I’m in the final days of painting for my upcoming show at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria. I’ve titled this show Now and Then and it opens June 10th. This past weekend really was extremely productive in the studio, with several pieces finally finished and the overall feel of the show taking shape. I had struggled for some time to find real definition for this show, that key factor that hopefully makes each show distinct. The past few days has me thinking that this show has found its distinction.
I think that it is defined by a fairly large group of works on paper such as the one shown above,Call to Waking. This is an 11″ by 11″ image that is a mix of black inks and a sort of sepiatone that is actually a mix of many colors. As I have described before, my process involves putting a lot of paint on the surface then pulling much of it off, soaking it up with brushes then squeezing them out. In my old studio, I often found myself squeezing this paint on to the floor which left a huge blackish stain on the flooring there. I try to be a bit more careful in my newer studio and have made a habit of collecting this paint, which often results in the creation of a color like the sepia of this piece.
There are a number of pieces in this show that have either this sepia or black/gray as the base color. I have shown a few at a time in the past but this will be a substantial group and will provide an interesting juxtaposition between this work and my prototypical work. filled as it is with strong colors. Seeing the two differing styles side by side in the studio has really shown this contrast.
Many of these pieces have bits of color in them, a faintly red tree or an orangish sun/moon that pops from the gray/sepia background, but this piece is devoid of color. I felt that the sepiatone had a warmth in itself and the contrast of the light breaking through the sky provided its own pop. I felt that any more color, say with red roofs, would actually be a distraction here, altering the ample mood that has been created. I think it works well as it is.
Well, although I could say more, I have work to get to.
Redtree Times 