Studio Practice: Painting in the Studio 2022

During late summer I worked on one main oil painting. Building on earlier acrylic studies I resolved to work the surface of this new painting with newly acquired oil painting mediums, Jacksons Fast Drying Oil Painting Medium (gloss), Shellsol Solvent (evaporates from oil painting films after 8 hours), Glaze Medium (resins, stand linseed oil, cobalt driers, damar resin) Gum Turpentine (Atlantis) and pure linseed oil. The aim was for an extremely fluid paint application, like single cream consistency, at the same time retaining lustre and quality of paint without cracking or deterioration of surface (sometimes called sinking). Eight months on at the time of writing, results are good. To enable paint over paint and even sometimes thicker consistency, existing layers of paint were sometimes sealed with a varnish. The painting directly evolved from those in 2021 and the earlier acrylic works from this year (see below), where the expression of paint itself has taken priority over any other consideration and the composition is driven by the desire to paint as if the image has arrived by itself. All painting is a thinking construct and here through the action of making, the unconscious instinct is given the upper hand. It sounds like a paradox but through the orchestration of shape, colour and textures, one is almost not present consciously; like it is being in an unconscious state so action determines from an unfixed notion.

I definitely wanted quite a large circular form, as if spinning or moving (similar to that in Brink 2021, but increased in fluid dimension) and this element of the pictorial structure would facilitate the very fluid elements of paint. The trails of paint would trace and spill away from the apparently rotational form. To facilitate the circle a foam board disc was suspended for drawing purposes.

Calligraphic painting in darkest blues trace across the surface as if in a dialogue or against elements already painted, a kind of visual narrative fracturing the surface of the painting. Again as further painting is applied, parts of this illusion of narrative is emphasised or concealed, part of the compositional process in play here.

Kalamata 2022 oil on canvas 162 x 196 cm

Two larger acrylic paintings were started this year, both building on the fluid paint application approach of previous works. I was aiming in these paintings to push the capabilities of paint and colour, forming a new dialogue on pictorial composition whereby less brush and more non contact application becomes a priority.

Process starts with lighter and often, but not exclusively, fluorescent areas of colour. Sometimes these are evident right through to the final stages and the contrast between early and late stages is of course part of the final resolution. In other words the time and placement of elements of each painting are part of the final experience. Not all areas are reworked and layered and those that are and are not, contrast.

The fluid application is worth commenting here as I was finding that the pouring medium (Liquitex) is not as fluid as I desired and therefore was applying small quantities of water as well, something I have always done on the paper acrylic works, as being more in tune or derivative from gouache or watercolour process. This leads to a more matt surface and a degree of sinking dull flatness. This was countered by varnish (Windsor and Newton semi gloss and gloss) applied to lift dried paint surface, that it does to a certain degree and also to provide a base support for further paint application.

The central red area, top left painting was applied early on in the painting as can be seen in the early photo and this pivotal part of the painting remained throughout to conclusion. The red was overworked with more red but I kept this area as was throughout all other layers, applications and elements of the painting.

These two paintings were made almost exclusively on the floor. I like being able to view and work from multiple sides and directions but also, for the fluid, often non contact paint application, this placement is essential.

The three pillars of blue were applied with pouting paint and then tilting the canvas for spread and run. As the run moves it can be stopped by reversing the lift or placing flat. This gives the pillars their teeth. What I like with this is that paint runs together in parallel, the three pillars and then their teeth all made with one orchestrational move.