Saturday, March 8, 2014

Catalina Pacific Concrete - Ruins Study 1


"Catalina Pacific Concrete - Ruins Study 1"
watercolor on paper, 2014
5¾"  x 7¾" (14.605cm x 19.685cm)
For sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

I am on a little detour from working on seascapes so the next few posts will be of this continuing series.
As you will see I am trying out various approaches, from simpler and looser to tightly controlled. Some are rooted in art history tradition and may have that slightly romantic sentiment while others will have a more contemporary bent.

These 'Ruins' and the 'Demolition', first of it here, are both sub-series within my larger Catalina Pacific Concrete series.

The 'Ruins' focuses on the plant finally coming down. I have known for some time it would eventually happen so I kept an eye on it.
As I watched it slowly being razed I noticed the similarities between it and studies and paintings of ancient ruins from throughout art history.
I simply had to do these now. Strike while the iron is hot (sorry seascape lovers).

I will delve deep into this one and do larger versions in watercolor and in oil paint. For now I need to take a long deliberate look through studies.

In this first study I included the sign, light pole, fencing and the yellow arm of the excavator. I most often do this in my work, show some of the surrounding utilities, to lock it into the present.

My work is never a mere stylistic or subject rehashing of the past. Although some studies may focus in on the architecture in its ruined state, without the surrounding modern utilities and thus be a touch ambiguous, overall I want no confusion as to when and where it belongs. I live today so that is what I show.
I do however like the interplay of historical ruins artwork against my own contemporary versions.270

2 comments:

  1. David! Wow! I didn't even have time to read any of your post! This piece has jumped to the front of my many favorites of yours! Outstanding! Art certainly is a powerful thing! Your art proofs that true all the time!
    Nice one buddy!
    Michael

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michael,
    Thank you! This is the first of many in this series of studies then eventually finished paintings. Hope you find more you like.
    And you can come back and read anytime.

    Keep painting...

    ReplyDelete