Updates, Thoughts, and Inconsequential Ramblings of this Particular Artist.

For the past two days I have been cleaning, wrapping, and packaging, paintings, getting them ready for storage. I had leaned one against the wall, backside out, and it occurred to me that because I mill and stretch my own canvasses that each backside is unique and very telling to the history of each painting. In many ways the backside of the painting communicates the human experience more than the front, for one can see the physical traces left behind from the effort exerted in making this thing evolve into a finished product. Drips, staples, extra canvas, and exposed wood, the bones, internal organs, all revealed, fragile and destructible, no magic here. It is my hope and dream, one day to have a show with all my paintings facing the wall. The nature of the human hand working, building, forcing into reality, a show of the back sides of the paintings, true beauty revealed.

The Paintings The Brush As I was trying to sign a painting, the same painting for the second time this week, I realized that even with glasses I cant see the end of the brush anymore. I got curious and dug out an old painting to compare. Both of these are signed with the same brush so there are 17 years of use on the brush. However, that brush has been dedicated to only signing, so how bad can it be? The top image was signed in 1996 “without glasses” The bottom image was signed today “with glasses” Something has gone terribly wrong.

36"x48" As I continue to pack, it is getting to the point when I realize it's time to put the paints away. I have no idea where the next piece will be produced, but it will be, a much better place. 

While going through boxes, I came across these old photographs of my first studio in Watkinsville, Ga 1996. 

The process of building stretchers and stretching canvas is equally important to me as making the final painting. For me its all about the process of working from start to finish. I find that not only is it meditative but as the stretched canvas develops towards completion, I also develop towards a readiness to paint. There is a joy I get from building the structure that I am going to eventually make into a painting. I believe this gives me a deeper connection to the final product and as an artist, that my work and myself are intertwined. It is my hope that when paintings are viewed that there is an understanding that a lot more work goes into making a painting than just applying paint.  Canvas day. One roll of canvas 60"x 6 yards, a gallon of gesso and a gallon of medium. I sand all the sharp edges off the stretcher to prevent the wood from cutting into the fabric.  After measuring and cutting the canvas for each stretcher I then lay the stretcher face down...

For any one who may be curious, I build my own stretchers, the support frame on which the canvas wraps around. I started with two 2'x4's which I cut into smaller lengths for ease of handling. In this case 54"and 42"ultimately to get four 48" pieces and four 36" pieces.  Below they have been ripped into the eight pieces 1"1/2 x 1"1/2 with one side at a 10 degree angle. This angle is to prevent the canvas from hitting the inner edge of the stretcher later on.  Finally all the corners have been mitered glued and nailed along with corner braces. I do need to make a correction in terms at this point. While I have referred to theses as stretchers they are in-fact strainers, meaning the miters are permanent. All that remains is a little sanding and they are ready for the canvas when FedEx delivers tomorrow. Ill try to remember to document the canvas stretching process and post that as well. When all is said and done Ill have two 36"x48...