Having brought two panels to the gilding stage, I couldnt wait to get going, although knowing the mess that would ensue. I have yet to gild the 8′X4′ panel, that will be a challenge, and is set for today provided my schlag (imitation gold leaf) from Wrights of Lym arrive as expected. The gold has to be imitation gold as I need to tarnish the metal to create the effect I require. Wrights in Cheshire, is a company I visited a few years ago on a college trip, and it was completely fascinating, in that we were told that it was one of only two places in England that still beat gold by hand, I dont know if that is still so now, as most gold is factory milled. I remember seeing the gold being melted in a crucible, and brought to a bench where a pair of beaters rythmically hammered the gold. In another room ladies were sat at tables trimming and placing leaves between tissue. This brings to mind the lovely tutor I had, Nigel Leaney, who was such an inspirational man, he taught us about paint, not you would think one of the most riviting subjects for a lecture, but amazingly it was, with magical ingredients such as lapiz lazuli, dragons blood, myrh, and many such other, he was generous with his knowledge, and of himself. I must away to my studio now to check on that gold.
I have taken a rest from my large panels, and am working on rwo panels 1 metre square, and they are new versions of “flow”. I love these pieces as they are so expressive of the concept of landscape as a form that is hard wired into our subconscious. The form and flow work as a visual concept and as an artist actually working on the pieces the body takes on the movement and so the panel takes on the visual and the physical. Whilst work is in progress the eye, body and hand engage with the mind to create the form. For me the entire mind and body are fully engaged during the initial stages, this eventually progresses to critical focus and decision making, and this is where hard work and perseverence come into force, making minute selections of texture, colour et al. Once the main body of work is created layer building and drying times start to take up a lot of time, and this is where the critical eye comes in, choosing the right placement of layer and texture, this is the place where I agonise, fall in and out of love with a piece, leave it, go back to it, rework it, and that is precicely where I am at present with at least four panels.
I have to say that the work just continues. There is a saying, that something regarded as boring, can be said to be as boring as waiting for paint to dry, and alas this is somewhat similar to my situation now. I am still building up layers of gesso, and the entire panel is grey, wet grey, dry grey, textured grey, etc etc. Inbetween working on the panel I continue to create my gesso spheres, some can be called dribble spheres as the process is somewhat akin to dribbling, this also is a process of application and drying time, building up gradually layer by layer, and for someone of my personality, which can sometimes be impetuous, it is a lesson in time management and patience. I have also a private commission to work on, which takes me back a little to some previous work, with glass and wood, and it will be enjoyable to revisit, and also to re look and maybe extend this body of work. It is I think good practice every now and then to look back and take stock of the artistic journey that has been taken, and the choices made along the way. I thought back to what inspired me to work with glass, and why I chose to create kiln formed glass as opposed to blown glass, and although glass has very unique properties, such as translucency, and light reflection, it was still texture that had to be an intrinsic ellement. My kiln has not been used for a very long time now and I’m not even sure it will work when switched back on again, however after this body of work has been completed I am anxious to work with glass once again. Note to self “write that down on the to do list”.
Working on the large "earth series" panels 8' x 4' allows for much more physicallity, and gives the feeling of walking the earthscape and mirroring the movement of line with the body, a real connection, remeniscent of how aborigenees walk the land and their amazing paintings that map their trails. The initial stages are all about contour, texture, and building the feeling of terrain, and must not be rushed, this stage has to be perfect before anything else can be done. Visually, it is frustrating, and eventually applying colour comes as a releif and bring the panels to life. Each panel becomes an intimate part of my life whilst being formed, I know every twist and turn, line, and feature, and it progresses slowly each mark, each addition a decision made, and a choice taken.
My new space is light, and spacious in comparison to my old shed, and it inspires me to work. I have started on a large gesso panel, 8'X4', my largest to date, and it is phsically quite hard to move around the panel. The scale is intriguing like working with an enlarged photograph. I dont know why people think that an artists studio is romantic, for me it is a workaday space, and a retreat
