A few more Container paintings

Fragile, 24" by 30", Latex paint on canvas, 2011

Looking Back, 24" by 30", Latex on canvas, 2011

A couple of new works

Container Twisting, 24" by 30", Latex paint on canvas, 2011

Contained with Hands Behind Back, 22" by 28", Latex paint on canvas, 2011

These paintings make reference to Franz Kline's work, but they represent the figure, more specifically, the boundaries of the body in space. Torso and air.

Still flat because the illusion of a body in 3-D is evoked with thick paint instead of light and shadow. Mass is presented as fluid and moving. Weight is illustrated by repeated strokes in an area. Less strokes = lighter.

Gravity is present. A reminder of the easel.

Our bodies are containers. We are vessels of blood, bones, fluids, etc., that exist in a less dense material; gas form of oxygen etc. But air contains us . . . and also permeates through our breathing . . . oxygen elements absorbed in our lungs throughout our bodies.

I am using Kline's methods superficially because I enjoy the harsh division of positive and negative (which my lead to another thought about continuity of space).

I like energetic strokes. Gesture and movement engage a viewer. The act of making marks recalls the hand of the artist.

Big brushes fill up the canvas quickly and there is no time for "precious" strokes.

Cheap house paint reflects the notion of the vernacular: the everyday. (Painting using coffee?)

Thoughts on painting

So I tried to use non-toxic paint thinners and such but it just didn't feel right to me. I'm back to using odorless thinner to thin my paints and clean my brushes. I keep the patio door open to ventilate the fumes . . . but I kind of like the smell of linseed oil. There's something comforting about it. It's almost like that smell puts me in the right place to paint. Hmm.
I've also been experimenting with Dorland's Wax medium! It gives the oil paints an almost chalky consistency . . . and it's not as glossy (which I was hoping). I find the colours have a more silent quality about them: glossy paints are loud and jump out at you and the matte colours are strong and subtle.
I've also tried my hand at using house paints! That's a lot of fun and I'm excited by the results. It's no wonder that the abstract expressionists (like Franz Kline) used these types of paint because they retain the brush strokes as they dry (unlike oils that sometimes drip off the canvas). So I'm finding using house paint and using big brushes useful in my exploration of the figure as container or contained by space. The paintings are taking on a gestural quality that I enjoy: lots of energy and movement. But you still get the sense that the space is being broken up . . . there is a division of space that's somewhat ambiguous as to what is the positive and what is the negative. Reminds me of a painting I did a few years ago that I sold to a co-worker who has since moved on.

Orchestrating Space, 18" by 24", oil on canvas, 2007

I'm having thoughts about adding a realistically rendered section, say the torso, to these paintings . . . but will it defeat the purpose . . . like saying yes and no at the same time? Hmm.

Contained

Contained, 18" by 24", Acrylic latex on canvas, 2011