Experiment and 3 destroyed paintings!!

Experimenting with Crimson oil paint and metal lacquer.

(Detail)

Blue 1

Blue2

Destruction 2

Water Colour and Ink on Paper

Dragonfly 1

Water colour and ink on paper

Tiger 1

Water colour and ink on paper

Tiger 2

Water colour and ink on paper

Dragonfly 2

Water colour and ink on paper

Spider 1

Water colour and ink on paper

Interesting Print

I was thinking about my subject and how there are so many things I see daily which I would like to paint, then I found this print. It reminded me of some stills from last weeks lecture, I like the repetition in pattern and colour and the way part of the image fades and then become stronger.

More from Cork Street

'Miles from here'

Julio Rondo

Mixed media on paper

Julio Rondo

Mixed media on paper

I like the way in which Julio Rondo has layed different materials to create these large art works. Its interesting that from a distance your eye focus' on the line, taking a closer look reveays layers of fine texture. Line is something I've come back to often in my work, it reminds me of a seris of paintings I made last year. Loosely applied ink or paint over wet paper allows the line to bleed and spread and merge into other colours.

'Sratching the Surface Joining the Dots' - John Keane

Small Perfect Explosion

 Sign from God - 2009

207 x 280cm

Small Perfect Explosion 2

Hindsight - 2009

128 x153cm

These paintings by John Keane have a common thread rather than a theme, most of the paintings refer to the recent events in the middle east, I am interested in how other artist deal with the issues surrounding our contemporary world.

Colour within my own work has been one of my main concern's at present, looking at Keane's paintings automatically gave me a sense that the subject is serious. It also reminds me of Gerhard Richter when he spoke about his painting 'September'; he thought that orange and red seemed to 'glorify' the event. Gerhard went on to remove these colours from the original painting and smeared the canvas with grey. 

I also like the way Keane has used other materials, like wire and metal sheets with holes in, he has pressed them against the wet paint, which has left impressions in the texture of the paint. Again this is someting I am interested in. I've been experimenting with how to apply paint in a different way and getting colour to merge or bleed together. Max Ernst was another painter who used glass pressed againt his paintings, this formed a texture in the paint.

Redfern Gallery - Kurt Jackson

Kurt jackson's paintings have a sense of calm tranquillity about them. Although his reacuring subject is the sea and landscapes, the colours and textures are varied through his paintings. Jackson places found objects, string, rope, shells etc, on to the canvas, the texture they create on the surface of the work contrasts with the brush marks, splashes drips and washes.   

My favourite of his paintings is the one below, I love the watery wash of blue, the deeper colour in the left hand corner and the thin spidery gestures on top of thin washes... this painting has inspired a new set of drawings.

I am interested in the process of painting, and I am interested in why

Cork Street Galleries

Antistrophe - Toby Ziegler

Oil on aluminium - 280 x 173cm

 Metaplasmus - Toby Ziegler

Oxidised aluminium and timber 200 x 100cm

Toby Zeigler's paintings reminded me of old photographs and distant memories, remade with todays technology. Although I am interested in his method and technique, I think there is a manufactured feel to the paintings. I struggle to stay interested, I'm not sure what the purpose of the circular type disks scattered all over the painting are, but they remind me of when you've been looking at a screen for too long and spots appear in front of your eyes. In the painting 'Antistrophe' I can't actually get beyond the spots, while in 'Metaplasmus' the white spots are more subtle and I can make out the landscapes and buildings.

David Hockney

Derek Johnson

Oil on canvas

Patrice Valota

Wax and pigment on board

Patrice Valota

Wax and pigment on board

Detail

Patrice Valota's paintings are stunning, he uses wax, pigment and a blowtorch to create these large paintings. In places the surface has a smooth shiny texture and the light reflects upon it, other parts have been worked into with a knife and show the way in which the pigment is bleeding into the wax.

Edgar Degas

Bronze

Baccus Barleycorn - Edith Simon

Scapel painting

Night Tide - Luke Elwes

Detail

Detail

Lacquer mixed with oil paint.

Today I was experimenting again, I applied thin washes of oil paint and while the surface was still wet I swirled and dripped white primer and lacquer. With minimal control I guided the paint in the direction I wanted, and then left the rest to chance.....

I love the way the lacquer has reacted with the primer; the liquids meet but dont blend together  leaving a cracked or broken edge. The lacquer has caused the thinned out oil paint to merge with the primer, this has left subtle changes in the colour.

I am really enjoying discovering different ways to create paintings I now need to think about how I can use these techniques in my work! 

Edel Assanti- Curated by Gordon Cheung

Richard Mosse

Flower of the Mountain - 2011

(Detail)

Gordon Cheung

Ashes to Ashes - 2012

(Detail)

(Detail)

Alex Hoda

Double Helix - 2009

(Detail)

'Edel Assanti' is a show curated by Gordon Cheung.

'Flower of the Mountain' by Richard Mosse, is a fascinating sculpture, it feels like there is liquid paint being squeezed out from base and also poured over the work. I love the way the paint surrounds the shapes of the piece and the contrast in texture of the materials used underneath the paint.

'Ashes to Ashes' by Gordon Cheung a large painting (150 x 200cm) I am interested in his paintings and the techniques he uses, the newspaper is used as a ground for the piece and he then uses spray paint, ink jet spray and oil to overlay detail. The oil paint is applied using an iceing bag, I like the contrast of the swirls of colour which are applied thickly to an otherwise smooth, slick surface. The painting has a ghostly, surreal atmosphere and includes characters from scooby-doo!

'Double Helix' by Alex Hoda is a sculpture of the shape of a man and is made up of plastic toys, spiders, leaves, flowers and chain's tied together with string, glue gun and chains. It is a strange construction of wierd items which individually look like the artist may well have raided a pound shop! However placed together and wraped in chains the piece is reminiscent of childhood memories. The bright garish colours and tight structure has inspired me to paint from the photo's I took, it reminds me of some of Albert Oehlen's paintings, where there is so much infomation pushed into one canvas.