the yellow canvas i spoke of the other day has grown bones! the kind of bones that grow upwards, strong but free and flexible, not straight, striking upwards like flames in a bonfire. of course as the taoists noted, there are no straight lines in nature as everything is a part of the curvature of the earth. but there is something about these bones against the bright yellow that speaks of firmness of form, of the yang principle of action, expression, and the principle of light.
you can see the painting here at an intermediate stage, but the lines are already speaking. i wonder what they say. i have an idea of placing these bones, or similar ones, against different colours, in a whole series. i think the next one will be red. the bones will speak differently in contrast with different colours. the colours will be simple, although the textures will not -as a simple texture is another thing that's impossible to find in nature, to make it simple, for art, would feel like an abberation. the gloss the paintings will be covered with, though, is artificial, and simple.
the flowers on the table don't seem to be speaking as much as humming, maybe, or singing. they are leaning rather than striking upwards, in a gentle, downwards and sideways curve with gravity and their own coming demise. the painting will last much longer than they will, and bones last longer than petals, and hold things together, and keep the body together, for as long as the breath lasts.
painting the flowers would mean painting their coming demise, and the air around them, the changing of the petals second by second in ways we can't see, a process we can't observe (but also we can't not observe it). for the second painting i am taking to the parallax art fair in london at the end of the month, i am bringing in the yin energy of a flower, the unobserable yet always present, the hidden, passive transient dark matter that holds everything together between and within the bones. it's a kind of lotus flower, to me, but others see many other things in it. watch this space, to see it when it's ready.
i'm working on the yellow bones painting now, waiting to hear what they say, as that will be the title of the piece, listening closely as the background starts to come alive between and around the bones, as it starts to demand different kinds of movement in different directions, each horzontal requiring a certain proportion of vertical, and vice versa, every smooth demanding just the right amount of texture, each brushstroke requring i put the brush down and use my fingers. it's more of a discussion than an argument, more of a dance than a clear expression of a point. it is a bit like the last seasoning of the soup. a dynamic balance in motion, as every move asks for a counter-move, until the moment when it hangs together completely for a split second and you have to stand back and take a breath and, usually, accept the balance without allowing the mind to invent any kind of potential perfection.
i'm looking forward to finishing the two paintings and bringing them out of my flat and into the world. if you'd like an invite to the private viewing at chelsea town hall, friday 21st feb, 2025, 7.30-9.30 pm, use the contact form on the site or hit reply if you're reading in newsletter form - and ask me! would be amazing to see you there.
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