120cm x 120cm (47″ x 47″)
Crystal Waters is a square abstract painting created with a series of interlocking and overlapping circles and half circles. I first poured a selection of enamel paint onto a flat canvas sheet on the floor then proceeded to manipulate them into circle shapes using an extending window squeegee pole and a woollen window cleaning mop.
It’s an unusual tool choice for sure but after trialling it a few years back it’s become one of my favourites. The mop head itself is a 40cm wide attachment for an extending pole and it’s what window cleaners use to apply the soapy detergent to large panes of glass.
My methods are somewhat different in that I place the handle upright and gently turn in a circular motion wherever I place it on the canvas surface.
There are a surprising number of skills you need to acquire to get this technique right and one of the most important ones is the amount of pressure you put upon the pole. I link this directly with the amount of paint I am moving and the size of the circle relative to all the others.
The pressure differences can only be slight, but they make big changes to the circles. If I need to move paint volume and leave a thinner, more defined circle then I apply more pressure. If I want less definition, more flow, and less control I ease off the gas. All of this is relative and uniquely dependant on what’s happening at that very moment in time and often correct things on a second-by-second basis.
Among the other things I need to control is the build up of pant on the mop itself. If I wait to long to change it then I run the risk of muddying the paint that sticks to it; the consequence of this is deposit it back onto fresh paint where it can become tainted and ‘dirty’ so I am always changing heads for new ones to prevent this from happening.
Exercising a little patience and letting things evolve produces a strikingly beautiful painting. So here we have a selection of blue and green paint colours with hints of purple and yellow. Each of these circles has its own personality and is perfectly balanced with its neighbours.
The mop technique produces some mesmerising effects as you can see in some of the detailed and close up photographs. I absolutely love this and it’s going to look fantastic on just about any wall space.
Far Beyond the Sun
