Porthleven 27 - (Hinge) 180x60cms
This painting is a response to the theme of 'Borders', the inaugural Newlyn Society of Artists exhibition at their new home at Tremenheere in early 2017. The reference is how I define my work, on the 'borders' of abstraction and figuration.
TUES 7 JUNE 2016
Far, far stronger now - it's done. The verticality of the painting is reinforced by the stacked and levered curves and the long vertical on the right, cutting through the paint. Much more movement. Poured pinks and purples shake up the colour, setting off the greens. The canvas divide is now integral, linking to the higher horizontal of the green pier. In a discussion about the painting, Janie M McDonald, commented on how the green curve coming in from the left and the reverse curve of the purple made the painting appear hinged, 'with the possibility of flipping' where they join, as if the vertical orange strip could flip backwards and forwards 'over and over as an animation'
in the studio
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I've been struggling with the shape and scale of this piece for the past few days, at 180cms is is the largest painting yet in the Porthleven series. I feel I'm getting closer with the colour and harbour-shape (4). There is greater clarity but It's looking a bit too controlled. Much has been lost: the sea has gone backwards, the red/orange is too flat and the bottom panel feels a little disconnected. I have in mind a fat, off-vertical line of force - a slightly paler turquoise with streaks of pink - that runs from top to bottom of the canvas, crashing through the gaps between the piers. It will bring life/light/movement if I get it right. I'll be re-drawing tomorrow and cutting/scraping through the paint to bring out the hidden colours and energize the surface.
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