Common Materials

Underneath all of the real art supplies, painstakingly placed in my car were 7-8 pieces of cardboard – some were old U-Haul boxes broken down after our move from one home to the mountain where we live now.  Other sections of cardboard were torn and tattered from protecting the real art traveling to galleries.

Most recently my journey in art (that also parallels my life story) is a popular notion of transparency. Seeking out what’s real and purposefully exposing it. The furniture industry began this transparency through deconstruction. Leaving chairs and sofas partially void of upholstery fabric – exposing the lining and nails of the inner structural materials.

In my art I have been exploring the significance of say, cardboard, not as a protection for the real art but giving dignity to the cardboard itself. By stripping off sections of the thin outer layer of this material, one discovers the real strength. A unified ridge of waves inside the cardboard is the skeletal support. Like the cardboard, there is anything but polished refinement in my art and in my life. The unfinished trackings of a painting are as easily identified as my personal flaws.

Transparency… Realness…

Edvard Munch made 3 copies of “The Scream”.  The medium (materials) of these three artworks were; oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard, tempera on cardboard and lino print. Cardboard’s durability is shown by this work that was painted in 1895.

Another common material is roofing felt or tar paper. Its common importance as an all weather protection to keep our homes from the elements. However, it is also a delightful surface for paint to adhere to . I paint from dark to light so the black surface is a tool.

Realness.. Transparency….Deconstruction