I have been commissioned to paint 9 paintings for a trendy restaurant opening in 6 months I have decided to take it on as it is a good commercial project.
The content of the imagery must be painted replica stone and so I have been looking at Faux finish techniques. It’s actually quite interesting and not conceptually unlike what I have been experimenting with in my digital imagery.
My research for the painting project led me to the history of artists who first used these visual illusionary techniques.
Techniques of glazing were employed as a deceptive tool to age the appearance of furnishings ‘antiquing’ and luxurious oil glazed wood finishes were substitutes for unattainable, expensive materials.
In short, the first examples of faux marble can be found on Mycenaean pottery dating back 4,000 years. During the Renaissance the ability to render realistic stone finishes rose to the levels of high art – it was lighter than stone and less expensive. It was respected and regarded as challenging to paint something so realistic that it was difficult to distinguish it from the real thing. The French later used artists to create illusions of space, natural environments and grand architectural structures. They call this Trompe L’oeil (Full the eye). Oblique anamorphosis, commonly seen in fresco, is closely related to Trompe l’oeil, however demanded an irregular viewing position as opposed to more conventional perspective.
Trompe L’oeil and Oblique Anamorphosis.
I looked at other wall murals during the MA when I produced the landscapes from The Royal Palace.
Mural, Royal Palace, Pnohm Penh.
These are some of my favourite images. I love the contrasts between the deteriorating wall surface, the aged paint and the glazed areas that have withstood the elements allowing for a value of colour to give depth. The murals are extensive and run for about a kilometer in total around the palace walls. One of my earlier thoughts had been to rereate a mural in digital format.
PAINTING
Faux marble painting 5/4 Ft.
The Faux techniques as textures and surfaces remind me of the Digital paintings of Casey Williams.
www.artnet.com/artist/719642/casey-williams.html
Faux Interiors
It might also be interesting to explore building an interior out of photographs, not digitally, but physically.
I’m having trouble staying on track as everything I do seems to lead to something else. I do think though that it will eventually come together. Having looked at the “trapped” images of people in the walls I decided to look at stone statues. I thought it would be interesting to explore the use of material replacement in the figure.
Cambodia -2006
(Below)
Composition taken from image of myself and my niece – reminded me of the art works of the `virgin Mary’.
Copper Budah
I am not particularly pleased with the outcome of these but the idea is quite interesting.
This week I have been experimenting with photographic imagery which looks at the relationship between man and his personal space. Looking at moments etched into the surface of the architecture and how I can use digital technology to bring out the history of a place.
I have also ordered a software guide for Final Cut and look forward to getting started on that.
The chat this week discussed possible methods for our presentations. I imagine that I will use the MP3 format and am collecting imagery that could be used to present my project.
Digital manipulation of figures on marble floor.
this could be quite interesting. It would be interesting to mimic the composition of the wall murals and have real people within a suraface but in a contemporary context. Almost like a choreographed still. The naturalness is also slightly surreal too.
Possible composition of figures.
There is a distinct visual pattern of grids flowing through my imagery that reminds me of tiling. This has led me to think about other structural patterns that we use every day such as bricks and flooring and whether it would be possible to integrate these systems into imagery.
There was a long conversation at work this week about ghosts and Chinese superstitions. The building I work in is apparently haunted and students have claimed to have been possessed during lessons and have never come back. I don’t know what to make of this, perhaps we are just bad teachers. However it did get me thinking about the history of buildings and the notion that there is a third party watching at all time – not just Big Brother.
I then began to think about walls and using digital technology to create the effect of life watching from behind the walls. Walls have eyes and ears so to speak. I then went back to my Cambodian wall reliefs, people through the ages have used art to show beliefs, myths and to protect. People in walls. A very common phenomenon of the haunted house are eyes moving in a painting.
Myself in a wall – Just playing!
Images from Anchor – Cambodia – 2006
I’ve been looking at the principles of weaving as a systematic approach to manipulating and controling image making.Digital art work involves processes and systems, which are not foreign to the craft world. it would be interesting to exploit these in both still imagery and in video.The images below are taken rom “the art of basketry” a cheap craft book that i bought to to learn finnishes on weaving. A skill that was taght to me by a Thai friend who uses roled paper to make increadible objects.The illustration show the systems of applying 3-rod, and 4-rod wales when weaving. that basically means the number of weavers you use. each creates a different texture. 
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This is an illustration of digital software used to program weaving in fabric.
The manipulation of this image uses the principle of a 3 – rod wale.
This is copy of my draft project proposal, finished this week after a constructive tutorial. I’m now looking forward to getting on with the practical work.
To further last week’s post…
The work I’m thinking about making will use digital media to reflect on the process of making art. Creating an “image” of the formulaic, methods and logical orders of thought lost in the viewing of a final piece of work.
Over the last few years I’ve been working on some paintings –looking at repetition within pattern – and have some very large canvases that I haven’t worked on yet. (I’d really like to use them☺).
I have learnt the art of basketry – which may sound crafty – however the techniques involved are extremely flexible and I see scope for building sculpture using these skills, possibly building a large organic form (representational) and recording the movements of the weft. This could become a really beautiful animated sequence, which would echo the act of the process of the creation.
I believe there may be interest in using digital montage to produce imagery which looks at cataloging the theoretical methodology/studies involved in my art practice. I have enclosed an image, which uses the diagrams created earlier on in the course as an experiment of this approach.
It would be of interest to me to produce a diverse body of work rather than focus on producing one final piece. I “think” some of the other students have a clearer focus on producing a single result from their studies – which is great – however with some recent reflection I don’t think I’ll gain maximum results by working this way.
What will be presented in the final exhibition can be decided nearer the time.
SOME EXAMPLES OF WORK WITH SIMILAR VISUAL QUALITIES
Google Images – artist unknown.
Had a wonderful Christmas New Year break at home.
Have been seriously reconsidering my angle on this course and feel strongly that the direct line I have been following is somewhat contrived and will not be something that is easily achievable or motivating. I would like to work with the technology and skills that I already own to expand on my current knowledge and really utilise what is readily available to me. I hope to be very experimental in my approach to art-making.
Possible routes of interest
• Animating the construction of a sculpture; creating a dual body of work which is both physical and digital.
• Animating the process of painting, creating a “live” exhibition in which the recorded work is produced before the audience.
• Using digital technology to manipulate recent research into visuals, thus creating a cyclical relationship between research and visual art.
• Using multiple images to create montages – looking at creating a visual illusion and or focusing on the impression of mass information and being immersed into it. This in effect is one of the “benefits” that digital technology and media has presented to us. It could be with imagery and/or text.
Artists of interest
Daniel Canoger
Dieter Huber
Warren Neidich
Casey Williams
Ana Marton
Carl Fudge
Chris Finlay
Joseph Nechratal.
I will add to this with the appropriate imagery and links as the project evolves.
Daniel Canogar
www.danielcanogar.com
