An Ode To A Yellow "X"

     As a child my parents took Life Magazine. One of the weekly features until his untimely death were the antics of Jackson Pollack, one of the memorable painters of the mid-20th Century. I can particularly remember one photo shoot, in black and white, of all things, (after all, Pollack was ALL about color) of a nude woman, covered in paint and slithering around on a huge canvas. We all knew Pollack and that the splatters would come later. Looking back it was pretty risqué showing a nude but I guess being covered in paint counted for something and censors let it through!
     However, with that in mind and some of the techniques he used and some art I saw on a trip to Memphis to visit my daughter, her husband and my brand new granddaughter, when I was there, we took some time to visit the local art scene.

This is pretty much what I saw in mind's eye and am amazed
that this small study actually seems to work!

     Memphis is an old, old American city and I am beginning to realize was the center for a great many once profitable enterprises. Sears had a 1.5 million sq. ft. warehouse there. Over 8 stories tall, it was abandoned but has been turned into a center of another kind. Stores, art galleries, offices are being reborn and the process has just begun. Wandering and looking at the art on display I happened across a gigantic painted piece of metal art that had three or four huge rectangles welded together and painted black. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't even take a photo of it. But the minute I saw it I saw another image, a mind's eye image, that was bright red and would somehow have splashes of color racing across it. It became embedded in my mind. However, when I started I was not really sure I could pull it off.

Panel 1

      First I had to find the red. I finally settled on DecoArt's Americana True Red. Since this was a study for a much larger piece I hoped to put in my living room to "spice" it up, I wanted the real thing in miniature. I painted three 11" x 14" canvases twice to make sure the color remained vivid. Against light grey walls over a dark fabric mid-century sectional, it would almost levitate on the wall.

Panel 2

     Next I had to hunt down first screws but realized a bolt and nut through all frames was the way to go. That way it could be tightened if need be. Off to Home Depot. After struggling to find the right size bolt, the frames are only about ½" thick but 1 ⅛" wide, a kind lady asked if I needed help and dismissing where I was she showed me the perfect items packed three to a package and not 50 plus nuts that I had been looking at.
     Once home I drilled holes in the frames after deciding on the angle I wanted and not being a perfect match to the hole in the next canvas,  finally got them all together. Whew!

Panel 3

     Next came the yellow swaths that crossed each panel and sometimes entering another. I used a brush to put it on thickly then used a palette knife to remove most of the paint leaving a sliver of pure yellow across most of the brushwork. I wanted the yellow but didn't want it to dominate. It was there to highlight the colors that would follow.
     Up to this point I had been using acrylic paints. I figured they would be a solid surface and not conflict with the paints that would follow.
     Having used fabric puffy paints on other projects to give a birdhouse, box of some kind, even other canvases some depth and dimension, I then began to put down cobalt blue puffy fabric paint over the entire painting. I didn't want to use black and the blue seems dark enough to both outline the swaths of yellow and is a good outline for the colors that followed.
     In rapid succession came yellow, green, white, orange, red glitter paint, purple glitter even gold metallic paint that outlined the yellow, especially the star that covers a hole made in the joining process. It was already yellow and literally cried to be used when I opened up my star drawer.
     The plan when applying the puffy paint or dribbles of acrylic paint is, of course, to have no plan. It is the random wiggles and squiggles that make the entire thing work. (If you are into that kind of thing.) I discovered that you quickly see the places that need more, not less, paint and also those that need a drop here and there (such as the pink). I can imagine that Pollack had fun and yet I would guess he planned his colors carefully.

 I can remember finally seeing the Guggenheim collection of his art in New York City. The room seemed to vibrate with an electric energy. Looking carefully at them I realized, maybe for the first time, how many layers and how carefully they had been put down. What might have been an accident at first glance was carefully prepared and could leave you breathless. It is apparent that the layers were applied over many days. He used oil based and enameled paints that are dense and in their random intricacy literally appear to vibrate before your very eyes.
     As I allow my painting to dry (puffy paints take forever) I realize that I like the contrast between the flat of the red and the glossiness of the strings of paint. I will give it a cost of matte varnish but will paint over the yellow background and it's myriad layers on them in gloss varnish to continue not only the dimensionality but as a contrast between shiny and matte.
     Now that I know that it can be done its off to the craft store for bigger canvases. I have been eyeing the 15" x 30" x 2" canvases at JoAnn's. There is a size I like at Michael's but I want height rather than width. Decisions, decisions!

Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! 

Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!