Tuesday, February 17, 2009

"Grace and the Persian Rug"

8"X 8" oil on masonite


I'm just now getting into painting on a rigid substrate with a dark ground, which makes a huge difference w/r/t how I've always painted. (i.e. scrubbing away at a bouncing canvas trying to fill up white space and making these little depressions on the surface of the painting itself -because I'm all concentrating- but then instead of getting mad you just incorporate the depressions into the work anyway, as if they were purposeful, and find that you're making maybe even a bonus sublimated commentary or something like that.) Anyway, I feel like with a dark ground one gets to make more decisions instead of just trying to knock out white, is what I was trying to say; but then again, the title, "Manet's Sandwich" just popped into my head- like it always does- So what does that tell you?.

This is a painting of Gracie, for M.S. and A.N. in Parksville, B.C. They were the type of people for whom I love making paintings. We got together at their place to talk art a bit, and give Gracie some scratches, and take some pictures of her, and get an idea of her favorite area of the house: Which turns out to be on her bed under a window with September's anemic light coming in, right by a colorful rug. Nice for painting, eh? I'm really pleased with how it all worked out, start to finish.