Gravity Painting #4: New Tools

This painting was done on 3/25/2012.  I thought I'd try a few new tools for this gravity painting, along with some different brands of paint.  Below are the tools I tried.  Notice that both blenders have cardboard masks attached to keep the paint flying in only one direction.  I wasn't very impressed with the effect, but I really like what the egg beater and the wire tongs with black handles can do.

Here is the start of laying down the Background colors with my faithful assistant, Ms. R.

 After blending these colors a bit.  I assure you that Ms. R is not picking her nose in this shot.  Just scratching it.

 The thin, small splatters are what happens when you spin the eggbeater really fast.  In other shots, when you see a wobbly thin line, it is either from the egg beater, or from the tongs.

The result from a Restuarant Ketchup container, filled with partially mixed acrylic, paints and additional medium.  It reminds me of what chefs do with chocolate drizzlings that are then pulled off wax paper & used for decoration.

 The result of applying the top layer of paint before the background is dry, then hitting it with a dry brush.  It's an effect that could be used to one's advantage, but it doesn't work well in this piece.

 Detail

 This is why I only partially mix some paints when they are loaded into the ketchup containers.  I loke the depth and complexity shown in the paint.

Background blending brushes drying after cleaning.

Here is the final piece, poorly stitched together in Photoshop (next time I'll bring a ladder).
Seriously, click on the image for detail :)

Gravity Painting #3, 3/24/2012

Today's Gravity Painting test was a learning success, but the piece did not come together as I would have liked.

Things learned:

• Plastic ketchup bottles that you find at burger restaurants are wonderful for this type of painting
• However, watering down your paint can cause unwanted textures and bubbles.
• Adding paint into the bottle without fully mixing it causes some nice effects
• Pre-gessoed canvas get wrinkled and has other problems when you tear it

Take a look at the detail shots.  I think they look better than the overall piece, which is shown last.
Again, click on images for larger versions.

Finally, the entire picture.  Could the two background tarps be causing the disjointed work on the canvas?  Possibly. 

Gravity Painting #2 3/18/2012

Today I made a new gravity painting.  This is gravity painting number two, on wood panel.  Physical elements that had a contributing effect this time include a bit of wind, but mostly a light misting of Pacific Northwest rain (of course, without the sunlight & gravity, these wouldn't be possible at all.  But you knew that already).  You can see it's effects in one of the details of blue paint.
Please click on the paintings for a larger view.

  

This detail shows how different types of paint have different properties. Same blue, different thickness.  The color change is from a Pacific Northwest misting.

 This detail shows the process a bit. I don't always end the strokes on the canvas.

Another detail showing different paint thicknesses. Paint is still drying, this may look quite different in a few days

Upper left detail. After making several white paint gravity strokes, I then used a dry brush to move the paint around, resulting in this higher frequency area.

Peter Bergman 1939-2012:

I think the first time I heard the Firesign Theatre was when I was visiting a friend in his co-op in college.  We were all in the kitchen, painting murals on the walls, Listening to "Don't Crush That Dwarf".  Everyone in the room responded to the question on the record with "It's going to be alright!!"  At some point I think a drop of paint got on the LP.  I had no idea what was going on, but I was immediately hooked.

Little did I know that years later, my friend in the co-op would get a chance to interview them on KBOO in Portland, OR.

That time in the kitchen set in motion a change in my life that would generate some of my fondest memories. I still will slip in a line from their album into conversation (and email threads, no less) to see if other's know about them.  It's a bit like a shared secret.

So Peter, thank you for being part of the entity known as the Firesign Theatre.  You have opened up my eyes to so many things.  Yes, you died.  But shrug it off, man.  You'll live through it.  It's going to be alright.

Did I put these photos on this Blog yet?  No?  Probably just on Facebook then.  Sheesh, I need to more here!