Off to run some errands, but first I thought y’all might like to see the start of what will be my first horizontal painting that you set on a surface, not hang on a wall. Oooh. Aaaah. I want the end result to combine techniques from House of Leaves, Lurk, and Skia, and the subject should hopefully continue my exploration of gender in an anonymized, faceless form  like we’ve seen in Fair Trade.

Starting materials: board (reclaimed from a trashed desk), white caulk (the apartment complex left two in my apartment after installing new windows), posing maquette.

Also, speak of Skia, if any of you are especially fond of that painting, you want to make sure and swing by my booth at ORANJE next month. Bring a smartphone. I’ve said too much as it is.

See, this didn’t take long, not a month after my show and not even a day after my new site design goes live and here I am to talk about my next painting series.

Isn’t that spiffy?

So, this new series I’m working on, it’ll probably be a small one, I don’t think there’s too much I can do with it that can’t be done in three pieces before I start weakening it. It started when Nick reminded me of the minotaur from House Of Leaves, which is one of those works that had quite an impact on both of us. And, within that story, the minotaur takes on this terrifying aspect of not being the guardian, the sign of power and corruption and excess it was in mythology, no no, it’s something darker than that. It becomes the thing that lurks, that exists and leaves behind evidence but isn’t seen. It becomes a representation of our own follies, obsessions, faults, conceits. And, it forces us to pursue it. It lurks and we must brave into the darkness if we hope to find it, to address it, to challenge it.

And so, this next series is called “Lurk,” it’s an exorcism of sorts, an externalization as I sort through my own labyrinth (man, anyone remember when I was stuck on Daedalus and Icarus ideas and imagery? Apparently this myth is good milage for me.)

Visually, what I’ve started working on is methodologically influenced by Nathan, who’s use of found materials and caulk gave me an idea for how to create a textured underlayer to support these ideas, and by some of the darker side of Lawrence Yang’s work over at blow at life. I’m forgoing my usual oils this time to explore using oil-based enamel paint instead. I wanted something a bit different, and for some reason my old collection of model paints started calling out to me. Maybe it’s the ease with which enamel can imitate ink drips and washes that oil has a harder time doing. Maybe it’s just memories, but you know, that fits.

Anyway, some sketches here, some shots of the boards as I caulk them later.

Alright, I made my first fully trussed decked-out canvas stretcher in some time tonight (for Ms Stephanie’s commission piece). Thanks go to Mr Henry and my dad for helping me get that cut and assembled. I’m beat, but I’ll get pictures up tomorrow.

I also finally got the custom slotted frame cut so I can finally assemble the as-of-yet unnamed piece I did last year when Aud and I were still early in dating and I was working through some arguments with her. It’s until now basically been the Lost Painting of Martinez, with even me sometimes forgetting I finished it. It’s 46″ x 34.75″, made on two layers of plexiglass (one clear, one the concentric ridged variety of magnifying lens) I scalped out of the screen from Dad’s old flat-screen projection TV. It is, along with House of Leaves, among my very richest and most complex works, combining a semi-transparent painting with my notes (albeit in reverse) still visible from the back due to the plexiglass with a suspended top layer with only a portion painted and a negative space introduced by the removal of a piece, which is no longer in my possession… It’s intense, it’s layered, I look forward to it being mounted so I can shoot it and get it up online here.

Pics tomorrow.