"Tangled Footwear"


The idea behind the Tangled Footwear series originated with a song lyric. This expanded into thoughts on what it means to be tyed up, linked in to someone or something else. Recollecting the traditions of shoe drawing and painting, notably in the works of Andy Warhol and Van Gogh, Kirkham began to explore the conotations of different kinds of footwear. As a starting point she used shoes that were in her house, followed by shoes of friends and relatives, and leading onto the Found collection, of shoes left out in the street. The method of tying the shoes varies depending on their owners, their fundemental structure and the size.

	Alejandro's Boots: Pencil on Paper, 29.7 x 21 cm. The first in the series, this was the drawing that sparked off the interest. The boots are tied together with thin, flat rope. They are masculine and rugged. Boots for walking in, climbing in, in contrast to the rope which is limiting them, forcing them to stay stationary and still.
	Pony skin kitten heels, oil pastels, and pencil on paper,21 x29.7 cm. A pair of shoes from the artist's own collection. The failing metal heels, the scuffing on the soles, all indicate shoes that have been well-worn and loved. They are tied in a way that hides them a little, we wonder about the details on the sides, about the contoring of the front. We see how they have been lived in, but the newness of the upper part eludes us.
	CAT Shoes, mixed media on immitation leather. 70 x 50 cm. Brand new shoes were used for this peice.They have never been worn. Clearly this influences the way in which they are portrayed. The ties are stuffed inside, close to the new label, as if to say that the shoes are still open to opportunity, they have no past clamping them down.
	Dog tooth heels, pencils on cream paper, 21 x 29.7 cm. The dog tooth check shoes are again taken from the artist's collection. The same tie is used consistently between these shoes and the earlier ones, only later changing to thinned or thicker rope.
	PVC Black Heels, typex on coated black paper, 21 x 29.7cm. The monochrome of the piece was intended to reflect the texture of the shoes. Once again the shoes belong to the artist. They are tied to both highlight the heel and hide the deep plunge that reveals the foot. All of these shoes are empty, turned from functional into objective. The connotations of tied up shoes, especially black, high heels in PVC are clear. There is a play between the professional and the S&M. How does tying the shoes represent the way in which women's movement is limited by heels?
	White summer wedges, biro and marker on batik, faux satin fabric. 21 x 30 cm. Exploring more the make of shoes, the idea of fabric, pattern and process, this sketch in batik and pen takes a pair of summer shoes and pushes them on top of one another. The precarious arrangement recalls the often precarious nature of walking.
	White Wedges, acrylics on brown paper. 21 x 29.7 cm. Tied in a way to recall bandages, the same arrangement and shoes are explored once again. The stark contrast between the white and blue of the paints with the brown of the paper talks of the juxtaposition between the basic need for a practical shoe and the expressive, creative rethinking of this, the shoe as a piece of art.
	PVC Heels III, chalk over woodprint, newspaper paper. 21 x 29.7 cm. By changing the colours of the shoes and rope the viewer is forced  to question. Taking the monochrome into a circus-colour range dilutes the potency and introduces a new subtle aspect. The shoes do not vie for our attention, they simply are. They wait for us as if in the shop window, their background and future obscured.
	Blue Shoes, acrylics on paper. 21 x 29.7 cm. Recreating the reflective nature of the shoes alot of acrylic medium was used. These shoes are on full frontal display. Only the rope hides them from us. The rope is arranged to prevent the feet from accessing the shoes. They remain empty, slightly mocking us.
	Found Baby Shoes I, Ink on handmade paper. 21 x 28 cm. These shoes were found left out on the street with the second pair of baby shoes. Well loved and worn they still retain the charm of the child's shoe. They are girl's shoes, unabashedly proclaiming their gender. The pre-shoes of the heels that the little girl will later wear.
	Found Girl's Shoes, collage and ink on paper. 21 x 29.7 cm. The second pair of found shoes. The collage incorporates string, the same kind that was used in tying the small shoes. This string was used partly as a practical consideration, the shoes were simply swamped with the rope, and also as a scaling down, the child's shoes could still be put on even with the string, it forms more of a game than an obstacle.
	Found Baby Shoes II, ink on paper. 21 x 29.7 cm. placing the shoes on an adult shoe box reinforced the idea that these shoes, already replaced with a bigger size, have had their time. They are just forerunners to the world of adulthood.
	Encaustic Collage, Wax, paper, shoes, 120 x 70 cm. Using found objects, sketches and wax various shoes, ideas of shoes, pictures of shoes, were embedded into the painting. The colour scheme of sunset reds, oranges and yellows was to contrast and enhance the yellows and greys. The red of the inside of the pumps is echoed and subverted with the cadmium red of the background.
	Zoom of Encaustic Collage.
	Zoom II of Encaustic Collage
	Flip Flops, Acrylics on Paper. 21 x 29.7 cm
	Found Baby Shoes IV, Mixed media. 21 x 29.7 cm.
	Heels, ink on handmade paper. 21 x 27.8 cm.
	Knee High Bertie Boots, Pencil on Paper. 21 x 29.7 cm.
	Tiger Shoes, monotype on paper. 21 x 29.7 cm
	Alejandro's Boots, woodcut in black. 21 x 29.7 cm.
	Pink Baby Shoes I, Ink and watercolour on paper.21 x 29.7cm.
	PVC Heels, Pencil on Paper. 21 x 29.7 cm.
	Red Suede Boots, mixed media on paper.21 x 29 cm.
	Boot lamp, found objects, approx 30 x 23 cm.
	PVC Heels III, chalk on woodcut, newspaper. 21 x 29.7 cm.
	Three Little Shoes, found object,latex, epoxy resin with mixed media.
	Silver Shoes, oil pastels on silver paper. 21 x 29.7 cm.
	Tangled Shoes, woodcut. 21 x 40 cm.