earthbound

i have been looking through a (not so black) hole again. from this secret perspective this painting's surface looks rather like a malformed, distant planet...somewhere high above, looking through a porthole, slowly coming into land (again)...and below, closer to terra firma......earth/bound II, 2011, 30cm x 30cm, mixed media on panelearth/bound II is one of a series of new works on panel, and this work will be included in the annual artworks exhibition, a group exhibition of the work of thirty East Anglian artists, which runs from 10 september to 2 october 2011 (10am - 5pm, open daily)...why have i called this work 'earth/bound'? (with a forward slash, denoting and/or)put simply, its matter is of the earth, it is both created from the earth and it goes back to the earth - and here it appears to be grounded. bound is an intriguing word in the english language because as well as implying containment or enclosure, something confined or restricted, or bound by the ties of duty or responsibility, conversely it also implies a free or sudden movement, bounding off, heading off, towards or travelling back. this mix of meanings and interpretations seemed very relevant, in the strata or layers of personal significance, the context of its making is everything - but there is also something else breaking through the surface (something for another day).i have only shown a small glimpse of this work in progress so as to generate some intrigue prior to the opening of the artworks exhibition. i am looking forward to showing some new artwork in 2011. i am not sure if this work, 'earth/bound' should really be termed a painting, as it is more of a wall-based carved relief or construction, a flat(tened) sculpture....imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere.carl sagan...if you are intrigued to see the 'whole' of 'earth/bound', you might have to visit the 12th annual artworks exhibition (where there will also be new art from twenty nine other east anglian artists).entry to the artworks exhibition is free and there is lots of free parking. there will also be a smaller gallery 'shop' with a dynamic display of small paintings, original prints, drawings, collage, glass, ceramics and a range of artist cards for sale.…earth/bound II, 2011, 30cm x 30cm, mixed media relief on panel…...artworks annual exhibition, blackthorpe barn, rougham, suffolk, 10 september to 2 october 2011 (10am - 5pm, open daily)Artworks is a professional art group of thirty contemporary East Anglian artists. Each September we have an annual showcase exhibition in the historic setting of Blackthorpe Barn in Suffolk....p.s. i also have some new pieces of work in the Reunion Gallery's 'Refresh' tenth anniversary exhibition, on right now up until 22 Oct 2011 (it's a fabulous contemporary art space run by two professional artists, verena daniels & pat todd, who work in glass and ceramics respectively)....

on achieving a perfect lichen-ness [part three]

the current state of play, the ongoing engagement with the surface, shown here in the sixth (current) state...the lichens have landed (but are likely to populate still further)...there have been many, many states in this particular painting but i only have six full-on shots (some of the work is done in the horizontal)...strangely, have not really referred to any particular photograph - perhaps this is wise; i do not want to end up with a botanical illustration...given that the above images do not adequately portray the finer workings of the surface - my primary concern - that of the layering process, of embedding a pictorial history of its making... i have taken these detailed images today, a made-to-measure, ground survey...[the yellow tape measure is in cms][myriad colours from grey green, bisque to violet, prussian blue, a ruddish brown][splatterings of ochre yellow, mustard, showing the textural quality of the surface]no-one looks at paintings this closely, so not sure why i do - i suppose i  like the painting within a painting...like something unearthed, buried deep within the layers, the rebirth of a painting within a painting - which leads nicely onto my next exhibition news (which, to make things a tad more organised around here, i will put into a new post)...