Sometimes, at this point in my year, I spend a considerable amount of my time revisiting past work, going through old image files or leafing through older work that I still have in my possession. It’s kind of a reminder of how my mind has been sparked in the past and I’m always looking for a revival of that spark, especially at the end of a period of time when I have been working a lot and have fallen into what I feel is a too predictable pattern with my painting.
I tend to focus on the odd little pieces when I’m doing this. Pieces with figures in them, odd compositions, odd shapes- things of that nature. I came across this little triptych from 2002 and had to linger over for a bit. I remember it well, the way the surface had a smoothness, almost enamel-like finish and the way the three pieces played off one another. I never fully understood the meaning behind this piece but I was always reminded by it of the music of Richard Thompson, a writer of many wonderful distinctive songs, many of them with dark undertones.
So, I’ll keep looking back, hoping for a rekindling of inspiration, and in the meantime, here’s some Richard Thompson with Mingus Eyes…
Redtree Times 