Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Method or Madness? (Trying to find artistic balance)

 


Orderly is probably not a word you would use to describe my studio space.  Because of this, you might be surprised to learn that my technique is actually pretty planned and methodical.  First I paint the main subject matter with bitumen, then I paint the light colors around it, then I spray paint water and other chemicals and then begin the process again.  It's a formula or a recipe that I follow over and over again.  


While this might create a somewhat predictable result, it also might lend itself to a piece that feels very dead.  You can't see the marks that I made, the gestures or the way the hand was moving to create the individual parts of the piece.  Since I have already visualized the way I want the finished piece to look, it is a constant push and pull of using that recipe and going back to paint in details to bring the piece alive again- calm in the chaos.

What about you?  Do you work best in a system or does your creativity thrive in disarray?

-Tyler

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