05 Nov 21 by justatest
As luck would have it, I found a folder on file of a few images as it was being made, so I´m posting them here for reference. The folder was entitled empty of meaning - don´t remember why, but I´ll keep with that for now as nothing better comes to mind.
... first impressions are a cross between a stuck pig and an aztec moon. I can see there´s a long way to go before this thing will even begin to make any sense.
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look back
And so I´m thinking of hanging this object in mid-air in such a way that it can be walked around and viewed from all sides. It means that the back surface needs to be painted so I´ve taken in down, put it on it´s side, and add this shot of how it looks before I make a start. Glad to observe that the Ukrainian colours have somehow gotten there before me.
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Return to Work
So once again, the mapping out of the work begins with the slow application of oil colour. My impression is that this work is hugely ungainly, a clumsy piece, and that I´d like to make it less so. How? If I follow my usual instinct, it will be to scratch away at areas introducing a basic modeling and look out for opportunities of pattern and sequence. The harmony and balance of colour and form are of course desired goals, and if I´m lucky, the uncovering of unexpected surprise along the way that can be kept within the finished work would be (for me) both unusual and welcome.
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Where I´d left off
So back once more in the grim garage studio, this is the point at which I resume. As there´s no easel here anymore, I´ll have to find a way of hoisting it up as it was conceived as a hanging piece and I need to work on it where it´s up off the ground.
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Ready for paint
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Cloth skin
And now I wanted a more rugged look that gives a sense of the surface as robust and arbitrary i.e. less ´manufactured´ and more natural. The jute cloth I make use of so much is perfect for that.
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Initial paper skin
Yep it´s a pretty goofy look alright.
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Early build
So then moving beyond the cool curvilinear transparency, let´s see how graceless and awkward it becomes with a solid surface.
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Base structure
Employing more of the same wire, a three dimensionality was built out of the curves of the base, giving it (what I consider to be) a quirky constructivism aesthetic.
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Empty of meaning
The idea for the project began with a wire offcut (actually the inner section removed from this work [LINK]) which caught my eye. Maybe that´s why it´s empty of meaning, as I was only looking to amuse myself to see if an unwanted discard could assume a future with a little promise.
I´ve already done something very similar to this here [LINK]