Lookey here! Louise Nevelson

These are two quick shots of an out-of-order arrangement of the plaster cast I posted on July 15. After lots of experiments with layers of color, and a lovely visit to the MFA in Boston's Egyptian section, pure white really is the best way to go. Now I can really concentrate on developing the images and textures and letting that speak for itself.

THEN, I remembered! OF COURSE!!! I'm doing Louise Nevelson! Love it or leave it we are all just reinventing the wheel, aren't we? I used to teach a high school art project based on her assemblages, so I decided to peruse a few of her works today.

This is an embossing- I just love the absence of color apart from the contrast provided by subtle shadows.

Medicine Cabinet, step two

Here it is again after the fiber-glass bathroom putty treatment. For reference to the two prior posts of this series, see August 23 and July 17.

Pollensa Facade Reassembled

This is just a preliminary paste-up. It does give me a bit of a 'so now what?' feeling. My gut tells me to paste them down with more space in between and work back into the composition as a whole. I wanted it to have an upstairs/downstairs impact, but the bedrock below is too voluptuous ...oh well, back to the drawing board.

Pollensa Facade series - done!

This is a teaser of a few close-up shots of the 8-part drawing I started in America. Now to cut the edges and reassemble. 

These are made with magic marker, white correction tape, graphite and gesso. They are drawings of a drawing of a photo I took. the ultimate plan is to cast these as white plaster tiles...

..hope this isn't anti-climatic.

Medicine Cabinet, step one

Just finished this first step of a partner piece to the one posted on July 17 ("New painting finished today, still wet"). For some reason my straight renderings always disappoint me (might as well look at the photo!), so - step two will be posted tomorrow or Monday.

Malaga Excavation- Study

This is a small study (approx. 6X8 inches) on vellum with gesso and magic marker.  last night I began blocking out a much larger version (approx. 6 X 4 feet) on untreated wood. Whereas in this study the negative space is white, the plan is to leave the wood grain exposed in the larger version. 

I originally approached this scene because of the deteriorating tile wall, but as I came to the protective fence I saw in the foreground the roman foundation which was part of the amphitheatre across the street. Double the pleasure.

Rewriting the same book...

Hasn't it been said many times that artists spend a lifetime perfecting the same idea? Although perfection is not a viable goal, I do enjoy stumbling across hints of this often unwitting continuum. Here you have excerpts from a book of a cut-and-assemble dollhouse. I came across it while cleaning Malena's closet. I purchased it around '93/'94 in preparation for my thesis exhibition at Mass Art. (See MAY posts: Art work from 1995, parts 1, 2 ,3 to see related art work)


The funny thing about coming across these (which are simply open boxes, a current obsession of mine), is that I have been looking for images of a project I did at age 16. Wendy reminded me that the 'self-portrait book' in question is similar to the unfolding concept with I work at the moment. Found the slides, but don't know how to scan them yet...

Pollensa Facade, part 2

It looks like I have to reshoot these images, but for now here is the second installment of the 8-part Pollensa facade series. These are mixed-media drawings in permanent marker, white-out, gesso and graphite. When I get back from my travels, I will be re-assembling this image.

The bottom image is a detail.

Pollensa facade, part 1

Ok, things are moving along slowly here due to two outdated operating systems. But hopefully this post will actually work. I am in the USA for a few weeks and haven't been able to update my blog.

Instead of totally losing touch with my work, I have cut a large drawing in to 8 pieces to be painted/drawn in a larger scale and then re-assembled upon returning to Mallorca. Above is the first panel. This is a mixed media piece combining graphite, white gesso, permanent marker, and white-out tape. My goal is to post all 8 before August 15.

New Painting Finished Today, still wet

I am excited because this painting was sitting half done for a while and I wasn't sure how to resolve it. But I think I got it. I am pleased. As of yet untitled...

detail...still, they look so different in person.

Open-Box In Cast Plaster- First Try

I have been wanting to do a test-run of this idea for a while. I foresee this working on a much larger scale; this manageable sample measures about 3.5 X2.5 (widest point) in feet and that's 1 meter by 75 cms for my euro-pals out there. As the perpetual teacher, I want to share the steps...

