Had a chat with Sam Robinson about my work recently, which is always insightful. I often find that there are some niggling thoughts that I can never quite grasp, and then Sam sometimes realises this and voices those ideas, which is helpful!
We talked about the use of “crap” materials, re-using items and the issue this raises in terms of value. If it’s an obviously used piece of material, then does that lower the value of it as a painting? And does this alter the way people view it, are people less satisfied with it if it’s been re-used? Or is it all down to the final image, whether this wood panelling is ultimately covered up completely and whether there is any trace left of what the support is, or was?
Also, does using a crap piece of wood make or alter the way I paint? Perhaps this is why I no longer use canvas, because painting on wood allows me to be somewhat free-er in my application. With canvas there’s always the feeling of a certain perciousness, the canvas costs money, time to stretch it, then having to re-stretch if it doesn’t work etc.
With the blue square in the frame, the nails and felt marks really add to the character of the piece and I expressed that I would lose the essence of the wood if I were to carry on painting on it (which is what I had planned to do) despite somewhat wanting to leave it as it is. Sam thought I should leave it, as it looks “resolved”, so I think I will leave it for a while and see what I think in a few weeks.
We also talked about ways of displaying the work and Sam suggested that I could almost prop-up some of the pieces, instead of hanging them on the wall to emphasise their objectness and stand-alone-ness.
Especially with the diagonally cut board and how the shape of it really contradicts the form that is painted on it. It doesn’t seem to make sense. And specifically as it was sitting on the floor at the time, the shape of the board seems to grow out of the floor, it has this special kind of relationship between the floor as support and the diagonality or sloped edges of the board. Originally I had thought of hanging from the ceiling from corner, but now the floor is quite appealing. I will have to consider both.
