…‘ been working for the last couple of days building up the palette of colours for the nw painting “Quench”. I say ‘new painting’, its taken 3 years so far to get to this point. I realised the other day that the emerging image reminded me very much of the process of Hardening and tempering in metal forging. Hence the title “Quench”, that explosive process of plunging super heated steel into water, to rapidly cool it and harden the steel. It was probably my most favourite activity at school. Its a totally transformative and physically “violent” process, with lots of drama, sound and steam. Back in 2012-14 i was supervising a PhD student at RMIT in Melbourne, called Mary Hackett who is a blacksmith metal working sculptor. She was producing interesting sketch studies around the theme of quenching. Nothing like this painting, but she came to mind while I was finishing this.
Working up.
Working this one up over the next couple of days (weeks), we’ll see. Listening to Richard Thompson ‘Acoustic Rarities’, a real discovery for me this album. Spent yesterday mainly listening through the New Dylan album ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ great stuff, if a bit of a hard listen. I guess you have to be in the right place in your head for that one…”not one for painting too. well, not for me.”
Today is a day of process. i’ve developed the additional interventions that I want to make on the painting i’m working on, on the computer. It’s a case of getting the colours mixed correctly and layering them down until they sit right on the surface. Lots of layers required on this one. Music I find I can paint, while its playing, at the moment would be Jeff Beck, particularly ‘You had it coming’ 2001. It seems to go well with the Abstract.
24th. Back in the studio. Dentist visit over.
Good to be back in the studio spurting violet paint on a couple of canvases that still have a way to go. Both are paintings that have been hanging around needing to be revisited and worked into. My basic working method is to get a picture to a point where I might think at that moment its done, then turn it to the wall for anything from a month to 2 years. The cooling off period often helps with decision making. As with most painters, i’m always wanting to bring the latest ‘thing’, from the last work, back into something that’s been hanging around. Hopefully one or both of these will resolve themselves in the next month. Today there is a light feeling associated with being tooth ache free.
Summer Solstice. Cluttered floor.
The Thumb nail picture here is from a couple of weeks ago. Today the studio floor is so cluttered I can do little else than get to the computer to try and slowly build the content for the new web site. The tooth ache i’ve had for months through Lock-down progressed to such a point that Its worth risking exposure through an emergency dental appointment. I was given one for Tuesday 23rd at 4pm when I rang on Friday the 19th. The pain in the mouth is extreme and a bit distracting. But it does help to focus the mind on the smaller tasks around the studio. Like making some space, promising myself that “If ever this pain stops, I will be a better and more productive person!” Honest…
Read MoreRaging tooth ache
Trying to follow up on this Web site building for the second afternoon, (with a raging tooth ache) is not too easy.