintings consists of ‘characters’. These characters show themselves within the dynamic marks that make up a piece and an essence of structure and architecture is birthed. The artist’s familiarity with industrial settings, with cylindrical structures, machinery, pipework, has led to a permutation of this genre throughout her work. She reflects that often these surroundings have an influence over the structural composition in her work and brings light to this by photographing the works in such locations. There is a pleasing juxtaposition between these typically monotone, hard settings and the vivacity of her work.

Greenwood remarks on the influence that sixties Minimalism, specifically the works of Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt has had over her work. Minimalist art was broken down to its absolute fundamental features and was characterised by simple forms. She views her artwork in many ways as an extension of minimalist sculpture.

When asked how people should receive her work, Greenwood simply comments, “People are fascinated with looking at things, we people watch for pleasure and stare at the unknown out of fascination. I make work from my observations in everyday life, whether it is from a building, structure or a natural form. I want the viewer to enjoy observing my work and I do not command them to understand it in any way other than the visual.”

Work

Featured Work

Honor Greenwood

Kings & Queens

2020

Honor Greenwood

Flux

2020
Oil on canvas 80 x 120 cm