Thoughts About Line

Tin 2012 24x36 Oil on Canvas

I am proud to announce the completion of Tin. 6 months at the canvas and many lessons learned!

I completed Tin in April, to be ready for a show at the EAGM Estevan Art Gallery & Museum called Dwelling. The show runs May 10 - June 30th. Details can be found on the EAGM website: http://www.estevanartgallery.com/exhibits.html

In the days leading up to the deadline, I had come down with the flu. I toiled away at the tiles in the background with a fever and a determination to keep the quality high. At the same time, I had just returned from a week in Paris.  It was at the Centre Pompidou that I cast my eyes on New York City I, Piet Mondrian:

At first glance I was enamoured by how straight and precise the lines where. I knew that I was about to do my tile background, so I went up close to see if I could learn any techniques from the work:

The lines are straight indeed, but they are not perfectly rendered. I understand now that you can effectively make a statement with out a tediously precise mark. I would like my work to loosen up and take on a painterly manner, and this is one example for me to see how this can be done.

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Thoughts About Shadows

When I was working on the shadow cast onto the sink from the red tin, I was really focussed on making sure that the depth of the shadow was properly conveyed. Because I only have the photograph of the sink that was taken years ago, in Australia, I took to my house to find other sources to research.

My home has wonderful light. It is one of the things I adore the most about it. The sun was starting to fall as I was looking for shadows to watch. I looked over and saw the window and curtain casting onto the wall. I learned a lot from considering the tones in the blanket and the many layers involved. With shadows, there is an element of perspective, which is something I find very interesting.

Shadows cast in colour too. The green from this vase on the side of my sink has so much energy. Understanding these small details help me to get a more realistic dimension to my work.

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Thoughts About Light

Throughout my travels, I have often looked out at the landscape before me and thought "this is bigger than me". It is as though I understand that I cannot grasp it, so I do not attempt to. I take it with me to think about and try to intellectualize it at a later time. I have never been to a place where the entire landscape, stretching over the entire time I was there, has made me feel the same way. For me, Antarctica represented everything I have tried to understand about light, reflection, contemplation, and phenomenon.

Coming home is an important time for me. I am aware of the Familiar, a topic that is so important to my philosophy. There is about a two week period of time where I seem to be in two different worlds; the one I have just seen travelling, and the one that I have returned to. In the present I am experiencing my Home, my city streets, the return to the routine. In my memory, I am cycling a slide show of experiences I have just had out in the world.

This dichotomy yields inspiration. 

I am working on the back of the sink. The pleasure of painting something that is white is that there is barely a time when it is purely white. I find myself thinking of the time and place the photograph was taken to give me a hint of the time of day, and the quality of light.

Jack Chambers is a Canadian painter who lived and worked in London, Ontario for the breadth of his career. Sunday Morning No. 2 is a typical suburban winter scene. As a fellow Ontario native, I cannot help but participate in the Familiar which makes me question whether my draw into the painting is fueled by this sensation and/or the other qualities it embodies. I am not sure that it matters. Understanding the power of Familiar is lesson enough!

Chambers was intrigued by light. You can see this curiosity was a prominent aspect in much of is work, whether graphite drawings, paintings or photographs. He said that spirituality is not found in the representation of light - in the fact that it exists, but in the feeling it gives you.

When I look at the left wall and the light shadow cast through the window, I feel that the moment is alive. I appreciate that feeling as a powerful thing.

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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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