Douglas Witmer
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Thursday, August 17, 2006
studio views & a sneak peek
Manitou, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 36 inches.
Not yet titled, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 44 inches.
..two recently finished works. You can see earlier states of the above two canvases here.
...and then, in progress, there's...
Black Keys, black gesso and acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18 inches ea.
These rascals are extremely direct...probably as close as I've ever gotten to anything I've done on paper. (Thanks in no small part to my new "watercolor canvas" wonder surface.) I'm quite high on them at the moment. My original thought was that they would be nearly black on black...that I'd really tweak the color...layer transparent gloss black over the colored areas. But I'm seriously thinking about letting them go right now. The all-important component of these pieces lost in photography is their physicality. The black gesso areas are very soft and matte. The areas of color are bright and active, but also very thin in terms of the paint film. There are no "raised" brush strokes. Most of the colors are more satin in finish. I might just give them a light coat of gloss. When you see the gloss against the matte from the side (which is how one will first see them if they are presented the way I envision...read more in the next paragraph), a slight glare makes the color appear to sink back from or into the surface. I'm beguiled by how heavy they seem at first, but how light they are in actuality. Ultimately, as they stand in this state, the lightness kind of "wins out." As I ponder these, I'm realizing that might be part of what I'm trying to say. But they are a challenge to my sensibilities in terms of how spare they seem. Maybe they only seem spare because I know how little I've done to get them to this point.
Gallery Siano in Philadelphia, where I am set to exhibit in November, is a vast space divided into several sections. It feels like almost 5 distinct areas, and is divided down the middle by exposed brick arches. The panorama below shows the front two galleries, but omits the brick arches that divides them in what would be the center of this image. The floor plan shows the other two spaces that are not visible in the photograph.
Installation view of Gallery Siano with the exhibition ORDER(ed), May 2006. From left, works by: Cheryl Goldsleger, Grace DeGennaro, Julie Gross, Marjorie Mikasen, W.C. Richardson, Laurie Fendrich, Joanne Mattera, Tremain Smith. Photo by Howard R. Barnhart. Used with permission.
Gallery Siano floorplan
My show will occupy area on the left half of the gallery, plus an area not visible in the photo. Count in to the sixth piece from the left (by Marjorie Mikasen). On the other side of that wall is the narrow, corridor-like gallery about 6 feet wide by 15-18 feet long that you can see on the floorplan. One enters that space and peers down to the other end. On first impression, it's not optimal. On the other hand, it's an opportunity to work to address it. I'm envisioning the "Black Keys" together in this narrow space. The work out front will likely be more varied, then you'll come around the corner and meet this group.
17.8.06 