Testing, 1…2…3

For the last thirteen years or so, my studio work has followed a fairly regimented path. I started a series/project that I imagined would take about thirty years to complete, and I have kept at it since. The imagery has slowly evolved from a deliberate reproduction of the old photographs, to an abstraction of the photos with clear references to them. Several years ago, I made a purely abstract piece that just barely hints at the photo that it was meant to represent… it was a test to see how the idea could manifest. Since then, I have not executed many “tests” at all… I have maintained a pretty clear idea of what I want to produce, and I have followed through with the process. It can sound a bit dull when it’s explained like that, because it could eradicate any opportunity for unsuspected magic. Usually, though, I don’t consider it too much, and I make the paintings that I feel need to be made to fulfill the mission of the project. I do get a bit envious of the painters that play much more loosely with their materials, allowing chance to dictate direction. I am very much drawn to that process, and have utilized it in some of the abstract work during the last year or so. But, I have not come close to full expression of what I imagine I would create if I dedicated myself to a new mode of painting. I started a work on paper last week to “play,” and by the end of the week, I imagined that I would paint over the whole thing and start over… I was not thrilled with where the image was going, and I wasn’t sure that the endeavor itself was worth the effort and time. I have Work to do, and this “play” may not serve the greater good of the studio… it is surely debatable. Monday may shine more light on this…