Thinking Assignment 2

Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway 1844

J M W Turner’s looser and slightly abstract works have a sense of only providing the specific information that is necessary. It reminds me of some of the early times in my life having my breath taken away by some of the darker Caravaggio paintings. However, the sweeping sense of motion in works such as the one I have included are something very different. This is something I hope to include in my works this semester. Using textural strokes with a very intense sense of purposeful direction of the viewer’s eye seems to always be a challenge to me. I wonder if it came as easily as it appears to an artist such as Munch or Turner. I suppose that is not the important thing, but instead it is important that their works leave me wondering anything rather than walking away and forgetting what I have seen.

Gwen John’s work relates to mine on the level of creating a very emotional textural quality to the paintings. These paintings appear to be sanded or damaged in some way. I am not sure how the artist achieves this effect and that makes me curious and drawn in by the work. Although they are works of central figures, they are much more than that. Every inch of the canvas seems considered and the low contrast paintings seem to suggest to the viewer not to simply look at what is a painting of, but to take in the whole painting.

Cat 1904-08

William Blake’s work inspires me by showing darkness and pain. Although I do not plan to show these themes through the strained faces of subjects in my paintings to begin with, I may work some of the faces or strained musculature into some of my studies. When something works in a study it often finds its way into a finished piece. Wether or not I show these specific subjective items, his dark disturbances have already found their way into my mind and therefore will somehow be involved in my intuitive process.

The Great Red Dragon and Woman Clothed with Sun 1805

IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE

• Bright abstractions with dark toxic overlays and abrasive removal of parts of overlay

• Adding sculptural elements to canvases (clay, caulk, cement, wood)

• Non-rectangular canvases

• Working in a variety of sizes

• Diptych or triptych series

• Deconstructed humanized sculptures (abused, abrasive, damaged, etc.)

• Attempting to create some graphite drawings which create similar feel to paintings

• Creating my own frames for my works (elaborate, golden, old master’s as reference)

• Blind drawings or paintings as starting point for emotional work

• Cutting or in other way damaging final works

• Utilizing moments of raw canvas or raw stretcher bars

• Using the toxic overlay process but for more representational underpaintings

• Video series on abuse and addiction. Not like after school specials, but something akin to the recent show in the Towson gallery with different subject matter.

• Fluxus style performance art happenings (down the road after I have surrounded myself with interesting and challenging art friends… and enemies.)