In the dark of the night…
I’ve made a habit of late-night studio sessions, as those early morning hours have always held a grasp on my senses. Perhaps it’s the lack of sleep, which in its own right leads to a lack of inhibitions, and thus, a sense of clarity, or at least the feeling of acceptance of the inevitable. Regardless of the logic, I find myself drawn to the darkness, and it’s pull has never seemed stronger, and that’s a good demon to have in your corner afterall, when you’re looking to make something happen on canvas.
Last month I posted several initial images of my current work, ‘Dakota Requiem, Works from the Extinction Layer’. They just didn’t seem finished, more so, they seemed distant to me, and that’s not a good direction to be headed with a new body in the works. So, I went back to the shadows for a bit, hence the darkness, late at night mindset, to look for a fresh way out. Not only that, but to try to make a way out from the sameness, as the plain half-spun feel of these works bothered me, more so, they nearly sunk the prospects of the entire project.
Now, I feel that these assembled pieces have a greater sense of belonging, a stronger visual directive, and coherent language too. It’s an ongoing process, and as I continue to work in the coming months, it’s my intent that the work will develop into new and unforeseen directions, at least that is the hope, and what makes me stay awake at night.
I’ve labeled these as ‘Works from Series One’, I have a tendency to avoid individual titles, they often seem to forced, rather, I’m drawn towards the collective body, hence the simplified titles. We’ll call them as they are, 1, 2, 3, and go from there, it’s like pages in a great novel, Series One is just the first chapter to ‘Dakota Requiem’. I hear it’s a real page turner too!
Anyhow, as so far as the technical, these works measure 30×40 inches, on a 1 3/8 stretched 10 oz canvas. Be sure to take notice of the heavy impasto, the introduction of several new tones and colors, and look for the unexpected too. (ignore those messy spots too, they’re fresh from the easel afterall)
