artbyjaxx
I painted this tonight. Love was already sketched out, Hate was just sketchy.
‘I HEart U’ is an event taking place at JAG Gallery, 283a Madeira Drive, Brighton, on Sunday 5 February. I exhibit and have a second studio here. The featured artist, Ryan Brown, is another resident at the gallery, which is also an Open Studio where about 15 artists work and exhibit. This is my submission for the charity auction to raise money for The Argus Appeal. The Argus is Brighton’s local newspaper.
Managed to nip in the gallery and eradicate ‘The Slug Cloud’ as we have affectionately named it! These were my thoughts on the matter last night:
Progress has waned this week. I still wasn’t proud of it, I certainly wouldn’t want to exhibit it yet, despite the positive remarks. The problem with painting ‘in public’ and, although I’m allowed to paint upstairs at the moment, is that you have witnesses to your painting habits and everyone sees those touch and go decisions being made mid painting, mid
flow, expletive moments of spontaneous mark-making that can go either way when you get carried away, or when you’re maybe testing alternative slants or options and seeing how they develop before eliminating the duffers. Even those ‘just enjoying what the paints do’ periods, painting just for the sake of it.
In spite of the sketches and preliminary paintings, because the painting doesn’t have to resemble anything specific and I’m not painting with photos in front of me, there is less emphasis on looking right or wrong and more time to play and develop by going with what works. Although the composition is in place by this stage, one still tests the ground with unsatisfactory parts of the piece, to see where it could go: after all, you don’t want to mess with the bits you like that work.
The focal point of the painting is crucial. I’ve been in a pre-menstrual, overworked with the business side of things state of delirium! And maybe over-submerged in my work, I literally needed to take a step back. In more ways than one. But a bigger studio would help.
I’ve always known it would have to go: the cloud that has so far resembled a crocodile, a rodent, a whale, but ended up as a huge slug. Pretty colours though!! I’d been working on other areas and avoiding starting the boat. I’ve been too tired in my painting sessions to tackle the important bit – the boat – and the slug has slept and slugged off. Back to slugging the kids round tomorrow, difficult even to dip in and scrape it off, wish it was upstairs at home.
Thought I’d better write a Facebook post just to let everyone know that I’ve just peeled my face off! … ‘How can this be?’ they gasp into their keyboards. ‘Has she had ‘face off’ with someone today?’ Well I guess you could say the pores are open to negotiation, after this weeks skinful of situations and scenarios! But what I actually meant that I have just performed a deep cleansing face peel to extract the oil paint, dirt and grime. Remember friends, the world is just a great big onion!!
My afternoon kip was  interrupted by a phone call from someone who had seen my current seascape commission at the studio / gallery requesting to commission one for themselves. Indeed, “worth waking up for”, thanks for calling me on their behalf Linda Love Shack, you know who you are, you’re a star!!
This painting is set to exist in this young man’s life with a purpose; as a way to remember, in memorial, in memory of his Dad, who died at sea while scuba diving. Painted from the heart and the imagination, the piece is a vision… an ocean… a lovely day, a beautiful place. The painting is becoming the picture to serve its purpose. After the client’s viewing, I could’ve painted all night! But this is where its at. The boat is about to set sail.
Latest developments to the painting have consisted of the following:
I’ve been working late in the studio when I’m into the painting. The problem with this is not just the eating of junk food but the lack of natural light, meaning the painting can look very different the next day. Mind you, it has to look good in both natural and artificial light, as the client will want to admire his painting in the evenings too!
