WORK IN PROGRESS 'B' continues...
Below: Magnified detail shot of current painting.
Below: Magnified detail shot of current painting.
The current painting ( below ) is still nowhere near satisfactory. To me, it looks dull, and mannered. Like I'm on autopilot, working on it until something inspirational occurs. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing, because every part of its history is recorded and can still be accessed - if you know how to look at it.
Abstraction is like any other form of visual media - it's a kind of prosthetic memory. We can store thoughts outside of ourselves in the form of computers, books, TV, sounds, sculpture and pictures.
From language comes imagery, metaphor and codes; To me, abstraction in art is merely another form of encrypted data.
I would prefer it if people stood in front of my work and thought about it for a minute. The photographs here are a result of seeing the current piece under the spotlights in my studio, which highlight the details. Seeing the layers, plateaus, and valleys is what's satisfying...even when the painting itself remains unresolved.
Whatever form the final composition takes, all the previous histories will still be there, waiting to be found.
The photographs below are extreme closeups taken from the same painting ( above ). Variations in light quality are due to the artificial light, as it was night-time when the pictures were taken.
Work-In-Progress 'B', Acrylic on Canvas, 60cm x 60cm, 2016.
Go to Feb 2017's BLISS IN CONCRETE to see the final version.
