I recently did a new painting in an old style that when complete, is beautiful. Unfortunately, when people see the pieces in lo resolution online, something gets lost in the translation. So I wanted to document my process and the history of the process to give you a little understanding of what is involved.
My History
When I started painting, I worked in the visual style of the abstract expressionists. Love DeKooning and Pollack and their physical way of working. But I also love Rothko and his complex yet minimal color block paintings. I was focused on the gesture and color and texture of expressionism. One day in the studio, someone said to me one of my pieces was great, but why not paint a big red square in the middle of the painting. So I did.
Open Doors
That one small suggestion changed how I paint. In a major way. Now I could think of Rothko as well as Pollack when I painted. I began making blocks of expressionistic color as well as minimal blocks and putting them together in one piece.
Less than a year later, I met a woman who made huge canvases. She cut unprimed canvas into strips and wove them. Another open door. I began to weave the expression and minimal together. Sometimes found objects were involved. But mostly it was about the duality and justaposition of the two trains of thought.
About a year after that, I discovered sculptor’s metal armature mesh. Now I was onto something I had never seen before. The mesh took place of the minimal painting, and the mesh and painting became a new way of creating the work.
A lot of people don’t get the weaving when viewing the work online, so here are some detailed images of the process. I start by making a painting that can stand on its own, then I cut strips of painting and mesh and literally weave them together.
This is a pre-stretched canvas and the metal mesh.
This is the painted canvas that will be cut into strips along the pencil lines and then woven to create the final piece.
The start of the weaving process.
Progress.
The back.
Farther along. The edges are the hardest, wrapping the canvas and mesh, but I love the finished results.
Digital images do not do justice to the real thing. You can’t see the texture. If you like the process, I hope that in the future, you get to see the real thing. I will let you know when they are on display. And they are always available on etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KathleenHMahoney?ref=pr_shop
I will have this piece and more new work soon.
