When we initially started the project, we explored photography. The pictures I took tended to focus on a gritty, dirty urban environment . I'm currently living in Limerick city which meant my source was easy to come by. I liked the idea of the trodden ground engrained with dirt, rubbish and its daily wear and tear so decided to replicate this gritty filth in my paintings. These are some sketches that I worked on to create such an effect. 

I also decided, as this project was all about materialisation I'd pick materials that were accessible (anything i had to hand), I decided to throw in some ingredients I found in my cupboard, cause food's rarely far from my thoughts :)

This is latex, sugar, raison wheat cereal and coffee.

This is a melted plastic bag i experimented with, and coffee stain.

This is white emulsion, cif, cumin and coffee.

Chilli powder, emulsion, coffee, peat moss and pepper.

the stain that seeped through from cif, white emulsion, grass and dirt which i thought was more interesting than the original.

Pepper, used tea bag, and dirt.