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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Wabi-Sabi Dumpster Inspires Painting



This is one of the hardest paintings I've done in a long time. It has gone through so many incarnations you wouldn't believe it. I've layered and scraped back, incised, slathered on, rubbed in, and all but wrestled the piece to the ground. This is what it looks like now, but a bit blurry because the cold wax is still wet.

Realms    Cold Wax, Oil, Pigment on Panel
  
 I was frustrated several times during the process of making this piece and I felt bad about "wasted" paint and wax that got scraped off. The painting turned out to be inspired by the wabi-sabi photos of the rusted dumpster shown in my last post. I could have just done that to begin with, right?

Probably not. If I'd set out to re-create what nature and time had wrought on the rusted metal dumpster, it might have looked fake and artificial. This piece contains real scoring, wounds, peeling, and abrasions incurred as I struggled with the materials. We are both bruised from the engagement, but resting comfortably now, as old friends.


Realm                   Detail 1



Realm                     Detail 2

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