Layering and Masking

Layering and Masking. Letting go of the need for certainty. Working on something knowing it can and will change, as it emerges over a period of time. We rarely make time for this kind of thing, yet it often helps us think and do things differently.

During a recent two day art meets organisational development workshop in Berlin, we carried out a number of experiments. One of them involved layering and masking, building up and changing a piece of work over several iterations. Each person in the room was given a blank canvas, and encouraged to develop their work in layers over the course of the time we were together.

I chose to be quite orderly in my attempt – first masking out three lines across the canvas, then applying the first layers of paint. I used different tools to get different paint effects, and each time I returned to the artwork, I re-obscured most of the lines, and added more paint. Here are some photos of the work emerging over a 48 hour period.

Stephanie Barnes was a member of this group, and she produced a completely different work using a variety of different tools, including scrapers, bubble wrap, and a rubber comb to apply paint. I love how this artwork changes throughout the process – barely any traces of the original layer remain.

This was a really enjoyable process, I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to experience something emerging and changing over time in an improvisational way.

 

Steadfast : A Portrait

Along with colleagues, I’ve been helping to soak up a stressful situation at work lately. It’s been hard – trying to look out for one another and look out for myself too. Over the weekend I ran, gave away some art, and spent some lovely time with family too, yet in the background, the stress remained.

On Saturday night, still looking for a release, I opened a few tubes of paint and using only my fingers, I painted a portrait. Portraiture is alien to me, as is not using a brush, and I felt I struggled to make an image.

IMG_3498.jpg

Unhappy with what I’d made, I nevertheless left the portrait to dry overnight.

On Sunday I felt no happier with the work in its original form, and I returned to it. After a few more fingerfuls of paint, here’s where I got to.

IMG_3522.jpg

I shared this image on Facebook and was a little surprised by the favourable responses. I had been looking to paint a distressed face – what I see is something more stern, more resolute. Although I felt a little happier with this adapted version, I was still mindful to overpaint this canvas.

The day went on. I slowly relaxed, and as I did – I felt closer to the image on the canvas. By Sunday evening I had decided that this canvas should not be overpainted.

This last photo shows the canvas framed by shadow in the Monday morning sunlight. In this photo you can really see the scars in the face, which are a coincidence left behind from a previous painting onto which I painted this one.

IMG_3529.jpg

Footnote

I mentioned the portrait is painted over another image. I thought you might be interested to see what lies beneath…

IMG_3444.jpg

Elements of this earlier work were initially inspired by a visit several years ago to the Picasso Museum in Malaga. A friend remarked, ‘the [earlier] painting had me thinking about how Picasso and others around the turn of the 20th century were inspired by African artefacts and masks. Maybe they were meant to be together…?’

What’s In A Name?

It was Carole’s birthday a few weeks ago, and as part of our celebrations, we went to an event called Paint Jam. The session had a David Bowie theme, and after being led through a few simple introductory exercises, we were given a canvas and encouraged to experiment.

I made this picture using acrylic paint. First I applied the paint using a wooden canvas spacer. It felt odd not using a brush at first, and I began to enjoy the more random nature of how the paint got from the implement to the surface.

Once I had created the grid of rectangle shapes, I took a broad brush, wet it, and dragged the watery brush across the surface in a single zigzag swoop. Once the paint dried I took the canvas home where I varnished the centre band of the canvas. I applied three coats, and when it catches the light, the shine looks really good.

What to call this work? I’ve been pondering this question for days, and unusually all I get in return is silence. So I asked friends to suggest a title for this painting…in all I got almost 50 responses. Here they are, along with a few subsequent exchanges between me and some of the kind contributors.

Eva-Maria Griese: Bowie, flash, lightning…? That’s pretty obvious though

Doug Shaw: Perhaps no surprise, this work was started at a Bowie themed evening, and I finished it at home.

Grahame Baker: Hi rise cheer?

Doug Shaw Nice. I see where you’re coming from. I enjoy offering things like this up for opinion and ideas. I’ve been stuck on what to call this for a while and these exchanges help free things up.

Victorio Milian: “Rainbow blitzkrieg”

Doug Shaw: The Ramones would be proud of you.

Stephanie Barnes: Have you tried asking it what its name is?

Doug Shaw: That’s the only conversation me and the painting have been having for weeks. I figured we’d got stuck and needed counselling, hence the ask!

Stephanie Barnes: I have three thoughts: Shazam (which is probably trademarked or copyrighted), breaking the monotony, or making a path

Doug Shaw: Great stuff. The path idea has also surfaced on Instagram and I am drawn to it. Thank you.

Heather Bussing: Sky scrape

Doug Shaw: How about that!? I only used one brush stroke in the whole thing, and it was quite nerve wracking for me, making that big mark right at the end. All the rest of the paint was applied by scraping the surface with a wooden canvas stretcher.

Elliot Merrony: Bowie x Physical Graffiti

Colin Newlyn: Ziggy played guitar

Doug Shaw: When the kids had killed the man I had to break up the band.

John Sumser: BrickSit

Doug Shaw: ? Love it!!

George LaRocque: Shazam

Mary Faulkner: Winner!!!

Michael Heller: #HROSBrit cc: Lars Schmidt

Philip Dodson: Postage stamps from Mars

Jason Seiden: Career Path

Sharlyn Lauby: “Wake up call”

Kirstie Johnson: “Bolt”

Jo Cook: Zig a zig ah. Sorry, made me laugh 🙂

Fred Eck: How about the Shaw Slash!

Grahame Baker: The Shaw slash redemption?

Fred Eck: Love it!!!

Tony Mason: Electric red white and blue……

Annabelle Lambert: Bowie tower

Mark Farquar: Turner For the love of Zorro.

Paula Turner: Lighting is……..

Bina Briggs: Ziggy Stardust! X

Richard Martin: Loot Chute

William Tincup: Schutzstaffel?

Marco Fandango: Picture no. 53

Matthew Stollak: Waffle Sevens

Josh Rock: “2 Minutes for Slashing”

Ade Bird: Rest in pieces.

Gavin Collinson: Chair in the window.

Padraic Doorey: Cafe Rouge-baix

Claire Boyles: Dot dot dash

David Lambert: ‘s grate

Lesley Dodson: Zorro escapes!

Kirstie Tribe: Carpet burn

Steve Browne: I’d go avant garde and call it McTavish on the Plain !!

Heather Kinzie: Just a Splash

Kevin W. Grossman: Shazam-skiddish

Paul Hebert: For the bin

Barry Flack: “Four storeys high”….say what you see…..

Jayne Harrison: Crossing Dimensions, or Choices, or Infinite Possibilities

Shayna Joson: Use Your Vote

Circle Indigo: Aladdin Insane

Meg Peppin: Zag

Diane Taylor-Cummings: Seven

I’m grateful to everyone for the suggestions. I’m still not yet sure what to call this piece of work, and what’s been really useful so far about all this feedback, is that it’s opening my mind to possibilities I hadn’t previously seen. Thank you. I’ll update this post once a name is chosen.