Painting, Push, and Cloak revisited.

I haven’t been writing much lately, I guess the end of winter and the beginning of spring have won the battle for my attention. I have been working on a number of paintings, though I seem to have trouble finishing some pieces. I am tired of feeling adrift. In some ways I really enjoy experimenting, and yet I feel a desire to concentrate my energies in fewer directions. I have been looking back over my work, and I see two different directions I would like to follow closer when this period of exploration is over.

Two paintings I feel I should follow are Push and Cloak. Both are very different from each other, but both seem to offer prospects.

Her are two variations on these themes.

Book paintings.

I have been working on a small series of paintings that I call book paintings. The paintings contain a book attached to each surface and painted over. The results are rather decorative and have been fun to work on.

Painting With Concealment.

The title I have chosen for this piece is Painting With Concealment. As I worked on the side panels I realized that they distracted from the center panel. I liked the idea of the side panels but I couldn’t make the piece work. So I wrapped the paintings in canvas and string. The paintings still exist, and a sense of mystery has been added. It is now for the viewer to imagine what the side panels are.

Work on paper.

I seem to be working on several things again, and I’ve been going back and reevaluating my old work on paper. I’ve always loved working on nice paper. Drawing requires good support material, and I’ve always been a sucker for a beautiful sketch book. One of my favorite brands of sketch books is the Moleskine sketch book. It has good quality paper, comes in several small formats, and fits easily into a pocket.

I like paper that can take a lot of erasing so you can build up many different textures and increase the mood of a line. I find that Rising Stonehenge is an affordable good quality paper that has a very forgiving surface, it is also good for some print making techniques.

For water colour painting the only paper I recommend is Arches water colour paper. It really is a fantastic paper; the surface is very strong and can be worked very hard without damage, and compared to other brands the price is very reasonable.

I always check to see that the paper is at least neutral ph and I try to always buy paper with 100% rag content. These papers will last forever, and will give the best results.

I still find that the best brand of water colour paint is Winsor & Newton artist quality paint. I have tried several leading brands; but I still find the colour intensity and lightfastness of this paint the best. I don’t find imperfections in the grinding of the pigments that I have found in some other brands.

Construction.

It is a bit unclear in this photo but this piece borrows from an earlier piece called Push. It also contains my framing device that is supporting an element that can best be described as anti art. I attached two pieces of torn drop cloth to the frame then I plan on adding two pieces of painted cloth to the drop cloth. I want this component to be very raw and crude in comparison to the more refined central panel. The hope is that the center will be an area of calm surrounded by areas of disquiet. I hope the viewers eye will be unsettled and bounce back and forth from each element. A meditative icon in a modern world of waste.

Iconic Red.

I have decided that this piece is finished. I don’t feel I should push it further, and risk over working it. I have been questioning whether the construction is too top heavy, and if I should add something to the lower end to balance the composition. But as I lived with the piece for awhile I decided that it worked, and if I did anything else to it it would lose a bit of the tension that the piece has. The two narrow red panels lean outwards and create a sense of the work approaching the viewers space. The work also has a feeling of lifting upwards.

The title I have chosen is Iconic Red.

Iconic: Of pertaining to or resembling an icon; of the nature of an icon.

Red: The active and masculine colour of life, fire, war, energy, aggression, danger, revolution, impulse, emotion, passion, love, joy, vitality and youth.

Cast plaster.

I have been trying my hand at making plaster casts. I plan on mounting them to the surface of paintings to add an extra dimension to my work. I have been using what ever is around for molds, in this case trays from boxes of chocolates.

I made two casts with plaster of Paris and mounted them to plywood supports. Then I gessoed the surface with several coats of Daniel Smith coloured gesso. I then began painting with Daniel Smith metallic oil paint.

The top panel is to be kept simple, and all I did was gild gold and aluminum foil to the surface of the plywood.

January.

I have been a bit lazy with my blog this month, and I must try to post regularly. January is such a hard month in Prince Edward Island, and when I think of all the summer vacationers who think of themselves as Islanders I find my disdain is limitless.

To put it simply January kicked the shit out of us, lots of endless snow, cold temperatures, and then a thaw that only brought an ice storm. Those of us in Charlottetown have had it easy. There are still people in areas of the Island who have had no power for a week, they are cold and isolated.

It is remarkable to see trees bent to the ground, and power poles broken in long rows by the dozens. The repair crews are working hard and doing a great job, but the wreckage is extensive and another storm will be a disaster.

The part that many people complain about is the difficulty of being housebound. The streets are deadly, and the sidewalks are a broken hip in the waiting. Most people just want to get out in their gardens, or take a lazy walk in the warm sun. Oddly I find being indoors so much hinders my painting, I lack energy and it is only February. Only five more months of terrible Island weather to go!

Metal.

I have been working on a piece I’ve been thinking about for some time. I’ve always wanted to create a painting that had metal as a support.

I started by engraving simple patterns on the surface of the metal. I then filled the engraved lines with printing ink, and I wiped the surface but left the overall tone of the surface a beautiful gray. I then placed gold and aluminum foil on the surface. I plan on finishing the piece with oil paint.

Still something missing.

I have been looking at this piece for a few days now and I feel as if something is missing. The composition seems a bit top heavy and I’m trying to figure out what the best solution would be. I may add a red cord across the bottom; I would attach it to the framing device, and allow it to gently sag.

I very much like the two narrow red panels that I placed in the top portion of the composition. They have filled in dead areas, but have also created the sensation of top heaviness.