Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Femme de feu X - step II... Still on the conventional path!

The second pass was used to firm up facial features a little before going for the roller...


At the very least, if I destroy this image, I will have a relic to fall back on!

Note to self: "I've used the monochromatic path a lot lately. May be it's time to introduce some colors in my future works!"

Monday, February 27, 2012

Femme de feu X - step I... Tackling the gravitational pull on a head leaning backward!

For the next 2-3 weeks, my painting time will be much more limited as the muse and I are starting a major house renovation project in the living room and dining room areas (sanding and varnishing floors, painting walls and ceilings).

Nonetheless, I may still have the time to expedite a few experiments. With this new painting (28 X 28), I want to apply textures with a roller on raw cotton/linen to see if I can emulated what I recently did on raw cotton...


Raw cotton/linen has a rougher surface, so it will be interesting to see the results. I'm really going for a certain image here as opposed to painting prowesses. My model was lying down and this had a major impact on her facial features!

Note to self: "The creation of visceral images using glazes and light textural effects is as important for me as the creation of works favouring paint application and heavier textures. For now, this mean two streams of works!"

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Vortex II final... Distancing myself from pure realism one iota!

I went "full speed" to finish this one on raw cotton/linen, still "all shook up" by my previous experiment on raw cotton (that work really struck a cord with me)...


I put less "matter" on that one than I anticipated. Nonetheless, I'm still fairly satisfied by the vortex effect at the periphery... giving the feeling that the two figures are at the verge of being engulfed...

Note: I could have gone much more "drastic" with deconstruction but decided that I liked the lines from the intertwined bodies enough not to temper with them!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Vortex II - step II... A sweeping exercise!

I applied to second layer with broad sweeping brush strokes in an attempt to capture what I had in mind in terms of movement...



I swept beyond the boundaries of the canvas (30 X 30) to improve my sweeping motions.  At this stage, my use of  thin colors paves the way to textural layers which will follow...

Monday, February 20, 2012

Vortex II - step I... Getting back to the "twirl"!

Having done a fair number of paintings for my "Femmes de feu" series, I now want to redirect some efforts towards the "Vortex" series. I decided to tackle a couple a female fighters as opposed to another close-up of a head as I previously did...


 I would like to deconstruct this one with sweeping circular strokes using thick semi transparent paint.With the previous painting, I  discarded bold textures and emphasized the "immaterial" aspect of the subject without relying on a  "paint for the sake of paint" approach. In this case, I want to achieve an "immaterial" look through the use of a strong vortex-like effect in paint application.

Note: I compared my last painting to a few heavily textured paintings of mine... and was surprised to see how well it held its own! Heavy textures are not everything.... a strong image with thin paint can carry the day!

Note to self: "I have to find a way to mix and match these two opposite approaches!"

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Femme de feu final... A tripartite approach that finally speaks to me!

I finished this one in a hurry, anxious to test the grounds on my new three-pronged approach to painting...


This last painting seems to summarize best where I want to go in terms of my future art, an art that best reflects my own preoccupations with regard to graphical expression:
  • A foundation of pure realism (what inspires us, the starting point, the natural world)
  • Deconstruction of some sort giving the sense of the "immaterial" within what's material (the void that permeates everything)
  • Childish Zen-like lines with little involvement from the rational mind but powerful enough to provide an anchor to vanishing forms
Another aspect which, all of a sudden, seems to become important in communicating with the viewer:
  • The use of words and/or meaningful symbols (from a personal standpoint) to reinforce graphical elements
Chinese calligraphy, Chinese black ink painting, Zen art, Zen philosophy and the practice of Taichi have deeply influenced my thinking about art... and this new development in my art is only a beginning!

Note: this painting will be re-shot in the daylight and featured in my "New series 2012" slide show...

Femme de feu IX - step III... More paint on me than on the canvas!

I used one hour this morning to achieve a potentially viable color scheme (it's hard to avoid red when dealing with fighters!)...


Covering one square meter on raw canvas is always a challenge but using a wide stiff brush really helped this time. I tipped the scale towards red and added final color nuances with this next pass....


 ...before proceeding with some "off the wall" stuff, at least for me!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Femme de feu IX - step II... A rather conventional start!

I used the second pass to block the bare canvas with no precise idea about the final color scheme...


I wouldn't mind a phantom-like look for this one... with parts of the face disappearing into the background.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Femme de feu IX - step I... Looking for more of a martial attitude!

With the female fighter in mind, I started a new one this afternoon with potentially more character than the previous ones...


I'd like to integrate everything that I've done so far with this series, i.e., expressionistic realism, primitive kid-like scribbles and partial deconstruction with drips and paint roller marks. With this approach, I'm starting to see a parallel with the art from the street, especially thinking about realistic wall paintings being subjected to kids' graffiti or being partially destroyed by either the elements or stripping (partial removal of the top paper layer from overlapping wall posters). My intent is to solicit emotional responses at different levels using diverse pictorial languages within the same picture. I see also some potential in reintroducing "matter" but only in strategic areas within the picture plane.

This is a 36 X 36 canvas...

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Femme de feu VIII final... Opening another door!

I completed my experiment on a new textural effect with raw cotton this morning...


Applying textures with a 4 inch roller requires some "getting used to" as every move is finite!  A number of application ideas came to mind after this experiment... in support of higher contrasts between mid tones and light tones.

Note to self: "This avenue may be my salvation as I run out of raw cotton/linen four to five years down the line... In a nutshell, when it comes to textures, I want more than the usual painting knife effects on a textured background with either raw or primed canvas. This new technique goes in line with my idea about deconstruction... high risk/high payback!"

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Femme de feu VIII - step III.... Making the jump!

I did a quick third pass (2 layers) with thicker paint to refine the facial features further and create some drama...


My next step is to add textures with a roller... this is totally experimental!

Note: Raw cotton is so different from raw cotton/linen that the technical readjustment is always brutal... but the pastel look is appealing to me...

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Femme de feu VIII - step II... Gaining some respect for street artists!

The second pass was a blocking exercise including a slew of adjustments to get closer to the look I wanted (further alignments are required)...


I realize the skills required to work on a large scale and this partial face at an angle is most challenging for me... besides, the small size of my home studio is a major handicap! I need a thicker layer before proceeding with more drastic moves...

Monday, February 6, 2012

Femme de feu VIII - step I .... A change of pace!

I cut a piece of raw cotton for this one to make a few experiments with a roller for textural effects (the smoother surface of raw cotton may be more desirable for what I'm after)...


The first pass is an approximation, which implies further readjustments along the way. This close-up was a challenge (22 X 36 canvas)  as it required more than my eyes for measurements!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Femme de feu VII final... Getting back into the fighting spirit!

I finished this one in a hurry this morning making sure not to obliterate the canvas surface...


A minimalist approach is slowly taking place as I continue my artistic saga with raw canvas. As I progress, I want to contrast this approach with some more drastic "curve balls" in the way of marks, drips and color splashes... This is a 28 X 28 canvas.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Femme de feu VII - step III... Down to the wire!

After having achieved fairly decent realism with much economy of means, I went ahead with some deconstruction using drips, marks and, in this instance, fencing patterns to reflect the fighter's cage...


Scary stuff! As a second step, I went with blueish lighting and kept working at integrating the fence with the fighter's face...

 Another pass should do it...

Note to self: " I haven't exploited this kind of lighting a lot having opted for diffused lighting with my recent paintings. It's time to open that door!"