Finding myself more and more interested in the character and life of paint itself I decided to start experimenting with fluid paintings again. . I think of this technique as stretching paint. Watching the boundaries of color contract and expand all subservient to laws of physics becomes trance inducing. It is like watching some absurd abstract accordion that is pulling you into the moment. All there is to it is pouring paint and tilting the canvas to spread it around.

One of my favorite parts of fluid painting is the vacation from tedious brushwork and thousands of observations and decisions of portrait painting. With fluid painting there is a lack of control, a set of inherent limitations , that is very freeing. It is improvisational. You can plan the color scheme and the different viscosity of the paint and mediums in the paint, but once you start pouring, you get what you get, and have to work from there. I find it almost never goes quite as expected. It pulls you into the process and it seems that all you can do is make suggestions to the paint. There are lots of pleasant surprises and if it doesn't turn out as planned it can always get painted over.

In the outcome of the paintings I am interested in the color interactions and the texture, but in the process I am mesmerized by the life these constructs, these groupings have, moving in sync like one organism. Consequences of an action don't take place locally, but effect the whole.

Blue Dream 1- Acrylic on Canvas 7"x 14"

Blue Dream 2- Acrylic on Canvas 7"x 14"

Blue Dream 3- Acrylic on Canvas board 12"x 16"

Coral Breeze- Acrylic on Canvas 16" x 16"

Coral Breeze Detail:

Washita Marble- Acrylic on Canvas 12" x 16"

Washita Marble Detail:

All of these were added to my store last night and are available to purchase at Curious Observation.

As much fun as I have simply stretching paint I plan to take what I learn and add it to the toolbox. While I think that these fluid paintings are interesting enough to stand on their own, I want to explore the possibilities and limitations of this technique with the goal of transcending and including. I'm excited to see what I can pick up and use to expand my options of paint application.

When I first started fluid painting last year I was eager to apply it in a more representational way. I did a few paintings that started as fluid paintings. Then I did a little experimenting to see how I could combine it with techniques I was more familiar with. I meant to explore more, but found myself on other explorations, and I hadn't picked it up since those few paintings until this week.

Psychedelic Storm- Acrylic and Oil on Canvas 12" x 24"

The Psychedelic Storm was an experiment that I did live on Facebook, and it was purchased by a cod fisherman from Norway while it was still wet. I had no idea what it was going to be in the beginning. As paint covered the canvas I just worked toward what the paint was suggesting.

Drawing it Into Existence- Acrylic and Oil on Canvas Board 16" x 20"

Drawing It Into Existence was my very first fluid painting. It had multiple layers and pours, but in the end I decided I wanted to try doing an oil glaze on it. Another painting that didn't begin with anything in mind and just became what it became.

So as I learn more about the limitations and possibilities of pouring paint I will be experimenting and seeing what techniques can be combined without creating a muddy mess. Once I have a better understanding of the basic governing variables in the process I will start adding this with other techniques again.

Here is a video example of when I did Blue Dream 1:

 

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