Above you see the clay slabs cut into the layout of an open box, then designed with impressions made from man-made and natural objects. You can see some of the implements on the floor.

Here you can see that clay walls have been built to control the flow of the wet plaster...

Doesn't my foot give you the sense of scale?! Anyway, here it is filled with plaster, labeled and with hooks for hanging. The tricky thing about this technique, particularly large scale, is that it has to be done all at once so that neither the clay nor the plaster harden too quickly. 3-4 hours straight, no breaks. Until this point. 

A couple of hours later it is safe to pull back the clay and let the plaster air dry a bit more before washing the terra cotta clay residue off. 

That's where I am at now: all the pieces have been washed and cleaned with a toothbrush. Now they must dry at least 4 days (that's in the Mallorca sun) before I can paint them.

But Alas, I must leave this piece in limbo until mid- August. I am going to America with Malena first thing friday morning. I will be working and posting from there, but on paper pieces and actual little open boxes. Stay tuned!! Give me a few days to get there and bounce back from the long journey.

New Diptych

Is it done? This image is a bit washed out. Seeing it up here now I think I need to better integrate the rusted metal elements. I know it needs to be about twice as long.

A side note is that this painting contains a 'reject' painting that was cut up into little squares and used as the base for the lower half. I love recycling older pieces that haven't found a home or satisfying resolution. Stay tuned for more.

Plaster Tiles - Color Schemes

I think these plaster pieces are approaching the color scheme that works with the under-construction theme. Still feeling that, for the size (approximately 8X10 in.), these are still too busy in terms of texture.

You wouldn't believe how many layers of paint are on the second one.  The textures were created with found objects from the street and back roads of Muro, Mallorca.

...well, back to the lab.

Happy Accidents?

This is what results when you prime open boxes over unresolved drawings....Hmmm, these have left me curious. For all my exhaustive planning and gathering, I often am more attracted to the abstractions that result when I am not trying so hard.

Plaster Reliefs, new & reworked

You've seen this top one before, but now I think it's more resolved. It was a technical experiment to figure out this material, so I see it as a piece on it's own and not totally connected to the open box/building theme. No title yet. Plaster relief, approximately 8X10 inches. 
These two are samples of a few pieces I am currently working on. The clay original is cut into the shape of an open box and impressions are made with various natural and man-made objects. The resulting plaster relief is then painted in many transparent layers.

The plan is to hang these in large clusters on the wall.  Once again, I amazed at how what I fore-plan in my mind's eye and what comes out is soooo different. While I enjoy these, they also look bizarre to me. Where will they lead me?

Texture compostitions

These are some images I have been making which will be collaged onto open boxes.  They are also the materials I am using to create the plaster relief pieces.

Artist: Gordon Matta Clark

You can learn some basic facts about Matta-Clark from this link to Dwell magazine: www.dwell.com/peopleplaces/profiles/3921046.html

or, of course, Google him  yourself. I think my association with his work is pretty obvious.

This stuff leaves me speechless.

Motherload of Ruins in Palma!!

Check THIS one out! Isn't it delightful? This is in the old part of Palma. It must have been a massive home or block of beautiful apartments. There are so many morsels to look at...need to zoom in on a few details.

architectural details like molding, elaborate ceilings, intricate staircases...

...what is most interesting to me with this complex of ruins is the depth. I have for the most part up 'til now I have been focusing on two-dimensional facades, but the cutting in on various angles and levels of floors is really wonderful here. Reminds me of an artist I love, Gordon Matta Clark.

Silhouettes

This is what happened next to the textural over-lapping of the open boxes of post (Open Box Experiments). Still unfinished, still unsure...

Any comments?

Farewell Biel, Reach for the Heavens!

I would like to dedicate this post to Biel, my good friends' Maite and Xavi's father and father-in-law respectively, who passed away just after midnight on Saturday. He left his body at the young age of 60 and will be missed and held dearly by many.

The passage painted on a home in Muro means "Dominate the heights and await infinity". 

Blessings to Maite, Xavi, Clara, and all of the extended family of Biel.