Damn Good Quote....

“Of course I constantly despair at my own incapacity, at the impossibility of ever accomplishing anything, of painting a valid, true picture or even knowing what such a thing ought to look like. But then I always have the hope that, if I persevere, it might one day happen. And this hope is nurtured every time something appears, a scattered, partial, initial hint of something which reminds me of what I long for, or which conveys a hint of it – although often enough I have been fooled by a momentary glimpse that then vanishes, leaving behind only the usual thing.”

- Gerhard Richter

Night Train

"Night Train" - Acrylic on Canvas - 18" x 24" - 2014

  

I've received a fair amount of feedback regarding this painting, so, I thought I'd post it here and share a little commentary about it. This piece was essentially the result of experimenting with new techniques. Initially, it was intended to be a loose image of an oncoming train at night, but it evolved as I painted it. The entire painting was executed without brushes, only palette knives were used - and perhaps some fingers here and there, but that's not unusual for me. (You can probably find my fingerprints in every one of my paintings.) 

The first happy accident that occurred was the - obvious, I think - skull-like facade of the locomotive. When I first noticed it, it was faint, so I embellished it while staying relatively true to the shadows which naturally might've occurred on the locomotive. I didn't want to overdo it, though I think I may have, in hindsight. Anyway, this visage made the piece all the more unsettling, so, I continued on that vein. I made sure the tracks were off-center, and gave them a slight tilt to boot, in order to counteract their otherwise stabilizing static lines. Additionally, I wanted the train to come from the right to the left, a psychological tension-creating visual trick (common, and more effectiv, in visual narratives like comics) due to Western cultures' natural left-to-right tendencies. You may also notice some other vague images in the piece as well. Some are intentional, most are not.  I added some more bright white to the upper left of the composition and emphasized the light on the train, then balanced it a bit with some dark in the lower right.... Yeah, I'm gonna' stop here, otherwise I'll start getting into a formal analysis of the composition and that's probably dull for most. Y'all can do that yourselves....

What I particularly enjoy about this style is its dreamlike quality. I've noticed that even the images that I think I've "spelled out" for the viewers have been interpreted and seen differently. For example, one friend noticed the train and and was later surprised by the skull, while another saw the skull and overlooked the train. Others see completely different images in the piece first, then come around to the primary ones. Many see things that I never intended to be there. The Rorschach test quality of these paintings is great. It's enjoyable witnessing people getting lost in - or perhaps finding themselves in - the compositions created with this technique.

I'm still pushing ahead with this style, and we'll see where it takes me. The next painting I did, "Scarecrow," is more deliberate, but I'm very fond of it. I'll post it here in a bit, but you can see it now on my Facebook page.  

Thanks for reading!

Reference Shots

Hi, all! I’ve come up with a series of blog posts that might be at least somewhat interesting, particularly if you enjoy my Unrefined series of artworks. Many have inquired about my references for the structures and scenes in the Unrefined paintings, so I figured it might be fun to share some of my favorite reference photos on my blog. I figure I’ll post a few a week until I run out of “good” ones. (By, “good” I mean, nice shots that are interesting to you. I have hundreds of photos, but I imagine most of them are only interesting to me, as they’re either altogether useless, or only contain a small tidbit or two that I deem worth saving.)

First, it’s worth mentioning that I have NO access to ANY of these refineries, and thus far I have been unable to attain it. Private security, state authorities, and federal agencies protect these complexes. I have been asked to leave certain areas politely, and, well… not so politely. I was once “intimidated” by security vehicles off of an access road that led to refinery’s gate and I was easily still a half-mile away from the gate! You get my point. Unfortunately, in spite of the fact that I continue to bring art supplies on my reference hunts, doing sketches on location is impossible – unless I don’t mind sitting a couple of miles away from my subject, which I do! Therefore, my best bet is taking photos with my camera or (frequently) my phone, very often from my car, or “mental snapshots,” for lack of a better expression. (I’ll essentially just hold an image in my head until I can sketch it or paint it.) 

As shown here, there is rarely a shoulder upon which to pull over
and the speed limit on this particular road is 55 mph, making it difficult
to even slow down to take pictures!

Here are some more shots to kick things off....

This one may look familiar to some of you....

