November 14, 2015

When in doubt, paint it out.

Due to technical difficulties I was no longer able to post additional images to the original M505 & M506 Painting Studies Process gallery. Rather than wait for the website host's technical support I found a work around to the issue which allows for future growth in the galleries.  The solution I chose was to create multiple galleries linked under the umbrella of an M505 & M506 Painting Studies Process Galleries cover page. This cover page is then linked to the Year Two Galleries cover page. It creates an additional layer of complexity when attempting to access information on the process of the painting's development.

In this, Gallery Two, all of the work shown was created after my November 2 Skype conversation with Andrew Cooks. That discussion circled around issues of materiality, modularity, and scale. One big question which arose was how or why I might be achieving different results with oil and acrylics, what role the support surface [paper or canvas] played, as well as how the source imagery influenced the painting and approach. So I decided to play around a bit with various combinations, while at the same time keeping my eyes open for a combination to try on a larger scale.

The first painting shown is one of the acrylic paintings begun in September, based upon one of the Twinning photos altered through the kaleidoscope effect in the software Pages. Not satisfied with this painting I decided to begin over painting in oils. Still not satisfied I painted over the entire painting in a semi-translucent pink oil paint. To see where this goes, stay tuned.

The second painting shown in progress is also based on a Twinning photo altered in Pages. This time I begun in oil on a 16 inch x 20 inch canvas. Stay tuned.

I also continued working on the five 11 inch x 14 inch  and three smaller stripe oil paintings on Arches paper which are based on the pixelated photo I am currently working with and which can be viewed in the M505 & M506 Photographic Painting Studies gallery. These are nearing completion but need to dry a bit more for the final stage.

Finally my order of Venice Turpentine and four tubes of paint arrived! I immediately mixed up the medium I was missing and got back to work.

I began six new 11 inch x 14 inch oil on Arches paper, also based on the pixelated photographs; this time incorporating the other medium and colors.

I scavenged some scraps of Rives BFK from a shelf and began four small oil paintings. I am taking a somewhat free approach to these, and I am considering experimenting with ink drawing on top.

Simultaneous to the new oils I moved back to acrylic in order to see what would happen and to placate my need for quicker painting. I began and/or completed three 9 inch x 12 inch paintings on Bristol and two 18 inch x 24 inch paintings on Bristol. All are referencing the pixelated photographs.

From one of the two larger acrylic paintings I took four detail photographs which I then combined on my computer screen to form one longer, rectilinear painting. I then found a very good deal on having the photos printed to canvas at 24 inches x 36 inches. This will make the overall size of the painting 8 feet x 3 feet. The canvases arrived November 13 and I tried laying them out in various combinations but have found the combination I had decided on while playing on my computer is the one that works best. My next step is to seal the canvas with acrylic varnish and then begin to overpaint, in oils, on certain sections of the canvas to create a more cohesive, single painting. Stay tuned. If all goes as planned I hope to bring this to Winter Residency.