Crumplers, The Series
Below is one of the first of the Crumpler Series. I have matted it and, as with the Scratcher Series, I will be offering them for sale in later posts.
Monthly Archives: February 2017
Scratchers, The Series
I am really having fun painting in small format. I will have a chance to experiment with scratching and folding designs that remain largely invisible until I apply paint. I look forward to using different color schemes, and finally to matting the final product. Scratcher #1
Scratched Self Portrait
I have been thinking about applying my scratching process to other watercolor studies. Today, I developed an icon based on my brother Mike*. He used to hit himself and bite his hand. Here’s a photograph of Mike in the process of slapping and biting himself: I applied a light yellow/red glaze on my paper and, after […]
Making Scratches Visible
In the yellow abstract I did today (see Forward Progress), the first yellow wash was not absorbed by the lines I scratched into the surface of the paper. In my study below, I blotched watercolor onto paper that was already scored, and found the same result: the scratches did not soak up the pigments. To […]
Forward Progress
I love the crumple series, and will continue painting them for the next several weeks. Today I explore in more detail the technique of scratching the paper before painting. Since I can’t see the lines I make with my sharp implements, I liken this approach to the automatic writing of the Surrealists (Slashes and Painting). In […]
Small Format Crumpling
I will be completing a series of small format (7″x5″) ‘crumples’ during the next few weeks. I will offer them for sale as finished, numbered pieces when I am done. I will choose different color palettes and paper terrains for each piece. I hope you enjoy them. Below is the first in the series:
Slashes and Painting
I tried something new today, related to the automatic writing of the Surrealists, I noted in a previous post (Automatism in Crumpled Paper). My thesis was that paper has a predisposition to being crumpled one way or another in cooperation with its human crumpler; this, I posited, was not in disagreement with automatism defined by the Surrealist […]
Abstract Palimpsest
In looking around for some paper today, I came across a study I did of my wife, Joy sitting on the couch. It wasn’t very good, so it became fodder for my crumple-fold-and-wet series. I washed off most of the image in the sink after insulting the paper with creases and crumples. After squeege-ing the […]
Abstract Grid
The study below, one of my crumple series, reminds me of a map. It could be the latitudes and longitudes created by the watercolors seeping into the orthogonal folds. I think it is a treasure map.
Automatism in Crumpled Paper
Does paper have an unconsciousness? When one randomly crumples paper, it is a partnership between the paper and the crumpler. The paper has its internal stresses and imperfections and the person who crumples the paper has his or her idiosyncrasies of strength and muscle balance in the hands. The result is a shared unconsciousness, an automatism. […]
