OPEN @ SECCA
|
April, 2004 Blog Entries
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
The SECCA staff and visitors had already
doodled on the base of the work when I arrived so it was easy to get
started. I borrowed several of the contributed images and used them
for underpainting images. These flat, colorful images will serve as the
background for the drawings to come. I like to use bright colors to
start a work and then allow some of the color to bleed through as
I add more paint and drawing medium. The shapes I picked to use will
most assuredly evolve and change over time or completely disappear.
This type of revising is central to my working process and making it
visible to the visitor in this project is part of the "open" aspect of
the project. The three hours I worked on these initial images flew by
and I left still "painting in my head."
3 hours today, 3 hours total
Thursday, April 1, 2004
I arrived late today, just a 1/2 hour before the Doodle Party. I was delayed
by family stuff- my mother's health is not well. But I jumped right in
and prepared lots of new color paint for later use.
The number of visitors at the party was not as many as expected I think
but the drawing wall statyed busy all evening with visitors drawing and looking
at the works of others. Lots of people drew outside the provided frames, some
even used the frames to make designs, but hey, that's art!
I spent most of my time trying to draw circles behind some of the elemets
I added yesterday and rediscovered that drawing geometry at
that size is a challenge- no more circles! I also experimented with color
mixing as these paints are all new. Most are "Opps" paints and were not mixed
to order. I really wished I cold have jumped into drawing for the enjoyment
of the audience but I resisted. I treated tonight like just another work
session -with guests. I was happy to see that most everyone was excited by
the chance to draw on the wall. I think many SECCA staff are taking a "wait
and see" approach to make up their mind if this thing will be any good.
I appreciate that. This is really an OPEN process of experimentation and
revision. This type of thing usually takes place in the artist's studio
behind closed doors with the final product being displayed in the a venue
like SECCA. This really is a paradigm shift and is what makes it challenging
and exciting.
3 hours today, 6 hours total
Friday, April 2, 2004
I felt all alone today as I worked. All the folks from last night were gone
but their doodles remained as a reminder of their enthusiasm. I discovered
how to paint with a roller today. I found that I could create texture by blotting
the roller with paint and then rolling on the spots. I also discovered I could
create transparent layers by using a roller that was most out of paint. Fun! I was
able to completely claim the space with paint. I am looking forward to drawing on
the surface next week.
3 hours today, 9 hours total
Monday, April 5, 2004
Today I started drawing on the mural. I want to blend and layer the drawing
and painting so that it becomes a rich and varied surface. Next time I will
spray a fixative over the drawn areas and layer paint over that to accomplish
what I am invisioning in my head. I need to be able to control the intensity
of the charcoal just like the paint. Overpainting with semi-transparent layers
should help with this.
Near noon I turned around to see an old friend Richard standing there with his
daughter and a friend.They had come to draw on the wall. Audry and Chase drew
some great images. Thanks you guys! I appreciate your help and interest. I pulled
myself away from the mural today after only 3 hours. I need to start staying
longer-maybe 4-5 hours- until I am fully spent and ready to give it a break.
3 hours today, 12 hours total
Thursday, April 8, 2004
It was great having more time to paint today. I added a greenish layer today
on part of the mural. I want to start darkening down parts of the mural
to add variety. I've got to start drawing soon.
4 hours today, 16 hours total
Friday, April 9, 2004
What a great day! There were tons of visitors and I enjoyed drawing all day.
Listening to the news of Iraq on the radio and a lively coffee break discussion
with some SECCA staff over current events in the world influenced the demeanor
of these drawn images. I think their sadness will provide a counterpoint tension
to the happier images that have been present from the start. I look to a balance
of such contrasts as a source for energy in my work.
5 hours today, 21 hours total
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Lots of preparation going on around me today for the art auction coming up
at SECCA. Also, we discussed how to safely spray the charcoal to keep it
from smearing.There is a air duct return vent near the mural and we do not
want the spray getting into the center's air system. I worked on improving
my least favorite area today-the layered section over the dark "bird-clouds."
