The Ghost Of Shadow And Reflection, Woven Into A Basket

#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