Like most of my paintings, this one started off in another direction. I tend to go where my artistic Muse takes me, so planning is the first thing out the window.
I started playing around on the canvas and eventually ended up with this. The scene in the painting is ostensibly a forest under the night sky, in abstract form, of course. I named it ‘Aurora’ because it reminded me of a bucket list item, seeing the Aurora Borealis.
A variety of techniques went into the creation of the artwork. I assume they have proper names in the art world, but I used a combination of wet canvas / color bleed, spatter (as the result of playing air-drummer while my favorite music was on), and using black gesso to fill in the branches.
Overall, I’m going with a win for the rescue of the painting. 18×24, acrylic on canvas, April 30, 2017.
Night Light is the first attempt to create the scene I was envisioning as a painting. I realized too late, that I had made the street lamp too big relative to what I wanted to happen around it. I would have needed a canvas three times the size to keep the perspective of what is in my head. I therefore made the reluctant decision to leave it as is and start another canvas using the street light theme.
In the meantime, I hope you like the results of this one, as it has a few quirks to it. Also, I hope you stick around for what will be the ultimate realization of the vision I have for the scene.
The scene here is reminiscent of what I see when I go for my evening walks. I’m infatuated with light, and any unusual display of it will stop me in my tracks. It’s kind of like “Shiny Object Syndrome”, only literally. There’s a tree and street light combination on the corner of my block that inspired this painting.
This is 18″x24″, acrylic paint on canvas, April 27, 2017.
Close up of Winter’s Odium, Looking Head-onI’m being told that, as an artist, I need to explain my work and process more. This bit of advice comes from a source that I came across when trying to figure out how to break into the big leagues of the art world – besides spending tens of thousands on a BFA/MFA which will get me connections. I’ve never liked networking, which explains job-hunting difficulties in the past. Plus, a degree in the arts isn’t my cup of tea. I’d rather draw exclusively on the creativity inside and discover things on my own – like the measurements involved in the human face, or the structure of leaves.
Winter’s OdiumBut I digress. About my latest work, at first glance, it looks like a kid had a tantrum while holding paint. Yet there is a lot more going on in the work than initially presents itself.
Like an onion, but not an ogre, this painting has layers. The overall theme of the work is the transition from winter to spring.
Initially, the painting was inspired by a cherry tree I saw when coming off the escalator at Federal Center SW, in DC. It was way too early, and the tree’s blossoms were interacting with a nearby streetlight in an awesome way. Yes, it’s the little things in life.
Winter’s Odium, Side Angle, Close UpMy idea was to paint the tree / light combo as if I were a passenger in a car speeding by. I’m still going to do another work based on this idea, but for this one, a shiny object was thrown in my way early in the process.
If you know me, I have a morbid side. I’ll wait for the eye rolls and statements of strenuous affirmation to stop…. Okay, I love crime shows (‘Dexter’ anyone?, ‘Forensic Files’?) and horror movies.
How It Looks on a Wall, Left AngleSo I was watching ‘Midnight Meat Train’, a slasher flick that made its way back onto Netflix after years of being absent. The movie is about a butcher harvesting humans on late night trains in NYC for a group of primordial monsters.
What does this have to do with the painting? I’m getting there 🙂 There is this part in the movie where this girl is being dragged along the bloody floor of the train. A thought occurred to me, so I paused the movie. I looked at the scene, and then looked at my painting. I cocked my head sideways, and then rotated the painting 90 degrees. I had it! I would paint the death of winter in the colors of spring.
How It Looks on a Wall, Right AngleThere’s another part of the movie that talks about art, which resonated with me, but I don’t want to stray off topic too much. So this girl is being dragged along the bloody floor, I thought to myself that it looks like winter being dragged off by spring. The hands were the trees, while the floor was time. You can see the result under the layers of color; look for the red and bone colors.
The next day, as my depression was at a momentary winter of its discontent, I thought maybe I should brighten up the scene, turn it to spring – but in an abstract sense. I broke out the colors, et voila. Greens and pinks symbolize the blooming of spring.
Head-on Shot with Overhead LightOver the succeeding days, I added light; which I’m infatuated with. You can see the sunlight reflected in the yellows and the flashes of white. The white was inspired by what happens when you’re riding (hopefully not driving) in a car with your eyes closed and the Sun is flashing through the trees.
So that is it in a nutshell. I really don’t pre-plan my work – beyond thinking about how something should go in my head. Once the paint starts flying, as in this case literally all over the room (security deposit revoked), I go where my instincts tell me to go.
Winter’s Odium, March 2017, 18″ x 24″. Acrylic on canvas. The variety of angles shows how it could look on your wall. For Sale, $600 (I need to make up that security deposit).
