Before it was long away,
Now twenty years ago was yesterday.
I am not the first to note,
Nor the last,
just one of all.
~writings/2013
Fish Series (circa 1997)
Fish Series, No Man is an Island
Mixed media/collage, 15" x 20"
Fish Series, Swimming Alone
Mixed media/collage, 15" x 20"
Fish Series, We are Alone Together
Mixed media/collage, 15" x 20"
Fish Series, We are All Alone with Ourselves
Mixed media/collage, 15" x 20"
Newpaper Assembly_02
Newspaper Assembly_02 (in an Iuuzuku tray on the grand piano)
digital image, 6"x6", 300dpi
Newspaper Assembly_01
Newspaper Assembly_01
digital image, 4" x 4", 450dpi
(all papers, National Post, dated Friday August 10 2007)
The Last Open Studio Thursday... for now
Wow. Today is the fourth and final Open Studio Thursday. I
want to thank everyone who has come to see the work. Your comments, support,
and camaraderie have been inspiring, amazing, and marvelous I am pleased with
the results, and curious that in every case the right work has ended up with
the right person. After today I begin to dismantle and deliver. I look forward
to seeing each and everyone in the weeks to come. After June 17, the new studio
will be open for casual drop-ins. Please don’t hesitate to call, write, or
request a time. The next Open Studio show will be in the fall. Happy summer
everyone.
Prussian Path with Arbour Vitae and Blush Rose
Prussian Path with Arbour Vitae and Blush Rose
9" x 12", Oil on canvas, sold
Mustard Field and Field Clearing
Mustard Field
30" x 40", Oil on canvas, sold
Field Clearing
30" x 40", Oil on canvas, sold
Artist Statement: Alla Prima
Midnight Under the Hydrangea 'Neath the Back Door Light
9" x 12", Oil on canvas
Artist Statement: Alla Prima
I have painted all my life, but only now seriously, and as
in all things I did not recognize there were rules to be followed. I splash
about with thick oil, gouache, acrylic, wax, any pigment. I mix them and add a varnish to
crack and de-establish the wet media; I push and pull and dig. Only recently
did I learn that there is a term for this, Alla Prima:
‘… alla
prima (Italian,
meaning at first attempt), is a painting technique,
used mostly in oil painting, in which layers of wet paint are applied to
previous layers of wet paint. This technique requires a fast way of working,
because the work has to be finished before the first layers have dried. It may
also be referred to as 'direct painting' or the French term au premier coup (at
first stroke).’
When I paint I have a theme, as I like to build a
collection, but rarely do I have a subject. I start with a minimal idea of an
outline – almost always done with Rose Madder, look for it at the
intersections, it represents the arteries, and almost always on an Orange-Yellow imprimatur which gives warmth,
energy, and boldness, it is the sun. And then I sculpt more than paint. I add medium and dig,
dig more, push, push more, scrape, scrumble, and with the effort an image appears. At
this point the details of light and depth become regulated, organized. Then I
stand back in amazement. The work does not come from the me I know. It comes
from a subconscious other.
As for a comment on the world or society, I revel in nature,
the tussle of a treed path, the sudden fence or odd rock. These are simple metaphors for the struggle of life we all face. Mostly the work is interpreted
as ‘going forward’ or ‘looking at’ the scene. However, I see them as views back over
the shoulder, of accomplishments, as proud moments. I aim for simplicity in
complication, light in darkness, beauty in ugliness, commonplace in unusualness, the divine duality of all things as a singularity.
What the Hell Happen to Me? (I Know You Care)
Allegorical Walk, 24" x 30", Oil on canvas
What the Hell Happen to Me? (I Know You Care)
Seems I got too close to the edge of the cliff and fell
right off.
So there I was tumbling through the void, and quite enjoying myself.
I knew there would be a net to catch me because I told so many other people that
it would be there for them.
Then I began to think: Got the talent, got the
security, if ever I was to follow my dream and paint, now is the time. I gave
myself 6-months. Wow, who knew it would be the hardest, most disciplined, beast
of a thing, and royal pain to be able to do exactly what you want, desire, and
dream to do. But how wonderful, too! And I have
painted. And now I am planning an open studio in May – see the invite here (a few blogs down): http://j-mccauley.blogspot.ca/2013/04/open-studio-thursdays-may-2013.html
Oh, and on the way down it
seems I got caught on a branch of a bush on the side of that cliff, you know,
just like in the cartoons. But this wasn't an ordinary bush. This bush could
speak, and it spoke to me. It said, ‘You love experiential marketing. You are
creative like sh*t. Get a job!’ Thus I am open to suggestions to fulfill the
speaking bush's prognostication, too.
Sample paintings can be found here (here): http://j-mccauley.blogspot.ca/
And here (work in progress): http://pinterest.com/jrmccauley/alla-prima/
Sample experiential creative can be found here: http://mcc.carbonmade.com/
Hope to see you on a Thursday in May,
JohnM
Open Studio Thursdays, May 2013
Please join me for a view of recent paintings.
Work can be seen here on this blogspot,
and on Pinterest (in progress) at:
Happy spring, everyone!
johnryanmccauley@gmail.com
Yellow Flowers on My Side of the Green Fence
Yellow Flowers on My Side of the Green Fence
9" x 12", Oil on canvas
Woodland Boundary 01&02
Woodland Boundary 01
24" x 36", Oil on canvas
Woodland Boundary 02
24" x 36", Oil on canvas
Studio Tour_Ridiculously Clean
A panorama of the studio while it's spit-shone clean! Caution, WET PAINT!
It's nice to see this collection all together.
Soon they will all have new homes.
Open Studio coming in May (details soon).
The Five Trees at the Crest of the Hill, Dusk
The Five Trees at the Crest of the Hill, Dusk
16" x 20", Oil on canvas
Where the Path Forks and the Trees Have Orange Trunks
Where the Path Forks and the Trees Have Orange Trunks
16" x 20", Oil on canvas
The Street Light in the Trees Across the Street
The Street Light in the Trees Across the Street
24" x 30", Oil on canvas, sold
Midnight Under the Hydrangea 'Neath the Backdoor LIght
Midnight Under the Hydrangea 'Neath the Backdoor Light
11" x 14", Oil on canvas
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