#138 – Tuesday, January 7th
Forward.
I always know when the studio needs attention. While I’ll attempt to ignore it, the obvious signs are there. When the chaos I willingly court stops feeding my creative endeavors and transitions into a mind numbing bog, it’s time for a studio cleanse. This was a toothbrush level affair, and now sitting at my desk penning this missive, I’m engulfed in a halo of order, eager for chaos to once again sing me its’ siren song.
Reverse.
Generally I’m not one to rework paintings. Done is done. But while the studio was in the throes of reorganization, I thought I’d tackle a simple something from the past. In two thousand seven, working on raw canvas, I completed a group of forty-five by fifty-four inch paintings. Several of these incorporated large areas of canvas that reacted to a varnish I’d used, tinting it an unexpected variation of orange. This particular canvas had been a favorite, and I’d hung it outside the studio door. I’d often contemplated cutting out the unaffected pieces and stretching those, or just destroying the thing, but never found the inclination to go ahead with either option. I like to keep things in motion, and while the studio was in flux, it seemed the perfect opportunity for reclamation. And as one might guess, not nearly as simple as it sounded. “It’s the odd thing, hanging tight. Shadow and reflection woven into a basket”
On the left is the painting prior to the raw canvas reacting to the varnish. On the right its’ ghost.
Thanks for reading.
Charles
The ghost is very haunting to me. It feels like something below the ice that will transform and grow in the spring. Maybe just wistful thinking on my part.
an arctic vortex can inspire wistful thoughts . . . thank you for the lovely comment.
I am drawn to the ethereal moodiness of the revisit to the past of those other dimensional beings.
at the time, it was to be a quick tuneup, but ended as an illumination