An Exercise in Experimentation

July 21, 2011 | Filed Under news 

So, after a long hiatus, I am back in the studio. I’m working on a couple of ideas I’ve been mulling over for awhile now. Primarily shifting into a focus on flat surface, as well as exploring the effects of translucent glazes instead of flat, solid colour.

This piece is an exercise in experimentation. It’s about ten inches square, made up of twenty five small pieces of wood. I originally was picturing something much more even and regular. Twenty five squares that fit together to make one big square. I found that such small pieces of wood didn’t break very evenly, though, and I didn’t end up with a very regular shape.

At first, I thought I’d have to scrap it and start over to achieve my “vision,” but I kept plugging along and eventually realized that the haphazard shapes added to the overall charm of the piece.

I’m also using an acrylic glazing liquid here, which allows the paint to be applied in translucent layers. I’m interested in how this adds to the depth and dimension of the inherently flat painting. It also allows for very subtle variations in the colours, creating a richer palette.

More experiments to come!