posted on my FaceBook page June 21, 2023
Fortunately, I don’t get creative blocks. I frequently procrastinate, but that’s different. I’ve typically found that having the expectation floating around that I’ll post a painting every day propels me, but when I took a few days off to go and look at a house last month, I felt the break benefited the painting. When I started up again, I was doing some very bold work on paper. I’ve now set aside maybe 20 or so of these with another selection of paintings earlier this year, 20 or so based on the Angry Woman in Rock. For whatever reason, these two styles did not appeal to the audience here [on Facebook], but these 40 paintings on paper will make a great gallery show, and it’s not a bad idea to have something ready if that comes up.
This morning I was looking to see what I have in the way of large pieces of paper. Possibly after writing about large paper the other day. I found the rice paper which I’ve used a couple of times in unconventional ways (bunching it up to create creases, then smoothing it out and gluing it to a canvas) and I found a large (25 x 33″ poster of a painting that would have been in my parents’ things. I didn’t like the painting. I folded it in half and was going to put it into the recycling pile, but then I started to consider folding it many more times, unfolding and painting on it. There’s something about having to work against imperfections that can ignite super good painting.
A trick I employ after getting such ideas is to keep moving in the set up and execution. Figure out where it’s going to take place, what materials are required (semi-rotten plywood panel, pushpins, minimal paint, water, plates) and just keep moving.
I’m aiming for freshness when I destabilize myself from the usual routine (size, materials, drawing board etc.). In this case, the fact that I’m painting over something allows me to be super loose (as opposed to tight and overly precious). Super loose is good.
Having set up quickly and accepted the limitations encourages ditching expectations. This is all more difficult than it sounds. It’s tempting to give up at any point along the way. It’s not always in the cards to break from the tried and true, but it can result in a state of mind less constrained by conventions, maybe especially the self-invented ones.
It probably didn’t hurt that it was either raining very lightly or on the verge of raining the whole time. How serious can you be if you’re outside using water-based paint in the rain? Not being serious can be super good!
When painting a familiar subject like “Scuba”, the various ways I approach painting it might benefit future iterations. Or, who know, maybe I’ll find a whole bunch of old posters and continue doing this all summer. It’s super good not to feel entirely hinged to the thing I’ve been doing so much of.
This was not an experiment or an exercise. It’s a painting. Paintings don’t necessarily take a long time for the best results. I know there are people who associate value with how long a painting took and how realistic it is, but… those aren’t factors in the kind of art I’m talking about or making.
At one point I thought I’d fold it back up to ship it to whomever buys it, but now I don’t think that’s a good idea. It should ship flat if it ships at all. For today, I’ll write about it, post a couple of photos and skip the whole pricing and selling thing because I’d price it as a painting done within the span of time that I’ve been working, regardless of the surface its on. In fact, I might even price it higher because it steps out of the continuum and feels entirely finished, whole and solid while enduring things that might be regarded as working against it.
“Scuba” (25 x 33″ acrylic on found, folded, slightly distressed on one edge, paper poster) not really for sale, but message me if you believe you must have it… after all, it’s super good
update: $1000 USD plus shipping
detail of mouth
Jean Smith 