Loosening up...

Now that I have had a few months distance from the bulk of work I have already created using building facades as a theme, I recognize that they are far too static for my liking. I am not throwing out a line for compliments, this is a genuine critique of the work as it stands alone but also with respect to the concept, which is important to me.

I am so curious about these exposed walls as cross-sections of lifetimes spent in the formerly closed quarters. So...where is the life in the paintings? The energy, the movement...I have a tendency to 'over-work' surfaces; and in the end usually prefer my drawings and under-painting to the finished product.

So, today I tried to loosen up- let the image breathe and no be so tied to the original photo I took. I incorporated some text, some stream of consciousness writing about the seemingly haphazard approach to home reforms in many Mallorcan towns. Then it occurred to me that I occasionally meet someone who lived in or next to the buildings I am painting...I AM GOING TO INTERVIEW THESE PEOPLE. Stay tuned for further development!

Iranian Calligraphy Art

Bahram Hanafi Baghchejegh
Born in 21 March 1966

http://www.caroun.com/Calligraphy/Iran/BahramHanafi/BahramHanafi.html

Calligraphy & Graffiti

To follow-up on my last post, here are some of my pieces from 2000 - 2002 which show my interest in calligraphy. I have always used text of some sort in my work, up until about a year ago. I have taken a break from this ritual to free my paintings from a, perhaps, too specific interpretation. Looking at this older work of mine and that of José Parlá (http://joseparla.com/home.html) I am reminded that language does not have to be read to add richness and conversation to a piece.

Artwork by José Parla

http://joseparla.com/home.html
Run, don't walk to see this beautiful artwork by José Parla. Although the result is quite different, what inspires him is very similar to my current muse: urban archeology, a rythym of layers expressing individual and community experience amongst the inevitable cycle of progress and change. This is aptly described in his bio. His work is at once totally contemporary and archetypical, calling on centuries of written and creative expression. Beyond the immediate reference to graffiti and urban signage, I see delicate pages from Da Vinci's sketchbooks, Arabic text, and the ephemeral depth of Monet's waterlilies. Seeing this work has catapulted me back into the studio, it is so good to be reminded of the beauty in everything that surrounds us.

Within the 'walls' of the edifices I have been documenting, I hope to develop such an exquisite attention to surface depth and vibrance! SIGH...

An enormous thanks to Luis in Berwick Brooklyn for sharing this with me.

Menorca: Pedreres de s'Hostal

Thanks to Carrie Barns, who directed me to this link via Facebook, I have discovered a visual gem not far from where I live. The Pedreres de s'Hostal is a disused quarry in Menorca Spain currently being converted into a 'post-industrial heritage park'.

Check out the link below to read more and see loads of wonderful photography of the site.

http://pruned.blogspot.com/2009/02/pedreres-de-s.html

New piece finished today!

Yet another acrylic painting of a local facade...the multi-level staircases attracted me most to this composition. One curious benefit I have is that I can study the renovation process of my neighbors on both sides of the house - actually, one is building a mostly new structure and the other is renovating. The wall you see above reflects this odd kind of patchwork approach to adding-on that is rampant here.

"Let's add some stairs this weekend"!
"Ok, the stairs aren't finished, but now that I am up here, wouldn't it be nice to have a solarium"?
"Great, pass me a cinder block..."
"That nosy neighbor keeps looking over here, let's add a few bricks to this wall here..."

High Contrast in Palma de Mallorca

As I continue to work on some mixed media paintings on the vast collection of façade images I have accumulated, I am eager to let loose on some black and white ink drawings- a favorite technique of mine. I started the investigations by tweaking photos in Photoshop.

Here's a result that inspires me: The effect that the humidity has on the cement of the upper levels of this torn-down building looks like bleeding, soaked black ink. Stay tuned.

Exhibition in E-Cosí, Sa Pobla, Mallorca

Last night we opened a show of my new work from 2008 at E-Cosí Ristorante Italiano in Sa Pobla, Mallorca (http://e-cosi.info/48/espanol/). The collection includes a large-scale, privately commissioned piece that had yet to be displayed. The opening was well attended for short notice on a Tuesday evening. Many thanks to my friends and those who attended to celebrate with us.

Palma de Mallorca, Carrer de Santiago Rusñol

Are you sick of seeing these images yet? Well, I'm not - here's another goody from Palma de Mallorca. This is a rare find because it shows three adjacent walls in a city block. There was a high fixed-in-cement barrier in front of the theatre-like display so I could not photograph freely. I have included a few decent shots taken with my arm stuck through the muslin!

Don't you just love the multiple stair cases leading to...?

Muro, Mallorca...another ruin

Today is another beautiful December Sunday in Mallorca. With some time alone I wandered my village to uncover neglected nooks. This particular house pictured above gives me déjàvu of snooping around the ruins behind my grandparents' house in Gloucester, MA.

My brothers and I used to go out into their back woods and trespass on the dangerous rotting staircases. The peculiar thing about these former dwellings here is that you don't need to go far to find them- they are abundant and nestled in with renovated and modern homes.

Drawing or Painting?

I always like to document my 'under-paintings' which are more drawings than paintings I suppose. These images are important because if I go too far with subsequent layers, I can see what I want to reclaim. I have found some wonderful black paint-pens that are more opaque than Sharpie markers and allow me to draw into my paintings. You can see the photo I took to compose this painting in an earlier post (Urban Archeology). Stay tuned for the imminent changes in this piece.

