I have dedicated the past few weeks to experimenting with abstract ideas and colours.
Like mentioned already, I needed to move away from the “creatures”, I needed to stretch my creativity in other directions, experiment, get dirty with both ideas and techniques.
The results are a series of very colourful oil paintings of various sizes, some stretched and some not.
I am still unsure of the results and that if this is something I want to take further.
At this point I’m enjoying the process, allowing myself to play with ideas and make mistakes.
Something I don’t allow myself to do enough.
Tm
I have been working on a series of black paintings.
Yes, all completely black.
The inspiration comes from the content of my wardrobe, which consists of mostly black clothes.
The rather difficult task of looking for a specific garment is made easier by the slightly different tones, textures, shininess of the black fabric.
That gave me the idea of exploring the colour through those characteristics.
These are the first 4 of the series. They measure 6×6 inches (15x15cm), oils on linen, my medium of choice at the moment.
The overall plan is to create sixteen of them, to make a square of 4 by 4.
Tm
Painting all week
I have been spending most of the week painting, practically ignoring everything else.
That hasn’t happened in a long while. Too busy designing and coding websites, both my own and my clients. So it was really nice to put all that aside for al little bit and get my hand dirty again.
I have been painting something completely different, forgetting the creatures for a while.
(Not really. I still draw them regularly and enjoying that very much).
But as painting goes, I have been playing with shapes and colours, creating interesting abstract little canvasses. I find the activity extremely freeing…is that the right word?
When I paint creatures the approach to the work is completely different.
Breaking free from my own restrictions
I consider the paintings of creatures as a sort of coloured drawings really, the drawing is the important element. There’s very little excitement in the painting bit, especially after the first layers of colours are done. In fact sometimes if the painting part takes too long I might get bored and leave the work unfinished.
Also it’s a very precise and in a way restrictive process. I like it that way, I like the precision of it, but sometimes I need to break from that.
Lately I have been looking at different ways to make art, a different approach to projects. I have been looking at art for art sake, for the pleasure to play with the elements (and with that I mean materials), get more visceral and less controlled with my work. I have been looking at using different materials, different subjects, actually getting rid of subjects altogether.
It all started with…
I started with some works on paper, using very diluted water soluble oil colours, playing with shades and shapes and applying decorative elements once the base was dry (it seems I’m not really able to let go of the drawing part, even for a little bit).
From there I moved onto canvas, creating completely abstract work. First the blobs of colours where random and shapeless, then I moved into more geometrical form, trying maybe to control the initial chaos of colours (although calling it chaos is too much, my choices of colours are always very controlled, not more that 2/3 at any one time).
The results are abstract in the strictest sense of the term.
I am going to continue the project in the hope to find my own abstract language. At the moment everything is too…already seen and done.
And I can’t have that. (:)
Tm