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Clearing the Decks, Part 2

So once again, instead of doing the work I "should" do, I added more to that painting I started yesterday. The main change is that it's now the other way up -- I work on paintings from all sides, turning them round and keeping the rhythm of the wrist going from each direction, which means that sometimes (often) the shapes make more sense in a new orientation:


I'm glad I'm not at art college any more, because if I had to show this in a studio critique, I would not be able to say exactly why I did this. Except to say that it seems to be about rhythm, and some sort of memory of organic form, and trying to surprise myself by discovering the shape and the marks, instead of deciding on them in advance. Oh, and I forgot to add yesterday that it's 36" x 48".

I started a new one today, on two 18" x 24 " panels:


The way I found the shapes is the same as for the bigger one: I paint the swirls and circle forms almost to the edges, then I take some opaque blue paint and cut back into the solid mass, until smaller shapes begin to emerge.

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