I began this fourth portrait of my brother Mike*, with frisket squiggles to sketch out an eye and lips. Jarring the paper side to side and up and down created traces, traces that have meaning. This is almost a double portrait. Possibly it is a portrait of the space between two people, the channel that […]
Here is a standpipe, installed next to a parking garage. In case they have to put it out.
I began today’s study with compass and ruler, Kandinsky’s work in mind. Usually I have a couple of paintings going at the same time, so I had not planned this one to be part of my current portrait series. I’m not quite sure how it became one. I drew on symbols and visual elements I […]
This isn’t a sign one sees every day, as a general rule:
For a change of pace, I will return to portraits of my brother Mike for a while. He is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal. Mike currently lives in a geriatric group home back east. I took photos of him for many years; since I moved away I’ve been painting compositions related to my experience with […]
I get in a creative rut every now and then. I can’t seem to think of anything new to paint or draw. Sometimes, looking at my books about art by my favorite artists, and essays by knowledgeable critics, gives me a boost. What I seek from my readings and reproductions of art from the masters, […]
With today’s composition, I’ve reached the limit of my frisket-and-shake technique, at least for regular patterns (see Netted). The graph-like overlay on the painted area resulted from shaking the liquid masking (frisket) that I applied in closely-spaced parallel lines. The design includes some very dark areas. A bit of overspill from my ink bottle, poured […]
Another in a continuing series of fire suppression equipment photographs I came across this lovely pair of standpipes during one of my morning walks. The thought of kinship between them immediately came to mind. Mum is standing over the little squirt, as if protecting him.
I drew narrow traces of masking fluid with a wide-gage hollow applicator. The gage wasn’t narrow enough to allow a smooth outflow. The fluid bunched up and formed a bead at regular intervals across the page. Once I shook the paper at 90 degrees to the direction of the parallel lines, the beads turned into […]
