‘Stella Nubis’
is a large black, white and gold abstract art work
200cm x 140cm (78″ x 55″)
200cm x 140cm (78″ x 55″)
I’m glad you asked; Stella Nubis is a black, gold and white painting and is really quite the eye-opener!
I chose the name as it’s the Latin translation for cloudy star. The name was picked after the painting was created, like so many I do. In fact the search for a name befitting of something so individual and cosmic in its appearance became a real labour of love for quite some time.
The reason may lie in the fact that I don’t tend to do anything like this normally so it stands on its own – even among my already liberally diverse collection of paintings.
Therefore, a stand out piece such as this really needed a suitable name to go with its rather niche credentials.
For starters I don’t tend to paint onto black canvas very often. I have a few that have been done historically (Brightness Intensifier and Keep Your Nightlight Burning) that were painted onto a pre-primed black canvas but this is the first one I can remember where I painted the canvas black myself then left it for a few weeks before I attempted to apply more paint over the top.
So that’s the base of the painting that’s a little different. Next we should consider what lies on the top. The combination of white, gold and black enamel paint has made the painting look a little like a negative – like the photo type you used to see where all the tones are reversed and dark becomes light (and vice versa).
And because I don’t do that kind of thing and certainly not with this combination of colours and tones it stands out more than many of the others.
It’s very easy to lose a painting to a distance that renders it cold and unapproachable. It’s a cardinal sin for any abstract artist to alienate the viewer or make no attempt to bring them back into the warm embrace of the canvas they are stood in front of.
We’re not talking about good and bad here – instead I am referring to the experience of being in front of something your brain can’t make sense of.
Abstract paintings can, and should, do that. They should be leaving you with a sense of something at the very least and if they connect with you they should take you around a rich spectrum of emotions and then bring you back to a safe point.
If they don’t then walk past and move on to the next one.
For Stella Nubis, and a painting that could feel very cold and distant, the gold is the key element. It’s the colour that brings the others together. It brings warmth and heat. It binds the clouds and plumes and it envelops everything with a confident feeling of reassurance.
Black and white is amazing for sure but, for me, the addition of something that bridges the gap between wonder and abandonment is an absolute necessity.
I could paraphrase many quotes and sayings here but instead I will leave you with something a little more considered.
To demonstrate one’s own confidence is to be bold enough to hang an artwork that challenges the norm, raises conversation and causes a reaction. It says that you are not afraid, that you are comfortable with what people think and that you refuse to bow down to the whims of design, style and trend.
Confidence is the V-Sign to all those who dare to challenge you. Confidence is knowing yourself and being okay with that – whatever your successes and failures. Ultimately it’s being at one with the person you see in the mirror without the need for external validation.
Express that however you can. When you got it, you know it.
And that’s when you put this on your wall and fuck everyone else’s opinion.
Drop me a line and I will get back to you as soon as is humanly possible!
Prefer a call? Great, we can have a quick chat about the painting and how easy it is to view