Exo

An interesting technique

Exo is a square abstract painting created with enamel paints. It’s quite an unusual piece as it benefits from a technique I have only ever used successfully once before. As I briefly mentioned above, it’s a folding and blotting principle that sees one half of the canvas folded onto the other and then pulled apart again.

That in itself is not a difficult thing to do. However, getting paint in the right place to be able to do that is where the thought is focused.

The painting was destined to be symmetrical. I had an idea to make something almost skeletal in appearance and concept. A thought that suggested what a body or organic form may look and feel if you could look into or through it. So not all bones and muscles but something more that just what we see on the surface.

And I’ve managed to get that in the blotted paint effects. In places you can be forgiven for thinking that you can actually see through the outer skin to what lies beneath.

The fold

What’s also interesting is the remnants of the fold. After blotting and unfolding there’s a central line remaining that resembles a spine (to me anyway) and this carries the other painted areas to the outer edges of the canvas. It’s a surprisingly effective result as it makes the painting feel bigger than it really is.

The colours are rich, dense and moreish. Yes, it’s a dark painting and yes, it definitely has quite a narrow appeal. But it’s a very considered and thought provoking piece – hopefully more so now you understand some of the context behind it.

Colours and afterthoughts

The purple undertone is carried throughout the painting and is perfectly complemented by dashes of white, blue and black. The addition of red corners provides a welcome flash of contrast and movement when you least expect it. Oh, and you may also like to know that this red colours glows under UV light too.

I like things that make us stop and think. I like challenges and I like education ,self from different perspectives and with alternative points of view. Perhaps the greatest success of this painting is its ability to remind us that what lies beneath an exterior can tell us a whole different story to what we may have expected.