The Unveiling

I think it’s fair to say that canvas and paint markers have been kind to me and I am for the most part happy with the materials I have been experimenting with. My two main quibbles are: 1. Markers tend to start off well but not soon after you will find that the nibs deteriorate and your vision of fine lines through the whole canvas starts to fade; and 2. Stretched canvas is convenient, however, it can be a bit frustrating to work with if you want to use larger pieces and need to apply pressure which could lead to bleeding and warping.

That said, after a couple of months of testing and starting over, I believe I have arrived at what can be called the first instalment of ‘Imperfect Balance’. It’s a triptych as previously mentioned using 10 x 10 inch medium grain stretched canvases and oil based paint markers.

The triptych (First Encounter) begs the observer to accept that not everything we see in the first instance is what it seems. It then goes on to challenge that if we can accept the trivial imperfections around us, we get a glimpse of how things might look like when all is in balance and in symmetry.

First Encounter

Imperfect balance

I mentioned in my last post that I set myself two creative challenges. My first was creating a couple of bespoke birthday cakes. My second challenge since the new year was to get cracking on my doodling project.

I had initially wanted to go back to my roots and do a piece that showed the journey that got me to where I am today. After weeks of brainstorming, planning and prepping I came to the realisation one sunny afternoon that I worked better when I gave myself less creative boundaries and less structure. Sounds like a bit of a copout, right? I thought so too at first until I found myself procrastinating and started looking back at my previous attempts.

When I am doodling, what gives me the sense of stillness is creating something that is cohesive, flowing and to some extent symmetrical without being restricted by numbers, rules and measurements. Yes, I did use several fine lines to guide the overall concept but most of the work is freestyle.

And here is a sneak peak of what is planned so far for the body of work ‘Imperfect Balance’. The plan is to create a body of three pieces showing that we can create in our everyday life the illusion that we are in perfect balance and holding things together. Look closer. OK, maybe not too close and you will see that there are small but visible differences (or cracks) among the shapes, lines and so on.