fix it, make it

S. Magdalena Sophia Barat (detail)

detail of puncture after reinforcement

It has been a busy couple of weeks since my last post, with school starting for the whole family.  In the midst of it all I have managed to start and complete several new projects.  The first is the restoration of a painting that was punctured and scraped.  So far I have patched the hole and re-set the original material salvaged from the edges of the damaged area.  The next step will be to fill the voids left by the puncture, and then on to the fun part– matching and applying the new colors.  This is accomplished by the use of powdered pigments with Damar resin as a vehicle.  Because the puncture occurred in a relatively clear area of the painting, it will be a challenge to make the repair disappear.

a selection from the new set of ink landscapes

I opened a new container of ink only to find that the “velvet black” was actually a deep indigo with a red undertone.  It was a pleasant surprise, and fell right into line with the night landscapes that I am simultaneously painting with oils (but are not yet presentable enough to post).  The painting above is shown in its first state.  I continue to experiment with the tongue-and-groove backing which leaves a “wooden floor” image and embossing on the paper.  Originally this was accomplished with the studio floor, but later I made a section of “flooring” specifically for this use.

core structure of the bench before cladding

The other new project is this bench, which will be clad with 5/16″ tongue-and-groove oak flooring as its final surface.  I designed the piece t0 be built out of surplus/scrap wood and finished with reclaimed lumber.  Hardwood floors have edged into every aspect of my work.  I appreciate the floor’s relation to my landscape paintings where looking down becomes a means of understanding what is above us.  Staring at the floor is an overt gesture of withdrawal, but what I am cultivating is introspective rather than anti-social behavior.  If a viewer can make that distinction then the reclusive act is transformed into a particular form of sharing.  In the mean time the pursuit of the spirit by way of the flesh, the intangible by way of the tangible, and the transcendent by way of the practical remain central to my interests.