9. Something New & Continuation

(10/1/23) Today I felt ready to come back into college and begin work on some paintings with a slightly different approach to what I had been working on for the most part of last year. I came in with a lot to get off my chest, so to speak. I picked a painting I had already started some textural and colour work on before the Christmas break. I wanted to go for more painterly approaches that display more brush work and spontaneity, but continuing with the textural aspects I have thus far been implementing. (Below is a picture of this new work)

In this painting I wanted to depict a face that represented personal experiences and emotions that have built up. Initially I started the painting with black eyes but did not like how it started so I painted over it, which is what you see in the white/grey of the face. Then I added the pink that represents hair. I particularly like these elements of the face as it showcases  interesting brush work and adds an element of energy and spontaneity to the painting. After that I got some filler paste, grabbed a handful and threw it with quite some force, creating an exploded mouth on the face. 

An artist I had taken inspiration from in the aspect of energy, brushwork and spontaneity in this piece is Jean Michel Basquiat. I have always admired his work and it’s ability to convey energy that you can see in his brush work and colour choice in a majority of his work. This is an element I wanted to implement in my own work to give a sense of energy to my practice. Below are some examples of work I have taken this inspiration from. 

These pieces showcase the kind of energetic brushwork I aspire to convey in my work. The difference in this work and mine are clear in that there are more bold and controlled lines and more colours colliding with one another. Where as in my work the lines are less bold on exchange for a more washed out mix, but in this washed out mix there is brushwork that punches through and exemplifies the kind of brush work I want to implement. As a result of this there is a mostion to the piece that draws the eye in. Where I would like to improve on this piece I have made is using more of a variety of brushes to have thicker and thinner lines show in my work to utilise more subtlety in some lines and embolden others.

Today I also began work on another piece that follows a theme that seems to be occurring in my work, which is the red stripe across the bottom of the painting. But I’m this piece I wanted to implement a heavier and thicker texture to this red strip. For this I smeared filler past on the top portion of the painting that I had sectioned off with masking tape. After I had got to a thickness and texture I was happy with I peeled off the masking tape, but this proved difficult as the piece I deceided to add to had latex on it and the tape stuck to it and was pulling the paste off, so I had to cut it with a blade. After this I I painted the white paste with red enamel paint, although I with I had let it dry first because it was difficult to apply the paint without smoothing out the texture. Below is a picture of this piece.

This textural part was inspired by the artist Bram Bogart. His bold, rolling, bubbling textural paintings really grab me and draw me into his work as they seem surreal and larger than life. 

The colours and abstract blocky composition of these works are enthralling with the overlapping quality seems like it could still be manipulated or picked off and eaten. 

More later 

Lots of Love 

John Hancock X