Oh, this piece…
Finally, finally finished. A weird timeline behind this painting. Originally begun as a drawing months and months ago, it was left abandoned in “the stack” and sort of left for dead as it evolved too ambitiously beyond what I had the patience or interest to complete. It remained untouched until a longtime patron asked about it and got me interested again. The goal was to pursue more of a “quick tighten” to get it to a stage where I’d be satisfied selling it, unfinished. Full disclosure: the buyer was happy to take it in the state it was, half colored, half inked, half unfinished, but my meticulous nature couldn’t let it be. I did pick up interest in further experimenting with it, and finally got it to the state you see it now.
The conversation with the buyer sparked a fire in how I will tackle certain drawings this year. The chat, combined with an eye on what viewers seem to respond to with the greatest enthusiasm, all combined with how distracted I get when making art has cause me to try an experiment. I will be playing with leaving drawings slightly “unfinished” to let the bones and underlying tissues show when releasing some new pieces. I’m tempted to release these as “studies” but then, I think of everything that I make a “study” for the next thing I’ll make. Instead, these will be attempts at staying loose, and not overworking pieces into the ground. I love seeing the early process of the work of artists I like, and have heard others feel similar about my work. My goal will be to keep some drawings “open” with “room to breathe” and other “phrases in quotation marks.” We’ll see how it plays out.
Until then, enjoy “Strata Upon Strata.”
Strata Upon Strata
Pen & ink, ink wash & acrylic on watercolor paper, varnished.
10.75″ x 17″ (2014)
This painting is sold, but to purchase other available artwork, please swing by the store.
detail.
*NCW*
