Wednesday 14 November 2012

Up-cycling & new conversations

Why?                                        Because.......................................... I have to.


It might appear like an old cliche but it is true; true in the sense that this project has reawakened an excitement and drive that was in danger of being subsumed by mediocrity. I am aware that it has been there, lurking around the corner, the opportunity that the funding has afforded me cannot be underestimated.

As part of this process I was looking at some old work that I still had, two images that were of the River Thames and I decided that they were not valid anymore, probably because they were never valid.  With this in mind I began to work on top of them using translucent layers, the notion of sealing the history of the painting within itself & not totally eradicating it proved to be, quite enlightening. For a start, I was working onto a surface that had a structure that was figurative and had a right way up, so I put them on their sides joined together and began. It was important to maintain an open-ended approach and to not see the boats, buildings and water. This was taking me right back to my Foundation course and the valuable lesson we learnt about letting go; letting go of the idea of preciousness and time investment, the not wanting to spoil it - we learnt this after spending 3hrs painting a still life only to return after lunch to our washed out works courtesy of our tutor Bill Clark. A very valuable lesson.


stage 3

stage 5

stage 7

stage 9                                              Thames Barrier                                                                               4ftx3ft           
The next image is again an old painting revisited and renewed with an innate response. As always the only way to start is to physically make a mark on the surface, just like a word on a blank piece of paper. Once something is down then the dialogue begins, as a process led way of working I am responding at the time to what emerges and it is this dialogue that leads me to understand what is being or not being said - it needs to be an exchange of views for and, against - naturally, it is not without decisions being taken, what to leave in/ leave out, these usually involve as always the image being around and going on a gut instinct as to what is needed, what stays, what goes & when to end the conversation.


She Sells Sea Shells                                                                                              3ftx2ft

The painting below is a response to a barely started canvas by someone else long abandoned, there being the beginings of a black triangle. It seemed important to retain the presence of the triangle and as always it is about the division of space through shape and colour.
 
Adjusting Newton                                                16insx10ins

Sometimes there are moments of sheer clarity that take you by surprise, you know when things fall into place - brush, mark, colour, thin, fat, opacity, translucency, speed, weight - as if you are witness to events that ironically you are but, are not involved in. ??????????????


Vital Spark                                                                                                           4ftx4ft


Wednesday 3 October 2012

New Works and a cake tin ...?

Open studio has come and gone, the public came, the feedback was generally positive and it's time to get on with new work.

Putting the work up and being able to see it in a clean environment is always a beneficial exercise, it allows you time to assess what you have done and what you think/ hope you have done. For me, it was important to allow others to see the work and to see whether what I have been working on makes connection. Do others get it? Do they think its crap? Have I (in the words of another old tutor) just been w*nking in the wind? (30yrs on & it stays with you)
Thankfully the majority of people were receptive to the work and its raison d'ĂȘtre. "Pain" received favourable comments which was very rewarding  and"Ken's Colors" after an audible nibble made sense. 
With the paint still slightly tacky "Step out, into my soul" is the title given to a small triptych by RM from Bradford, I liked the idea that the painting was given its name by its owner and not the artist, maybe there is more mileage in that possibility? Questioning the sense of ownership once it leaves the Artist's studio. Hmmm ....
Finally, I felt that it was important to get the opinion of someone whose work I respect (http://www.marymorrison.co.ukand to be able engage in discourse around process and context and stuff... aye, stuff, art stuff. It was  a valuable afternoon, it affirmed my belief that I was on the right track. You know, when you are isolated in your garret, your world can become very much your own. ?

So, the latest work has begun and that is where the cake tin comes in. 5 canvasses were primed and ready, just sitting there on the studio floor, waiting; waiting for that driver, that key that would unlock the inertia and it was there outside the studio, the cake tin.
                                                   
                                                      A Circle - Begin the begin  


                                         State 1 - division of space
                                         Negative
                                         Positive
                                          1 division of space
                                          2 division of space
                                          3 division of space

The idea here was to start all 3 canvasses with similar  divisions as a starting point and to allow them to dictate what is needed. By default they have to just be around and when I am not thinking about them, they suggest the next step. 





Both of the images above are about 4 stages on and are at that tricky juncture, elements are working and others are clearly not. I need to move them on. On reflection, is it that clear?


                                         1
                                          2
                                          3

Again, building all 3 canvasses with similar marks and colour.  Canvas below x days on.

                                         1


                     Image above has moved on but it is not quite there, wherever there is?
          I now know these images are cell/ molecular related, cross sections of epidermis.  
The paintings below are in their present final state but ... as before always difficult to get photograph to record subtle nuances on the surface properly.



Organogenesis





Transmutation No3   

                      


NRA interference



Red Legged Scissor Man



Prion No2




Organogenesis  61 x 92cm  Transmutation No3  70 x 50 cm  NRA interference  61 x 92cm  
Redlegged Scissor Man   70 x 50cm   Prion No2  70 x 50cm




Wednesday 15 August 2012

Latest state of play?

Reflecting on my last post and Braque's tendency for the painting to speak to him, I have had "Pain" hanging around and then ... of course, to work back onto a painting requires an openness to what may or may not happen. So, I was sure I knew what was needed and set to, only to be confronted with the inevitable, 'arghh, it's ruined' and 'shite, shite, shite' - the reality is that in order to achieve anything I needed to work through the too scared & merely titivating barrier and that is hard, you know the - knowing when to stop and when to carry on dilemma and the - we stop when we should carry on and carry on when we should stop reality. I needed to find a way through,  trust my instincts  and reconnect. The changes are a mix of the barely audible, subtle refinement and a stronger reinterpretation. This is the latest statement.


