2014
Oil On Canvas Over Sculpting Foam, Fabricated Aluminum
Blissfully dozing, head resting on her shoulder and lips parted. Her breasts the shape of summer fruit and limbs gathered comfortably. Her peacefulness still amazes me for all the industry which took amid her slumber. It was a long process with this picture; engaging, inspired and tedious at times. The transformation from graphite drawing to 3-D painting was gradual. I spent a year from rough oil sketch to completed assembly of the 60 separate parts spread out on my studio floor. Every methodology I possess was called upon; ink drawing, oil and impasto painting, whittling sculpting and shaping the foam, cutting up then adhering the canvas, fabricating the aluminum, carpentry of the hidden frame. The sitting surface of the chair is constructed from bent aluminum tubing wrapped around a steel armature. The upper chair back is solid spokes positioned radial, cut and integrated to the hidden Lewan wood(lightweight) armature within the piece. All the metallic surfaces etched and sanded in my studio , have a uniform untarnished patina. The pale alloy is sufficiently light and the 60 pieces are canvas over sculpted foam, Alone, I can pick up the 62X50 inch piece and hang it on the wall. The rigid solidity and lightness is a feat worth mentioning as I keep in mind the probable habitat when making these sculptural paintings. This too a philosophical tenet worthy of note, as I am not an elitist. Ultimately it matters greatly to NOT place oneself above the audience,.. Outsizing the walls that people live within implies the artist is targeting museums or privileged environments. I do not. No one assists in the fabrication of my drawings, paintings or sculptures. What the viewer entreats is entirely a product my own hands and mind. My works are uncompromisingly original. There is thick impasto of gritty paint covering the various surfaces of the canvas pieces. I used a bakers icing trowel ,palette knives and brushes of all sizes to apply the color/sand mix to the surface. In closing I would leave you with an intended paradox; the rough cut shapes, brusque and thick, application of paint is devoted to describing one who is precious and vulnerable, she is asleep.