top of page
Here I illustrate my process of developing a painting from start to finish, using LT11 as the example.
VISION
In accordance with the below references that inspired me, I envisioned a piece with an inherent strength yet also a warmth and an accessibility. I synthesized this into the theme: forcefulness in design, humanity in expression, which served to guide all subsequent design decisions.
Refs: Jasper Johns, Jean Dubuffet, Josef Hoffman.
DEVELOPMENT OF STUDIES
Creating and critiquing small paintings enabled me to refine the aesthetic and test candidate material combinations. Operating within my living tessellation (LT) paradigm, I formally defined all line variables such as width, spacing, texture, and depth/opacity/sheen.
METHODOLOGY DEFINITION
Towards creating a unified piece, I derived rules and methods that could be universally applied and performed associated design iterations.
FORM DEVELOPMENT
I then set about solving for the final shape of each form in an effort to arrive at a state of collective equilibrium which also needed to be amenable to the addition of internal flow lines. Each curve, line termination, point of tangency (etc) required iteration and rigor.
FLOW LINE MAPPING
It only remained to develop a full-painting flow map to define internal patterning line initiation and evolution.
PAINTING EXECUTION
I used oil paint sticks to create the thick form lines via direct marking and brush application. In this manner I was able to achieve jagged and textured lines that referenced crayons or finger painting. I achieved the subordinate thinner internal flow lines using marker-applied deep satin black ink. By spacing these lines apart by approximately their width, and introducing a waviness into their trajectory, I sought to imbue them with both purposefulness and character.
See the final painting and creation videos.
bottom of page