Mallorcan Façades- Abstract Interpretations...

I had an intense casting day yesterday. I'm playing with facade-like compositions, but with an abstract positioning of the textures and forms.

Like the other plaster casts, the impressions here are made with discarded construction materials and other recycled objects.

The difference here though is the scale- it's tricky, but I want to cast much larger blocks then reassemble them in different compositions.

Welcome to Mallorca

I haven't posted in a little while.  However the Mallorcan sun has beckoned me back to the terrace to cast plaster tiles. I also have more paintings in the works. I will be able to share more new things very soon.

Those of you aware may be wondering what happened with my 'big deadline'...Well, after a lot of hard work and cranking out the creativity, I was disqualified based on my age. Yes - it was disappointing for a few minutes (maybe an hour and a half).

All I can say is WELCOME TO MALLORCA! And to quote a savvy restauranteur I know, "Mallorca is a peculiar place full of peculiar people who do peculiar things".

Well, I win anyway. That deadline gave me the push I needed to embark on the new body of work I have been ruminating over for a long time. I am really into it and cannot wait to share it with the public.

Urban Archeology - Arqueología Urbana

Shortly after moving to Mallorca I began to document the abundant activity in the construction and destruction of properties on the island. I still observe the antique mixing with the modern, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes in conflict.

What piques my curiosity most are the façades left behind after the demolition of a neighboring building. For a few short months, one can see the imprint left on the walls of lives once lived. It is a cross-section of changing generations of ownership.
By capturing these views before they are covered for another span of time, I attempt to depict contemporary artifacts obscured by civilization and progress. I mimic this process in my works by using discarded construction materials and painting over my own paintings.

What you are reading is the written portion of a proposal I just sent out for a juried show in Palma. I have been preparing for the opportunity for 6 months. And although the competition is certainly not a punctuation mark, I feel that I have already won- deadlines are great motivators!

Arqueología Urbana

Poco después de venir a vivir a Mallorca empecé a documentar la abundante actividad en la construcción y destrucción dentro de la isla. Aún observo lo antiguo mezclándose con lo moderno, a veces armoniosamente, otras en conflicto.

Lo que pica mi curiosidad es que la mayoria de las fachadas dejaron trás de sí la demolición del edificio colindante. Durante unos pocos meses, uno puede ver la imprenta dejada en las paredes de los que una vez vivieron allí. Es una muestra representativa de los cambios generacionales de la propiedad. Al capturar estas vistas antes de que sean recubiertas por otro lapso del tiempo, intento plasmar los artefactos contemporáneos obscurecidos por la civilización y el progreso. Imito este proceso en mis obras usando materiales descartados por la construcción y cubriendo antiguas obras mías.

Piso Tres Plantas, Inca Mallorca

Another battle of the paintings! Thanks to those who helped last week. I would like to include only one of these two large scale works (approx. 4 X 5.5 feet) in my proposal going off tomorrow.
What's your gut feeling? The one above (needs a few more touches) Inca 3- Story, or below, Escavation in Málaga? The bottom image is a bit washed out- try to visualize it with darker blacks. Thanks!

Fossil, Pollensa & other casts

I'm looking for a quick opinion: I need to add one of these two versions to a proposal this week. Tell me- which is stronger: the brown or blue-grey version?

These are interpretations of the imprint left from a torn-down building in historic Pollensa, Mallorca. They are approximately 24 X 24 inches square - each composed of 4 plaster relief tiles cast from clay carvings I made. I have posted drawings of this image before (see August posts on Pollensa Facade).


Above and below are two individual castings (8X10in.) I finished this week as well; they are more abstract, made with remnants of building materials found on the side of the road.

A New Facade- a new series

I finally darted out last night to document this beauty in Inca. I had been getting nervous that it would disappear behind scaffolding and newly cast cement pillars. Alas, I got it- it's sooo good - there are lots of different tiles and marble elements remaining. The arches under the staircases add a nice design twist.

Give me a few weeks, or months to transform this inspiration into new works! Even Malena sucked in her breath when we pulled over- she really gets her mama.

It would be interesting to find the people who used to inhabit these imaginary walls- just to let them know someone still cares!

Clean Slate

High on the joy of finishing the set of "Habitaciones" paintings I just finished, I sought out more panels of the same size to continue the series...and found another sacrifice to the wheel of painting life - a very labored painting from 2002 of ferns morphing into spinal columns. I am not sure I have ever even exhibited this piece, but too late now!

Is this tendency recycling or more of an artistic Darwinism? The survival of the newest?

NEW WORK: First Floor, Rooms 1,2,3 &4

Piso 1° Planta, Habitaciones 1, 2, 3, y 4 / First Floor Apartment, Rooms 1,2,3, and 4
(Acrylic, fiberglas patching compound, permanent marker, 41 X 51 cm/ea. 2008)


The intention of this series is that the one can arrange the individual paintings in various compositions of 'rooms' and the image still works as a whole. The first arrangement is true to the original building. This second one is mixed.


Above and below are views of two of the individual paintings. More are in the works. Imagine a cluster of 6 or 8 on the wall!


By the way, these four panels were formerly homes to paintings in the Immersion series.

Escavation In Málaga, finished

I posted a draft of this piece a while back - I believe it is finished now. Seeing it here, out of context, I think I will continue to try to document it, as the top half is a bit washed-out.

Tell, what are your thoughts of the wood grain combined with the imagery of masonry and cement structures? I'm curious...