today, january 24th, when i entered my studio, pink creek seemed too busy. my eye kept bopping around with nowhere to rest. now, after a days work, it is simpler, more resolved. perhaps complete. i'll know in the morning.
pink creek 72x38" DAY 2
acrylic & collaged paper on canvas
DAY 3: jan. 24, 2013
stage 1
pink creek 72x38"
stage 1
stage 2 2:30pm
in reviewing my recent paintings, several developments in the evolution of the work are emerging.
right now, at 10am, i really want to get to work on a new piece. so i'll pick this up later in the day. for now, lets just say the obvious new elements are:
transition from oil to acrylic to accommodate my recent adoption of the the technique of collaging paper to the canvas, usually over a painted surface. since the neutral ph glue is water based, it will not adhere properly over oil paint.
As a result, a layered surface is developing, which serves my psychological typology of "random abstract." the shapes created by the torn or cut pieces of paper are unpredictable in how they will eventually interact with each other and the painted surface the are masking or serving as as surface for. it's all up to my sensibility; my sense of rightness and resolution.
I owe a debt of gratitude to ron gremillion for his sometimes not so gentle admonitions and suggestions. these have been mostly about scanning the surface for any marks that are irrelevant, any places where the eye gets stuck. these simple suggestions have immeasurably improved my work.
a good example are recent developments in rocky creek, below. look at the black mark in the center and at the top of the 2:15pm stage of rocky creek. in the most recent stage, 3:05 pm, that mark, which was stopping my eye from moving freely over the canvas, was "pushed back" with a thin layer of white. or the blue & red marks on the rock shape in the lower quadrant of the painting, in the center. they have been "papered over," and as a result the painting has gained in coherence. the upper left passage, which was somewhat muddled, has been resolved.
thanks ron.
more later....
today the energy is running through my body like a runaway apple cart &
them apples is flyin every which way. i'll tell u what i'm thinkin, but right now i gotta get to work.
i'm doing my usual radical rework of yesterdays version of rocky creek ........
knocked me-self out today; i'm just sayin'.......
12:30pm mst
2:15 pm
3:05 pm that's it for today
see january 14th blog for previous version
rocky creek 72x38 1/17/13
acrylic & collaged paper on canvas
same day; later version, 3pm
how the painting looks 1/18/13
later in the day, 1/18/13
here's how i dressed to walk 500 ft. from our house to my to my studio.
this is a re-work of creek with wind; see my jan. 11th blog for earlier version
creek with wind 78x15"
acrylic & collaged paper on canvas
untitled, 1/14/2013
acrylic on canvas
1.14.13 rocky creek stage 2
today i felt like i was in a fucking boxing match with this painting. i think i ended up on the mat with a bloody nose.
emptier 72x38"
acrylic & collaged paper on canvas
autumn creek as it looked jan. 10th 72x38"
acrylic & collaged paper on canvas
today i worked on a new painting, creek with wind. i was feeling constrained by the previous painting, autumn creek, which was becoming too literal.
i am beginning to understand that one level of "abstraction" occurs naturally when i am painting pleine air & have no time to think about what i'm doing and mind mind gets out of the way. another stage or level of abstraction can occur in the studio, where there is greater opportunity to experiment with colors, collaged elements, scraping, etc.
i felt so freed up today once i chose not to look at some of the pleine air paintings i did this past fall and use them as a reference. i was able to return to that feeling of play and discovery i so treasure as a new element in my work.
creek with wind 1/2013
78x15" acrylic & collaged paper on canvas
the painting was completely reworked today. it is more overtly a landscape, emerging from the immediacy and freshness of the series of pleine air oils executed this past fall, 2012.
this is, in part, a direct result of a conversation i had this morning with ron, owner of gremillion & co. fine art in houston, the gallery representing my work in houston.
this morning when i opened my studio door, the painting looked too busy, so i'm working on simplifying.
autumn creek 78x25.5" january 9 state
2013 acrylic & collaged paper on canvas
autumn creek 78x25.5" january 10 state
2013 acrylic & collaged paper on canvas
