This is my latest painting... obviously. It's currently untitled. That's probably because, while I actually consider it to be my greatest success since returning to painting about 3 years ago, conceptually it's much less focused than the last couple I've made (anything to stand out among the tombstones, for fear of a boring life, etc). The imagery is a bit of a reversal compared to those ones, and while I'm sure to most people all my paintings looks like a series of squares and triangles, to me I can see a big difference in the imagery, and trust me this one is a reversal.
I think that's a product of where I'm at currently in life however. This piece is quite transitive and so is my life so it's understandably reflective of that. Also understand I'm not griping that the imagery is a step back. That doesn't bother me at all. Not only because it helps with the concept of reflecting this transition in my life, but also because there are so many other leaps forward in my work from this painting alone.
First, it's simply the most visually complex and challenging composition I'm made since I started making good work again. The first painting I made where I felt I was on the right path is below and it's called "Monument in White." A declarative statement saying to the world that I may have a monstrous task ahead of me but I know how to accomplish it:
I love that painting. Especially because in addition to looking like a tough mountain to climb, I also see a man giving the double guns to the world in it:
And apparently that man in Eminem! Anyway in addition to being the subject of a rather blurry photo, "Monument in White" is not visually challenging at all. Again just an observation not a complaint. But I'm glad to see how much I've progressed. One thing I tried to push was not to simply have shapes stacked on top of shapes but to have lines that would carry through and show the rest of the shape. For instance the largest red rectangle with the gold splash across it. If you look to the right of it you can see in the blue form, the continuation of this red rectangle.
There are many instances of this all throughout. There are some moments like this in some of my other paintings but this one really pushes it throughout the entire piece.
The color work is also an improvement, although really I see it on par with my last painting "For Fear of a Boring Life." The singular strike of hot pink particularly stands out to me in the new piece as perfectly placed. It's the last thing I did on the piece and I think it completed it flawlessly. About a year ago I was at the LACMA looking at the great abstract painters like Rothko and Pollock and came to the realization that I couldn't find any who made large paintings with really intricate compositions. That's where I've been taking my work since then. Trying to find a way to make enormous work that is abstract but looks like it was painted from something. As if I was looking in on another dimension and painting it as it exists in life. Now I want to begin moving that to a larger scale. But what I'm not looking to do is simply scale up the compositions. I want them to remains just as intricate as this one but add on to it. For reasons I won't go into immediately I can't do that yet and need to continue working in a smaller format, but know I finally feel I'm on that path in a more legitimate way than ever before.
OK anyway I'mma go. Hope you like the piece. If you do, send me some skittles.
Toodleoo!