I painted a warmer brown color over the green and then added strokes of yellow
to add more activity to that area. Good for now. I then prepared the far right
area for an over drawing that I will do next.
3 hours today, 24 hours total
Thursday, April 15, 2004
I spent three hours today sketching out the newest drawn area of the mural,
which is on the right side. After studying the donated doodles I decided to
create a heart (there have been a lot of doodles of hearts) with several
tornadoes coming out from it. Each tornado will have some other image entwined
with it. Also, I added a sun at the top right that has its tongue stuck out
and water dripping from it. These drops of water are passing through the
heart/tornadoes. It was fun imagining what the background image
would look like as seen through the water droplets.
3 hours today, 27 hours total
Friday, April 16, 2004
I worked on the above described drawing and cleaned up for
tonight's big SECCA COLLECTS party!
2 hours today, 29 hours total
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
I finished up the new drawing section today. I added lots of rain drops passing
by the tornadoes and face. Next time I will start painting a new section and give
the charcoal a rest. I am excited about the other drawing works coming in for the
Drawn and Quartered Exhibition. Everyone, including myself, is working hard for
to get ready for the opening date on April 30th.
3 hours today, 32 hours total
Thursday, April 22, 2004
I used my walkman for the first time today. Emmy Lou Harris sang in my ears for
four hours as I painted non-stop. I am having "issues" with the newest
drawn section. I want it to be darker and carry more visual weight. I have some ideas
to make this work- I'll address this next. Also, I painted a new dripping area and
added dark outlines to the yellow figure. I added green to the raindrops
to make them stand out. As I painted the set-up crew was mounting lights onto the
new artwork all around me. The excitement is building for the opening on April 30th.
Though exhausted and hungry (I had a banana sandwich for lunch) I didn't want to
stop at 5pm-quiting time. I'll be there tomorrow, Friday the 23rd.
4 hours today, 31 hours total
Friday, April 23, 2004
Integrating the drawings into the painting was my focus today. I made some
adjustments in both, moving the arrow's tail going through the tornado,
for example. I am also starting to work with thin transparent stains to add
variety to the paint colors. Notice the color change to the background bars.
Next, I want to work to balance the drawn elements against the paint, currently
the paint seems to dominate.
4 hours today, 35 hours total
Monday-Thursday, April 29, 2004
This week has flown by as we have all been preparing for the Friday opening.
I was so into working this past Wednesday. On the way to teach at High Point
University I daydreamed about the work and missed my exit to High Point.
Still daydreaming, I did not realize it until I got to I-85 near Salisbury!
I am finally satisfied with the images of tornadoes and faces. I darkened the whole
area down. This lessoned the visual activity and toned down the intensity
of some of the bright colors. I have also choosen a new image from the donated
area to use on the left area near the green figure. I will finish this tomorrow.
A few words on the staff at SECCA: they are incrediable. What a perfect
environment to work in.
8 hours this week, 43 hours total
Friday, April 31, 2004
The opening for the Drawn/Quartered Exhibition went wonderfully well. Andy's funky
music filled the exhibition halls as artists and art lovers mixed, ate and drank.
Ten of my students from Guilford College and High Point University came as did my
lovely wife. It was odd not feeling that my work was "finished" at the opening, but
then the concept of this project being an ever evolving work does not fit well with
the traditional function of an opening, that being the artist has finished their
work and is "presenting" the finished work to the public. The highlight of the evening
was watching everyone draw on the wall. There are some new contributed images that
are wonderful including Wrestling masks, angles, and images from the other
exhibiting artists.
I made a "discovery" today; while drawing with colored pastels I noticed that they
create a fuzzy super matt surface, that reacts to the light shining on the mural
very differently than the paint I am using. This opens interesting possiblities
that I want to explore. I cannot waite to get back into SECCA and continue drawing
and painting. Once my finals are graded and in I will be back at it, probably
Wednesday, May 5th.
3 hours today, 46 hours total