The Canvas Becomes Secondary

It began when I accidently poured too much paint and clear medium onto a loose canvas laying on the wood floor one night. I let it dry overnight and the next morning the paint decided to spread from the canvas to the floor. Something told me it to leave it and the section may very well peel off the floor while continuing to remain a part of the painting. It worked and so became "Breaking Chance" shown above. The top section of paint, at a closer look, is mounted directly onto the wall so the paint seems to be actively pouring over the canvas as opposed to being contained by it. Naturally, the next step was creating an entire painting created only by paint and clear medium. The photographs below reveal some steps in my first experiment. The final piece below measured out at 13' wide x 8' wide. The painting is one single, organic section mounted directly onto the wall with mannequin pins and a light spray adhesive. It is easily taken down and remounted. I have even placed it on exhibit on the floor as a seemingly, moving painting/tapestry/rug. The detail photos reveal some of the fun abstract dancers within the piece. I hope to gain funding to further experiment with this type of process.

The paint and clear medium has just been poured directly onto the floor. The cloudiness is due to the medium and will eventually dry clear.

This photo shows the organic movement of the paint while the piece slowly dried.

During the drying process, I went in and created dancers and detailed painting within its framework.

After the final drying, it was time to peel up the entire piece, 13'x 8' from the concrete.

Here is a detailed section that captures the people within this little universe.

As I stepped back, I realized the little universe that had been created. The people within dancing through life created as well as coming from the colors all around them. Furthermore, the temptations tugging at the dancers, became represented by the red dancers. it is a universe of enlightenment to animalism , choice, despair, and salvation.

The final step was to mount in one piece, directly to the wall. I used a light spray adhesive and mannequin pins to secure without permanence. It worked and held for 2 months while we exhibited it at our studio, Suite 106.

From a distance, it appears as one large stain, like a spill during a meal. Up close, reveals a micro-universe in which the dancers reach for God, fall into the depths of Hell, and everything in between. Like this piece, distance in our perspective is a form of ignorance. I will never take a stain at face value again