UNREFINED X

Coincidentally, UNREFINED XI "No Dumping," was inspired by a vacant lot with a "NO DUMPING" sign. Behind this lot was a pile of scrap and detritus from the refinery in the distance,  beyond some trees. Luckily, it was too perfect to forget, as I had no opportunity to photograph it. Anyway, sometimes these paintings are almost ready-made.

Okay, next:

How 'bout one more for now....

I like this shot, and fortunately got some more, too. About three
minutes after taking it, two security trucks drove up this road
and forced me to leave. They followed me back to the main road
and remained at the intersection. For how long... who knows?
I just kept driving....

Recently, I discovered a few more roads that have some great vantage points, so I'm sure to continue my library of reference for Unrefined, a series that seems to have no end in sight. Well, I hope this was remotely interesting for you. I'll post some more photos next week.

- Ian

Facebook....

Well, I finally caved and formed a Facebook page. Please check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ian-Chrystal-Fine-Art-and-Illustration/547047055334466

There is a fair amount of work on it already and I'll continue to post more. Not to worry, though, I'll continue to neglect this blog as as I have been in recent months. (cue laughter) Would you believe that I've been using variable ratio reinforcement on my blog readers? No? All right, here a little somethin'-somethin'....

It's fun with charcoal! Just some experiments in charcoal techniques. Pretty cool, right? Now there's something that's not on my Facebook page!

Well, not yet anyway....

Good Show! Bitch of a Canvas....

The Push Pin-Up Productions show went swimmingly! We had a great time, and met a lot of great people! The turnout was impressive to say the least. I posted some pic's on Facebook and hopefully there will be more to follow (I'm waiting on some emails....). A hearty "THANK YOU" to everyone at Push Pin-Up Productions and all of their volunteers that orchestrated such a wonderful evening art party. If you'd like to donate to Push Pin-Up to support future events like the Reflexion/Projexion show, here's a link: Donate!

Moving on, I finally finished stretching the canvas for my next piece in the Presence series. What a f#cking bitch! GRRRR! In the end I may have removed more staples over the course of getting it right than I actually ended up using on it. What a pain in the ass.... Here's why:

Remember that plaster fist on wood supports?

Yeah, that one. Well, here it is now:

So, yeah....

Gesso time!!

Peace!

"pick...."

Hey! Finished this one up a few days ago. Sorry for the delay in posting. I took some detail shots as well....

pick.... - Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas - 36" x 24"

Click the image to enlarge (hopefully - Blogger can be finicky at times).

In these detail shots you can see the 3D effects I achieved through the magic of molding paste.

I actually painted the canvas and mottled "bruising" entirely with my hands and fingers, and used my fingers and palette knives to sculpt the "scab" out of molding paste. It only seemed appropriate that I would use my fingers for a piece titled pick...., and I thought it might grant it a more visceral quality. It certainly made for a more visceral creative experience, and I hope it comes through in the art.

Now I have to get back to work on my Presence series. In considering pick...., however, I find that it may be an interesting complement to the Presence paintings, not only in appearance, but also thematically.... Huh.... More on that stuff in a later post!

Thanks for the interest everyone! Oh, and I may bite the proverbial bullet soon and start a Facebook page to promote my work. All in favor say "Aye." I don't know that it's necessary.....

- Ian

Reflexion/Projexion

Aaaannnd that's the theme of my first New Orleans show! I am very pleased to report that my piece, Shadow of My Former Self has been accepted to a show that "unofficially" kicks-off White Linen weekend in NOLA, and "officially" provides the after-party for a show opening at the Ogden Museum of Southwestern Art! Good-freaking-stuff, right? My sincere thanks to Push Pin-Up Productions for even considering my work, and obviously for accepting it as well.

Coincidentally, what do you think this is going to be used for?

The next piece in the Presence series, of course... but I'm not gonna' spill the beans, you'll have to wait for it.

While I wait for molds to dry, or wood glue and such, I'm keepin' busy with other work, like this one:

 

And this one:

They're both unfinished, but I'm truckin' on the first piece and the second... well, let's just say I'm rethinking my original objectives....

So, that's what I've been up to lately. It's great to return to the blog with happy news, and I'm actually still waiting to hear from some other venues regarding artwork I've submitted. Suffice it to say, I'm keeping my fingers crossed while I celebrate. You should, too.....

Much love,
Ian