9. A New Painting

(4/5/23)
Today I began work on a new painting. I had been feeling like I needed to make a fresh start on something rather than stagnating on work I have already got to a point that I feel is near completion, if not already complete. At a certain point in a painting I find myself nit picking and aimlessly tinkering on a painting that ultimately provides no progress. Usually I like to be working on at least 2 or 3 paintings at a time to allow myself breathing space for each ine and a different headspace for each piece. This allows me to not get overloaded and frustrated with one piece and frees me up to move onto another work in progress if I get creatively stumped with one of the 2 or 3.
This new start will hopefully provide me with a wealth of inspiration as I am working on a slightly larger surface with it being roughly twice as long as the metre square sheets I usually work on and this being more of a rectangle shape. Also the calico I purchased is much thicker (about 3 times thicker) than what I have worked on in the past few paintings, so I anticipate the paint to take to it slightly differently, but there shouldn’t be too much difference. 

Starting this painting I didn’t prime the calico as I wanted the colour of the raw cotton to be present in the painting, at least for the time being. So I set to work with a roller and white emulsion paint. I didn’t use a brush as I wanted the marks of the roller to be present instead of a brush stroaks for a slightly different aproach to the one I usually take with a paint brush. I had a dream about this skeletal figure with a large head a few days previous and wanted to translate this to a painting roughtly in the style of the ones I have been producing recently as I enjoy how free they feel and how in tune and in the moment with the work I am when creating them. I feel as if I can let go a bit more with this style of painting. I rolled out the rough figure if this thing I saw in my dream as a start point and then made some marks with around the head area with some charcole and graphite just for rough head shape guidance and some layers under and over the paint. I then decided to split the background into two colours and decided to make the top portion grey and leave the bottom portion for now. The point where the grey meets the raw calico makes the form appear as if it has its arms stretched out in some contorted way, this reminds me of an image of Christian Bale in the film The Machinist, and is perhaps a point of subconscious influence, I will attatch a picture along with my painting for reference. 
In the bottom portion where the ribs are displayed I made some marks with white chalk and white oil sticks and crayons to add movement and energy to the area with spuradic and quick gestures with the white chalk, oil and wax. 
All lines were crossing but travelling out in one direction, this to me makes the painting feel alive and that there are different directions of movement, even if these lines are painted over there will still be reminents of the motion in the layers and this is a reason I love adding these gestural marks. 
Not only does it add motion but it allows me to get very up close and personal with the painting and allows me to throw myself into the process and almost wrestle with the piece in the process. Below I will attatch a picture of the progress I made on this new painting today. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1e4xcj06ZrX1lhUnSr1N0S2p1W9mDfLMb
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15C55a2jooYcFdo0upIVPSkNAgKFTknBn
Christian Bale in The Machinist, image point of reference. 
As I look at this image more the bones and stance bear similarity to Christian Bale in this image and may have made more of a subconscious impact on this work than anything else as I have not consciously been looking at this movie. 
A sustained point of reference and inspiration that has become more apparent and present to me is Jean Michel Basquiat as I implement a more Neo Expresionist affectation to the work I am making. Not only that but in odd peer reviews I do from time to time one of my peers usually liken the work to Basquiat in some way. I am not discouraged by that as I love his work, but there is a part of me that does not want to be seen as imitating his work or being unoriginal, if originality is such a thing that one can attain in thair creative pursuits. But never the less I am equally flattered and put on guard by my peers likening the work I make to Basquiats work in the form or mark making perspective, and it lights a fire under me to find a style or way of painting that people have a hard time pinning to others work, to be able to have people look at the work and align it with me as opposed to another artist. This is one discovery I have made through the peer reviews and is making me excited and intensely driven to find the next step in my creative evolution. 
More Later 
Lots Of Love 
John Hancock X

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