Lately I’ve been thinking about all the different ways to manipulate paint in the abstract painting realm. I’m working on a community project that involves collaboratively creating 2 large murals. I’ll share more about that as it nears completion. Here we are just covering the white for the first layer.
Here I’m tracing a projected drawing onto the ground with a paint marker. This is a great way to work in a layer of drawings over abstract brush work.
Before that project started I was doing a little research on pendulum painting. It’s a technique shown in a video by Martha Stewart here.
I played around with it with my artist friend Susan Benarcik but the results were very uneven. Sorry no pictures. Then I saw an artist I’ve admired for a while using it in her artwork and I was really intrigued. She’s using hot wax in a copper funnel and the marks she gets are beautiful.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpwL_d4Fpao]
I think I like them so much because the earth’s gravity and rotation are in play here. I have an attraction to natural occurring marks. I know I’ll be trying this in my work maybe not with hot wax but with acrylic paint. On a day when I’m feeling really adventurous maybe I’ll try this.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmoskyS_WMw&w=560&h=315]
Actually it makes me a little quesy just watching it.
My work is all pours right now but sometimes I’m tempted to pick up a brush. I do use my fingers and gravity to direct pours, saves having to wash brushes but forget about having pretty hands. Then I came across this. Look at the size of the brush Fabienne Verdier uses! She studied under a calligraphy master and then changed the game by changing the size of the brush.
Go to her website to watch a video of her working. It’s amazing.
I found these images of artists working with pours and it really makes me want to get some bigger canvases.
Herman Nitsch
Paul Jenkins
Helen Frankenthaler
