Friday, May 13, 2011

mixing it up

From the Suspension Series (scrim) 
pigment-based ink on silk, mylar, wax, found wood
2010/11  appr. 16 x 16"



After being away from wax for a couple of years and working in oil, I've spent the past few months easing my way back. Having also spent a considerable period of time working on digital photo-based images, as well as creating a large body of work of oil on mulberry paper, I wasn't ready to walk away from paper just yet.
I gave myself some freedom to experiment with numerous materials I hadn't used with wax before: pigment-based ink on silk, Duralar (mylar), corrugated translucent plastic, and double mulberry paper, encaustic medium and paint; pigment stick, powdered pigment, mica, and other powdered materials, graphite, and found wood.
In all cases, I was after light...capturing it, directing it, allowing it. This does not translate much in these photos, but is very apparent in person. Something to work on--how to photograph the work to more accurately show the play of light through the wax and other translucent and semi-transparent materials.
Most remain untitled, for the moment at least, with the two digital images printed on silk coming from a series that has been around for awhile. All of these works are of various sizes, and the smaller ones I think of as maquettes, sort of, but may make their way to the light of day. Who knows....



untitled 
digital photo-based print on onionskin paper, 
wax, mulberry paper, mylar, found wood
2011  appr. 11 x 14"





untitled (from the working title Open Book Series)
mulberry paper, pigment stick, graphite, wax
2011  appr. 14 x 18"




untitled
wax, pigment stick, graphite, powdered pigment on mulberry paper
note: this has four deckled edges
2011  appr. 22 x 30"




untitled
wax, pigment stick, graphite, powdered pigment on mulberry paper
2011   appr. 28 x 42"





untitled (from the working title Open Book Series)
mulberry paper, pigment stick, graphite, wax mounted on Arches paper (22 x 30)
2011  appr. 18 x 24"




untitled
wax, pigment stick, graphite, 
powdered pigment on mulberry paper 
2011   appr. 28 x 42"









untitled
wax, pigment stick, graphite, 
powdered pigment on mulberry paper 
2011   appr. 28 x 42"



untitled 
digital photo-based print on onionskin paper, 
wax, mulberry paper, mylar
2011  appr. 11 x 14"






From the Suspension Series (scrim) 
pigment-based ink on silk, mylar, wax, 
on mulberry paper and translucent corrugated plastic
2010/11  appr. 20 x 30"

20 comments:

Ian MacLeod said...

Incredible work Pam!!

Rich in texture, colour and surface - very beautiful.

Gwendolyn Plunkett said...

These are really rich and I love the experimentation you are doing with the various media and papers.

Leslie Avon Miller said...

Complex and inviting surfaces Pam. Photography is always a challenge.

Joanne Mattera said...

You've captured the essence of book while retaining the sense of materiality--the different materialities--of the stuff you're working with. Nice job.

Nancy Natale said...

I really like this work, Pam. It does get to the essence of bookness. I also like the found wood at the top of some of them. Combining the digital prints with the wax is giving you a great surface and a depth of image. Keep 'em coming!

Anonymous said...

Stay with this exploration Pam. As you know I am a big fan of your work, and these feel like a strong and muscular move into a new vein. So glad you posted them for those of us who are disadvantaged by not living next door.

CMC said...

Love seeing all this rich work on paper, Pam. I'm especially intrigued with the Open Book series that you are mounting on Arches.If I may ask.. how did you mount the waxed paintings on the paper? Are the backs of the pieces free from wax?

Tamar Zinn said...

These are exciting to see Pam. Textured, layered--looking forward to seeing them in person.
What you've accomplished speaks to the importance of play in the creative process. (I love the working title 'open book'.)

Stephanie Clayton said...

These are just wonderful! They have a mysterious quality, an immediacy that is captivating.

Astrid Fitzgerald said...

These works are gorgeous - playful, yet highly accomplished. Congratulations on this new exploration!

Ed Angell said...

Hi Pam,

Good job !! Once again you've pointed out one of the best things about art, there are no limitations !

Ed Angell

dennis parlante said...

Pam,

Nice melting of books and art. Check out Tomas Nakada's work at Gallery Paule Anglim. His older pieces have similar sensibilities to your work.
Continued success.

Dennis P

Kate P. Miller said...

The work is so visceral, love it, so rich

Altoon Sultan said...

These are beautiful. It's exciting to see your explorations of combined materials..very rich.
Some details would be nice to get a better sense of surfaces.

pam farrell said...

Thank you all, for your very generous and encouraging comments. So funny...I did not set out to create book images with the "Open Book" pieces. In terms of formal elements, I was interested in bisection (which resulted in the "zip") and used that as an organizing element. As I often do, I was also playing with ambiguity.

It wasn't much of a stretch from there for me to see the page, the book, the spine. I have been working on an up-sized version (36 x 48")-- pushing it beyond the more familiar human-scaled "book." This has provided structural and material challenges to be resolved.

Cheryl, in answer to your question, the pieces are fused onto the Arches paper. Dennis, thanks for the name...I'll be checking out the work. Altoon, I agree, details will be forthcoming once I take better photos. NN, the found wood on some of the smaller pieces really came as a way to hang the paintings...so many possibilities here.

So glad some of you have noted the playfulness here...

Cora said...

Intrigued by the Suspension Series and the incorporation of pre-existing work.

Gwendolyn Plunkett said...

Love these.

marubia-art said...

Really great blog! I'm glad I've found him. I love your way of painting and the composition of your artwork.
I'll stop by here more often now.
Many greetings
Katharina

Sue said...

Great artworks showing your fun with experimenting with all kind of materials. That's how "accidentally" art happens, and that's what creativity is about.

KRCampbellArt said...

Beautiful and interesting. I had just been reading about graphite and thinking how to use it in my work. Thanks for the inspiration