Geometrical composition
Acrylics on paper, 30.5 x 40.5
The painting took up an idea I developed while working through MoMA’s abstract expressionism course on Frank Stella. It was inspired by the geometrical structure of Stella’s “Empress of India” (1965). I was interested in the transparency of my paint which permitted the coloured background to shine through.
Terrace textures
Coloured graphite on paper, 45.5 x 60.5 cm
This piece features the frottage technique. I went out on the terrace and rubbed off all kinds of textures I found: Stone, wood, terracotta, basket, plastic, wire mesh. Using different graphite colours, a kind of abstract composition developed.
Saxophone detail
Pencil on paper, 35.5 x 43
The saxophone is a really complicated object by its construction, and it comes with a very shiny/reflective surface. I attempted only a section and focused on line, trying to capture both constructive details and some of the reflections without recurring to shading.
Dark texture (R)
Monoprint on paper, 39 x 56 cm
The piece was inspired by Natalie’s ‘Colour relations’ (March 2016), which I perceived as influenced by Jackson Pollock in the elements of dripping and strong primary colour contrasts. I started with the idea of having a black texture over coloured ground and developed a two-layer monoprint. The process was relatively complex and I wished the black ink would have come out somewhat stronger.
Highrise pattern (R)
Ccoloured graphite on paper, 22.5 x 30 cm
This piece was inspired by Natalie’s Architecture study 1 (March 2016), which reminded me of my obsession with the glass and steel facades of the highrises in New York City. I had approached the topic earlier with the more comprehensive image of a skyscraper skyline (January 2016, Manhattan Highrise surface fabric), but my fascination is more with the detail patterns of individual buildings. This piece focuses on the geometric pattern in a section of a larger building.
Twigs (R)
Watercolour on paper, 30 x 22.5 cm
The twigs are based on a quick continuous line drawing of a plant on my terrace. The piece is a response to Natalie’s ‘Sunshine’ watercolour landscape (March 2016). My main focus was on watercolour effects and experimenting with wet-in-wet and wet-over-dry techniques.