Whilst priming the board for my piece for the outside wall and thinking what to paint, I thought I’d just whack some paint directly on the wall. The ridges of glue left behind from the printed canvas on there before made a great texture for picking up paint and overlaying colours.
The result was a kind of Monet effect, until abstraction became an abortion! Classic case of of going too far and ruining it. This is what can happen when I don’t have anything in mind as to what I’m painting, I don’t take it seriously and get carried away, then attempts to rescue the piece only make it worse. Not the best method for such a public piece. Best get down there again tomorrow and do something with it.
It wasn’t too bad at this stage:
Jaxx experimenting on the outside wall of JAG Gallery in Brighton today.
Half my painting blew off from the battering sea winds during the winter. So now the boards gone back up I’m wondering what to paint on it. Might build on what’s left of the groyne and add a bit of a twist. Or a complete change might be in order. Bright, bold, simple design that draws attention to my name, treating it more like an advert. I could simply cheat for the time being and put a poster up like some others have done.
A better photograph methinks. I used oils for this painting which features my daughter and the aliums that grew in our garden, she was aged 4 then, hence the four aliums above her head. The piece is part of a theme I’m exploring about ‘growing up’ , I’m looking at ways to include my children in my paintings that avoid a traditional portrait and more about the experience of growing up. Personally I think I’ve grown down!
The Groyne Series – “Sit and Throw” (Acrylics on Canvas, black frame, 40x40cm)
‘Sit and Throw’ is an early piece in a popular series titled ‘The Groyne Series’ that depicts teenagers and kids having fun and hanging out on the stone walled sea groynes along the shoreline of the beach where I live in Brighton. Often submerged, the groynes are revealed as the tide changes and make ideal platforms for jumping into the sea or ‘tomb stoning’, as it’s referred to in the media.
The series came about from observing these lively activities on those (rare) sunny days spent by the seaside at my local beach, although people often remark that the scene could be anywhere in the world. The silhouettes of the figures are defined against the brightness of the sky, evoking fond memories of the height of summer.
Several in this series have already been sold at previous exhibitions. All the initial mini 10x10cm paintings have been snapped up, but this is the first 40 x 40 cm canvas in the series. To view the other works in the series take a look at The Groyne Series Gallery on my website.
Local established artists have kindly donated work to be auctioned off in a Silent Auction format. Each painting will be assigned a number and there will be ballot points where you are able to fill out your contact details and the highest amount you wish to bid on the painting. Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to improving the quality of life and chances of survival for the six young people aged between 13 and 24 diagnosed with cancer every day.
Artists include: myself (obviously) Karen Burt, Claire Fearon, Romany Mark Bruce, Julieanne Gilbert, Grant DeJonge & Julia Schultz and many more…
All proceeds from the auction will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Any Queries please contact Karen on karenannburt@aol.com