It has been a challenge to photograph given the oil/varnish - the reflections are problematic - plus viewed as this is, in virtual reality, it is difficult to get the sense of scale - 6ft x 4ft

More work has been done on the diptych "Commitment"


As already mentioned, there is no known starting point other than ... the prepared canvasses and in this case some blue that was to hand. What then follows is innate - decision making is governed by a variety of circumstance and maintaining a sense of fluidity is difficult when returning to work on it x days later. This has been a real learning curve for me and at present I feel the approach is the right one. God, who am I kidding? Me? It can be extremely difficult to maintain the focus ... sometimes I am under so much internal pressure to make works that conform. Why? 

Next is the latest stage of " The God Particle", again the changes are not necessarily huge, for instance, the painting suggested it needed the small block of colour at the bottom just off centre, the green semi- circle and more picture varnish on the blue oval. I think this is now at a stage where I will leave it alone but on the other hand ...


Another painting that I have finished working on is "Stubborn Ghost", I started this a good while back ( approx 4ft x 3ft) and it went through a variety of states. I knew that I wanted it to be more than ... and despite protestations from others ' why do you want to ruin it? it's really nice' I knew it needed to be more than a beach scene. In the back of my head I recalled news about victims of IRA executions that were buried at beaches and the idea of a beauty spot containing this nasty secret resonated. I then learnt about Ireland's Stubborn Ghosts and in particular, Jean McConville - her purse was returned as a sign of her demise and all it contained was 52pence and 3 gold rings. This is my response.



The funding for this project provided by (see above) is due to finish at the end of August which is very apt as I am opening the studio to the public as part of the Crossing Borders Art Trail on the 31st till the 2nd Sept. Naturally this is an opportunity for me to get feedback on what I have produced so far ...




Monday 30 July 2012

Where did the time go? Oh no, it's August and...
naturally I wanted to get more work done but various things have  slowed production down -  the good news is, I finally have my new studio annexe without any furniture stored in it, so...


At last space, space to be able to walk around, space to be able to lay the work flat, ...space!!


This is the latest version of "Pain", it has been on the wall for a while now and suggested the changes that have taken place - I know that it was practice of Braque to have his paintings 'sitting' around so that they would speak to him, an old tutor of mine witnessed this first hand when having tea with him, in mid conversation Braque suddenly stood up, grabbed his palette and proceeded to work on a  painting! He said that it was when he wasn't thinking about the painting, that the painting spoke to him and said what it needed. 




The next image did not start out as one image, it began as two separate canvasses and this is what occurred - it really is refreshing to make work in this way, it is without boundaries but not without intent, it still requires openness and at the same time, control.




The 2 canvasses are 4ft x 2ft - I wanted to work with double squares after hearing Albert Irvin mentioning this was the proportion favoured by Van Gogh - however, I ended up with a square! This made me make another square 4ft x 4ft with the possibility of an 8ft x 4ft triptych.
Naturally this was never the intention as there was no intention, only a response.
The image below is the first 2 stages, it has been worked on since ...





Again, this is an innate response without any preconceived direction, so even the notion of the triptych has not controlled the outcome - it is important to point out that all this freedom is not without doubts; doubts about my own ability are ever to the fore, just what exactly am I doing? What is the relevance of all this? Why don't I just paint something, that looks like something, that demonstrates a skill and where people will not be made to feel uncomfortable in their understanding about the paintings and their intent .... steady now, steady. As Pissaro said "I recall that at the Academie Suisse there were students who were remarkably skilful and could draw with surprising sureness. Later on, I saw these same artists at work; they were skilful, but no more than that. No, no, no, that is not art!"


I need to remind myself that in order for me to develop I have to push my boundaries of my understanding and in order for that to happen I need to do this or do I? 

Wednesday 4 July 2012

By default the process of painting throws up the unexpected. The very act of making and that of the idea are, for me, poles apart. It really is about striking up a conversation in which there is a very loose opening line deliberately delivered sound in the knowledge that it will go off on a tangent and, does it really matter if that conversation deviates? If it does deviate,  surely it becomes a much more interesting one, one that can be sustained in a free flowing dialoque devoid of ... hopefully, formulaic responses - it is so difficult to avoid and yet it is a necessity if this project is to sustain itself. 
As artists we can fall into cul de sacs of our own making, the temptation to pull our rabbit out of the hat - to truly move forward is an incredibly difficult thing to do - fear of it looking crap results in ... repetition/ safety/ comfort/ tricks, however you label it, it is difficult to break free, especially if we believe that "style' is what others know us by or indeed, like. 
Rejection - fear of failure ... the artist presents... 


Creation                                                                              6ft x 4ft


This is where 'Creation' currently stands, for the moment it will sit around ... until it either confirms this is what is needed to be said or a sentence needs rephrasing.


The next image is response to pain, pain caused by the sudden loss of a friend, the hopelessness of the situation that materialised. This is what emerged.


Pain                                                          6ft x 4ft



Tuesday 5 June 2012


The experiment continues and I have started a number of new images - at present waiting for multiple paintings to dry and then review. This is where they currently stand.













It has been fascinating working in this way and at present there are some images that I believe work as separate paintings and whose marks could not have been done any other way. Now the dilemma  is to review and to consider working on them as individual pieces and to maintain the spontaneous approach ... 
As part of the process I have worked on two other individual images the first is 50cm x 50cm and was painted from all angles and does not necessarily have a right way up.




There is no narrative, no known outcome and is in its current state for the moment - it may remain as is but for me, a painting is like a conversation that you have momentarily stopped but does not necessarily mean is finished.


This next image is 6ft X 4ft and is a response to ... divine proportion and Michelangelo's Creation of Adam?




Again, this has gone through quite a number of incarnations and is a response to ... in this case, being painted  outside and the dappled light falling onto the canvas plus underlying all the imagery, Ken Nordine and his Colors.


What next? Who knows!