White Chipping Paint

This week I learned something new. Along the way somewhere, I was asked if I was afraid of painting the pipe. It looked complicated and complex. My answer at that time was "No, I do not fear anything in painting". I must say that although my reply sounded heroic, I questioned my abilities more than once while bringing this part to life. 

The novelty of its newness made it exciting. I was painting with blinders on, having no pre-conceived idea of a process, colour palette, or texture. I feel that because of this, I may have made something more interesting than other parts of this work.

"Bookshelf" is a painting by Chelsea James, a US painter who toggles between still life and landscape paintings. Her still life subject matter is concerned with relics and traces, much like mine is. What I find curious and exciting in her work is how it seems to give the viewer two experiences. When looking closely, the loosely finished drawing and impasto brush work take hold but when you take a step back, the blocking and colour work resolve to make the image come to life in a way that is soft and secret. I also like the patterns she creates.

Boat boy

I began work on the image for my most recent plate this week. I'm still fully developing my ideas for a series of work , but this is the first sneak-peak of what's to come.

New Plate!

After putting to rest an old project and having a successful opening, it's time to move onto new things! I'm looking to start pushing my work in a different direction through the winter and into the warmer months.

Working in Mezzotint will continue to be at the root of my creative process. With only a small number of artists actually out there and using this technique I've found it challenging to troubleshoot when things aren't going according to plans. I feel like I'm always learning new things with each project, and making new discoveries about bettering my process.

I was recently given this amazing book by artist and author Carol Wax about Mezzotint, and it's more or less the only book out there on the subject. If there were a bible for the technique, this would be it! It's been instrumental in helping me along the way, particularly as if late.

I'm currently experimenting with better ways to prepare the surface of my plates and really minimize the physical impact and strain it has on my body. I think I'm making great strides! Here's what I've found:

1. Rocker MUST be sharp! Also, Sharpen often. Below us a picture of the sharpening jig I made which has the rocker hook onto a mount and pivot from left to right across the sharpening stone at the same angle as the teeth of the rocker blade. Works like a charm!

2. Pressure MUST be consistent. I added a sharpening stone as a weight to my rocking pole to keep pressure constant and consistent... And it saves me on putting strain on my body!

3. Be precise about rocking directions. 0 deg, 15 deg , 30 deg, 45 deg.... And so on until a full rotation of the plate has been made.

As I take these considerations into account for prepping this plate, I'm seeing some real results which I think will really serve to help make the final print a great success! Below is also a picture of the plate texture that i'm creating.

Rusting Copper

Moving from the highly reflective and complicated chrome faucets to the rusting copper pipe was quite a shift in gears. I found the texture in the rusting challenging, but intriguing. Working in layers proved to be the most advantageous. I started quite dark and then added layers of blue and green mixed with ochre.

I really enjoyed painting this.

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