i have completed some more scans of the one hundred abstract paintings... here's a sneak preview:
view more small abstracts on paper...*chromatids: the two strands into which a chromosome divides during cell division; origin, from the Greek 'khroma' meaning colour and id (referring to an abbreviation of identity rather than id, of impulse, the instinctive mind)..
days of rain
the creation of an abstract painting, edgescape : meld/rain 2008...
[stretched canvas, with beginnings of surface texture]
[semi-transparent washes, scrubbed in and dripped, dark blue grey..]
[lilac and grey..]
[violet and blue grey, blurred and blended before fully dry]
[more vertical washes and layers, scumbled and stippled with a mix of violet, ultramarine, raw umber]
[lilac pink, blue grey, pale green, trying a achieve a more subtle, misty merging]
[areas reworked then 'burnished' to achieve more subtle blurring of layers]the painting meld - i now call this painting meld/rain - was an attempt to explore the merging of atmosphere (the ethereal) and lands(scape), about vision, lucidity, depth of field, the horizon, perceptions of surface and distance.
[close-up detail of painting surface...]this detail of the painting meld shows the centre section... meld is a comparatively new word in the English language, a merging of the words melt and weld, both a result of the application of heat, both sculptural, but with contrasting outcomes, in common usage since the 1930's.meld was completed between the months of January and March 2008 and it undoubtedly reflected a certain mood of melancholia felt at the time... dull grey light, many days of rain and a dark studio room make for slow, sombre paintings...for an exhibition catalogue, i said of this work: 'meld' evolved from an investigation into the history of eroded surfaces. Within the textures of patina and decay I saw parallel landscapes, evoking the changing weather and seasons, and the effects of natural phenomena such as drought and flood, symbolic of a state of impermanence..view more abstract paintings in the edgescapes series......
blogging, a shop window to art
a couple of days back i discovered the website emptyeasel.com and read an interesting article on artists and blogs, called Nine Reasons Why Every Artist Should Have Their Own Art Blog after reading something on ArtBizBlog.com's website, but ArtBizBlog was full of broken links so i couldn't access any of the archived articles, maybe i'll try again later. emptyeasel seems to have many well-written articles for artists, and searching for art-related advice and information is quite straightforward. anyhow, my aim on this website is to have an artist journal separate to my art portfolio, to show work in progress.
[green hues triptych - mixed media on paper]this has turned out to be a quiet place for artistic musings, thoughts on contemporary art, some creative reflection, an art journal of ongoing ideas, the things that preoccupy me as a contemporary artist, works in progress, materials and working methods, exhibitions and other art-related activities.. it's also a form of promotion that you can always link back to, artists need to be a little egotistical (look, this is what i do), but the internet has become quite 'shouty' of late... media heavy pages that take a minute or more to download on a slow broadband.i need to work much more on networking, promoting my artwork outside of the area, getting my work represented by established galleries in the long term, not just occasional exhibitions... i need to draw more frequently and use it directly in my work.. i need to give myself time to develop a body of artwork, and not get too distracted by creating one-off pieces that take months to complete.. and i need to finish all the books i have started reading. i need to be consistent and focused in the days, the months, the year ahead.. i will try not be distracted by the worthiness or high ideals of other artists, i will keep motivated by being true to my interests.
over the weekend, i spent a few hours (unpaid) on a new logo for a display postcard for the local shop art window displays, part of the waveney arts festival... will the other artists approve of my retro style graphics design? the blank red starburst is for the shop number and looks a little like the price signs you see on market stalls, the concentric circles or target echoes an eye, window shopping, shopping with a purpose, shops that are linked, marking the town centre, of coins and the exchange of money, but it is in fact based on the original mod target (taken from the RAF apparently) indirectly referencing all things British.. it will help local businesses with a few more curious window shoppers.. a mix of typography mirrors different shop fronts linked together in the street, the art word appears like a drawing or sketch, with the usual artist's method of dating artwork (with a little red dot for luck)...in retrospect i doesn't explain everything about the event; i haven't designed the art labels, shop quiz sheet, press release or flyer, creating continuity in the publicity which a professional designer would do... a bit too late for that, a rushed job, but it's eye-catching and will link all of the participating shops with an identifiable badge.. maybe next year some earlier planning and objectives will turn it into a bigger art event.. i haven't studied graphics since the unit on my art & design diploma; back then it was all hand-drawn in layout pads - art without computers.. which reminds me, i need stop typing and calmly step away from the computer..