Ice pans painting

Myself and a few other scallywags have been invited back to Hava Java (Water St. location) for another art show which we plan to install next week. I wanted something new to contribute so I started this ice pans diptych yesterday. I'm using acrylics this time in order to meet the deadline.

Red Unravelled, poured paint abstract

It's been a while since I've poured some paint. Had a hankering for it lately and this is the result from Monday evening. It's not exactly subtle... has quite a bit going on actually... but I'm happy with the result. There are several patches of crazing on each panel which was unexpected considering the amount of pouring medium I used. I like the look of it. Letting it fully dry for a week or so before putting a coat or two of varnish on it.

I love taking the time to look at the details of each panel, letting my brain try to make sense of the chaos... eventually faces, creatures and landscapes start to emerge. Although I can't wait to hang this one in the house, it's certainly for sale! I'll post it in the shop soon... if you don't see it, message me for pricing/availability.

Red Unravelled
Poured acrylic on three canvas panels
Total size 48"x 24"

Rolling Waves, poured acrylic triptych

Finished off "Rolling Waves" this week with a nice satin varnish. Pleased with the outcome and very happy that I have a substantial piece for the big empty wall in our TV room (see top pic). Posting this in my Etsy shop shortly if you’re interested in making it your own.

Rolling Waves

Poured acrylic on gallery canvas

(3) 24"x24" 

Rolling waves abstract

Working on this tonight. Taking a pregnant pause during the process to see if I’m done, if I’ve made something good and interesting or if I just wasted a lot of paint. The one thing I know for sure is that I’ve made a big mess in the basement and the cats are quite determined to get on that plastic.

Rolling waves triptych
3 (24”x24”) gallery canvases
poured acrylic

"Havin’ Weather”, acrylic on canvas

This canvas was on a roller coaster ride the last few days. It started out as a heavily textured abstract then... I don’t know what happened. I must have seen something shiny and toddled off in another direction. I laid the blue base down with brushes and rollers and, working around the textures, painted the mammoth cloud formation and the tiny houses. And distressed much? Yup.

The clouds make me smile. They are crazy looking. Something you might see in a Monty Python animation.

Overall the image really pops which makes me happy.

Forgot to mention... it’s all acrylic. And I didn’t throw or pour any of it.

Available in the shop.

Snowy Streets

This painting is based on a photo I took from my home during last weekend's snowstorm in St. John’s. I was fixated on the image because, at the time, I was amazed at how much of my neighbourhood was being visually blotted out by the snowstorm.

I started this with the intention of doing a thin acrylic underpainting as a base for an oil painting but I really liked the colours I was mixing with the acrylics so I just kept going with those.

More pix and details available at my shop.

“Snowy Streets"
acrylic on canvas
12" x 12”
$120

Weathered wave

Oh, I made a big mess during the production of this one. Thankfully I had large plastic sheets. 

For my previous poured paintings I’ve been content to let the paint find it’s own way but for this one I wanted to give it direction. I’m really happy with the result. A lot of energy went into it and I think it shows. Much pouring, scraping, throwing and dripping. Where the paint was thickest, heavy cracks emerged during the drying process giving it an extra weathered flavour.

The painting has 3 coats of gesso, many layers of high-quality fluid acrylics and finished with a glossy oil varnish.

"Weathered Waves"
acrylic on canvas
24" x 24”

"From above” poured painting

Poured acrylics on canvas
12" x 24"

New year abstract

Kicking the year off with this weird little abstract... puddles of poured acrylic paint and glaze. Usually I add water to the paint before I pour but this one was a pure paint and glaze combo leaving a thick footprint on the canvas. These poured abstracts feel like a guilty pleasure but I intend to do more of them this year.

SOLD

Little skullies finale

I had a chunk of Das left over from the props I made a few months ago that was burning a hole in my pocket. So I made this little skull relief on the weekend, a finale to the skull doodle marathon I had last week. I painted it with bronze acrylic with a dark glaze for the patina.

A history of violet

My wife is enabling my paint pouring addiction... she bought me a gaggle of fluid acrylic colours for my birthday. I did three last night. One was dud but I was happy with these two.

26

Theatre flats finished (?)

For a little context, these flats will be sitting behind a set of French doors on stage. As a background piece, I think it works pretty well and my wife is pleased with it (phew!). I can’t help feeling like it’s crying out for a little more though. A flowerbed, garish fountain, statue ... something. Needs something to tighten up the composition and bring a little more colour. (Hence the question mark in the title.) There’s still plenty of time before opening night so this might get a little more lavish in the coming days. Otherwise, it’s finis.

Progress shots can be seen here.

Theatre flats in progress 4

Got the rail well underway this afternoon. The green grass took a beating while I was sponging texture on the rail but I can clean that up later. Later’s a great time to do things. I park most of my tasks there.

Got your tickets yet? No, not to the gun show... my wife’s show: Self Help. Just a few short weeks away!

(See previous progress shots of the flats here.)

Acrylic Chaos (poured painting)

Can you see the surreal, snaggletoothed Bugs Bunny in here? Check the teal rising up from the bottom centre. Or maybe it’s just me.

Because the brain is wired to make sense of visual input, these pour paintings cause it to work overtime. While staring at the image (or parts thereof), familiar images emerge from nonsensical shapes and patterns. Faces and animals seem most evident to me. All twisted and surreal, of course.

My poor (pour) brain... if it were a unionized organ, I’m pretty sure it would be filing grievances by now.

This piece has no title yet... I’m still digesting the acrylic chaos.

Acrylic Chaos
acrylic on canvas
24" x 16"

Theatre flats in progress 3

The paint pouting is on hold until I make some progress on the flats. Try as I might, they are hard to ignore at 8' x 8’. Got some grass colour roughed in and I’m drawing the railing in pencil. Much measuring, cussing and erasing.

Note the collection of containers on my little bench holding my house paint concoctions.

Favourite container so far: yogurt.

Worse container: salsa jar.

Finally, there’s info on the web about the show: Self Help @ the Barbara Barrett Theatre (ACC) in St. John’s. They had sold out shows last time and some disappointed people had to be turned away... save yourself the devastating heartache and preorder your tickets here!

“Troubled sunset” poured painting

I love the wonky sun in this. It started with the happy accident of adding an unmixed lump of orange so I went with it. A landscape evolved. This process is always surprising.

I’m submitting this to Illustration Friday’s weekly theme, “crooked”.

This is available in the shop.

Troubled Sunset
Acrylic on canvas
12" x 12”

"Fire and Ice" poured painting

New poured piece. I actually did two last night but the other one is still wet so I’ll post it later. This one’s already up in the shop.

Fire and Ice
Acrylic on canvas
12" x 12”

sold

"Blossom" poured painting

This is last night’s result of my third day of working with poured paint. I settled on “Blossom” as the title but there were so many options: every turn of the canvas seemed to reveal new shapes and patterns. I am happy with the contrast and vibrance of this one. This is also a bigger canvas than previous... I think the larger size made me feel a little more in control of the outcome.

Pretty sure I’m getting addicted to this process.

The inset photo is a detail from the painting.

Blossom
Acrylic on canvas
12" x 16”

sold

Poured out of my mind

Still pouring. Still working small: 12" x 12". Might try a larger canvas tonight.

Poured acrylics

I’ve been working with poured acrylics this week. There’s a lot left to chance and the results can be surprising so it’s exciting to work with. I’m also discovering that it’s easy to overwork them... less meddling the better.

This is the first one I did on Monday. Got a title suggestion?

Acrylic on canvas
12" x 12"