Fluid Spectrum

Rules:

• Canvas must not pick up dirt from the floor

• No primers

• Only use primary colors, black, and white for all steps except the last

  • • • To avoid muddy colors, pigments may be adjusted (ex: red can have orange or magenta undertones)

      • The idea is to have the paints mix by themselves onto the canvas, rather than mixing beforehand

      • Mediums allowed

• No reworking previous steps, it is what it is

  • • • No blocking out a section and redoing the step again if I don’t like it

• Stains are applied first

• Paint must be thicker for each progressive layer/step, except for the last one

• Thicker paint can only be moved by pallet (tarp) or gravity, no brushes

• Final step will be adding details to push the composition, brushes now allowed

  • • • Can be blocks of color, overlaid studies, whatever the created composition inspires

      • Rules are now open for paint colors, paint thickness, and brush usage

My piece focuses on the process and performative elements of its creation, following predefined rules as a framework within which to work. Even with these limitations, the idea of the work and its physical state was still an exploration, a malleable state of experimentation and evaluation. Most of this comes from the lack of control over what the paint would do after it was splashed onto the canvas. Interactions with other paints, lumps left over from mixing, and bubbles all created interesting and unexpected compositions. As a result, I needed to take greater care with where I set the paint, planning multiple steps ahead in order to prevent muddy colors. Overall, the process was what I truly enjoy in art making: experimentation, problem solving, and unexpected reactions between mediums. 

My inspiration comes from artists whose works elicit ideas of fluidity and vibrancy. These were reaction words which often recurred within works I found interesting. In combination with my desire to apply my process of art making with sculpture, a lack of control and natural interaction of mediums, I turned to Gutai. Shimamoto’s works, specifically, focused on controlled randomization by smashing glass bottles of paint onto canvas. I love the way the different consistencies and colors of paints flow together to create visually stunning works. Similarly, I found the works of a contemporary artist, Sam Gilliam, to have a similar effect with the use of staining. Conclusively, I wished to create an intersection between these artists by creating a Gutai-style process of pouring paint thin enough to stain the canvas, in a composition fluid and vibrant enough to elicit the same awe I felt when experiencing their works. Rules were drawn up, extensive research of paint pouring and staining was done, and a process was realized. The result of which is my piece “Fluid Spectrum”.