shadows

Objects from a kitchen drawer, 2008, light installation.

This got a great response at the student talks I gave in the gallery. They liked the obvious means of production (the overhead projector was easily visible), the wild enlargement of small objects, and we discussed the idea of pictorial depth within it. Some of the objects were instantly recognizable and others not... the push pin was obvious, said one. The coiled wire, the CD tray, the sink drainer all came up as familiar. Less clear were the pasta server (one of those Better Homes ingeniously forgettable inventions) and the Barbie torsos (keeping the outfits 3D in the blister packs).























A stack of shaped circles, 2008, roofing felt and gravity. 10.75 x 8 x 8 inches

This small sculpture (it is not glued or held together in any way) involves shadow rather obscurely. Being black and dense material, almost flattening itself through lack of visible detail and shading yet suggesting a small lamp introduces several interesting linkages. Alongside that is its creation via individually directed, separately produced shapes, something more common in industry. I still have areas to explore here, which is exciting.

Some great feedback came from the students. One asked me whether it mattered if the artwork was not permanent, which of course led to the idea of value. If something is impermanent it seems irrelevant until one considers charging a high price for it, which suggests that someone's investment would be lost. Another student talked about the roofing felt piece, mentioning that the flat layers of my other installations had here come together to create something physical. It was really interesting to get their impressions. I wish I could have recorded all that was said. I loved seeing the degree students' work in their studios too - could have spent much more time with that than we had.

This last small work was propped up by the guest book, unframed. It didn't get much attention but I like where it might take me. Of course that is still unknown...

Shadows and paint rings, 2008, acrylic, oil and varnish on board, 7.25 x 12 inches

holiday work

I'm here on holiday on Anguilla in the Caribbean, not exactly where I grew up (Trinidad), but similar in some significant ways. The sun shines most of the time in a cloudless sky, meaning the light is rarely diffused as it in the North's flat grey winter weather. And there are more reflective surfaces - on a sunny day in Asheville NC, the trees and greenery seem to absorb the light. Here, visually the environment is high contrast. Shadows, of course, but also shaded areas, and the way dark and light intersect with each other when seen from inside buildings, around natural shapes.

The quality of light and the kind of shadows produced are part of the experienced world, coloring the time of day, the kind of weather, your location. Life is obviously easier to live outside when it is warm.

Here are some images I've collected, not sure how I will end up using them yet. Maybe develop some of the ideas here on the blog....

Quite a contrast to the candlelight ambiance of my last post's image. Contrast is not only visual... Christmas day may involve a casual beer at the beach and evening turkey cooked in the BBQ on a patio looking out towards the sea. The oven maybe went kaput a couple of days ago when snapped power lines draped across our driveway, causing an "outage" in the area. Not an uncommon experience. This last week we have often driven by the first mall on the island - the El Dorado, unfortunately perhaps many malls are now under construction - where DJs have been broadcasting calypso style carols and religious christmas pop so loud that it vibrates within the chest cavity as you pass in the car. We've also seen several inflatable and endearingly snoozing (there's a stiff breeze) santas on the lawns around the bank. Music from bars and nightspots is heard long into the night, and there's always the slight chance of a fatal road accident, or, very occasionally, a robbery at gunpoint at the busy chinese corner store. They have a security guard now, so hopefully not. Never mind, for us visitors there's turquoise water, endless white sand, and maybe the lobster brunch of the dream holiday before we jet off back to ordinary life.

And I'm taking pictures of palm frond shadows!?? I do have other shadows in mind, using car headlights to capture the guys playing dominoes on the corner, and a cement truck's silhouette on a warehouse wall, but it takes a while for things to come to fruit sometimes. I intend to make some gravitygrams using sand and cardboard - slightly more accessible.

what's with the light?

This light work seems like a departure from the paintings - or does it? I love the night, and my paintings of 8 - 9 years ago explored night scenes. Lots of skylines and the glow of cities, silhouettes of things that appeared absent in the darkness.

Shadows have been attracting me for a while and they spring from the same fascination as my paintings, the same ideas run through everything.

Silhouettes, stenciling and shadows...shapes that block or allow access - to something : light, paint, x-rays, whatever. Ultimately, making 3D information available as a flat shape or series of shapes.