Martha Winter, Forming Sand Ring, 2021, Mixed Media

Pebbles, sand and pigment on panel Artist Statement My artistic practice has been profoundly influenced by exposure to two vastly different environments. Firstly, growing up in London with minimal art and Modern architecture. This gave me the visual language of reduced and economical form and a fascination with systems, repetition and order. Secondly, the regular witnessing of the raw power of the coastline. This presented chaos, giving me an awareness of natural laws and an interest in physical matter. I have been influenced in how scientific research influences our understanding of the natural world. Through observing nature and biomimicry, I have developed a process that allows me to 'draw' with a sand solution. This painstaking method enables the creation of form through line and texture around which other materials and pigments are then accumulated over time. The aim is to explore and mimic processes in the natural environment and continues my obsession with geometry, measure of the earth. By reducing compositional elements to the minimum, I can explore natural pattern. I use repetition, sorting and accumulation to emphasise the organic ordering of parts to create heavily textured surfaces. Concentrating on patterns of repetition that are present on many scales, reminiscent of satellite imagery and microscopy. Through my work I seek to reach a combination of these ingredients, aiming for a point of both tension and harmony where a frisson occurs. I aim to create pieces that provoke contemplation on the similarity and complexity of mathematical patterns around us.