I aint gonna work on Maggies Farm no more.

Alright so this is happening- If you find yerself in Adelaide on the 9th of January, come to the Gallery on Waymouth and hang out with me and all my best friends and look at some art what I done! If you facebook, hit me up if we arent friends already and get a piece of the action... These two pictures are of my latest stencil on canvas- I think it measures about 40"x30" and is currently untitled...Many many layers and of course you will be able to see this one up close at the above mentioned exhibition which you definitely should come to...Not the best photos in the world but that is why you need to see it in the for real.

This is just to give an idea of how many layers are on this one...

no beginning, no end...

So now I've actually got around to writing this because school is done for the year...Yes, I will continue to go there until i am barred from the place-I still have plenty of work i can go on with until that time... Obviously the big news is finishing my paintings for Painting 8, they spoke to me the other Monday night and told me that they were done- Nina B. and I who was working late with me sat back and looked at them as you see them in the picture below and certainly I was amazed to see them all together. I presented them to lecturers and students on Wednesday morning and they seemed to be well received- one lecturer who had taught me in first and second year commented that with a lot of abstract painting you can often walk straight past and not be affected, however, she said that with my paintings, they demand your attention and pull you in to look closer. This is of course what I have been wanting to hear in regard to my work forever...

I guess I should also give a little background to these- the official title of them is The Three Jewels and left to right you have Sangha, Dharma and Buddha. Each time I have talked about these i have started with the disclaimer that it wasn't my intention to create religious paintings- more my response to the ideas presented. The Three Jewels is the name given to the three central ideas considered as the foundation of Buddhism. The first, Sangha, is the name for the community that one enters by becoming Buddhist, the second, Dharma is the teaching that one lives their life by when becoming Buddhist and thirdly, the Buddha, which is more about the idea of the Buddha nature or the potential of anyone to reach enlightenment and to become a Buddha. I originally started studying these ideas because in my previous works, i had explored the idea of desire being the root cause of all suffering, therefore if you eliminate desire, you eliminate suffering. This was all well and good but I still had a lot of questions and so, went looking for answers. To a degree, the paintings are my answers and are my responses to these ideas.

I spent alot of time getting caught up in Buddhist ideas- form is emptiness, emptiness is form and also looking at artists like Barnett Newman's Stations of the Cross, Mark Rothko's so called Seagram Murals- as well as Ian Fairweather- particularily The Drunken Buddha paintings, which to be honest, inspired alot of the technique...Brett Whiteley just because his attitude and approach I relate to so very much- There ius a documentary from the late eighties called Difficult Pleasures, which is basically an hour and a bit of Whiteley discussing the majority of his works to camera... I also managed to find time to go to Sydney for the Australian stencil art prize- My painting Atlas II was included in the finalists but unfortunately didn't win- this year...so next year when they have the World Stencil Art Prize, I'll have to bust out some new, next level stuff to get my name on that trophy...

me and my painting at the Chrissie Cotter Gallery in Camperdown, Sydney...

Spray Booth Hi JInks

Alright so I've been sort of making tuesday stencil day, just trying to get as much work done as I can, before we get booted out...I have a show coming up on the 9th of January at The Gallery on Waymouth- Im pretty sure it will start around 6pm but more about that when the invites go out...So i been doing stencil work, especially because my paint supplier just got a couple colours that have been out of stock for a long while- there was a particular green that I really liked using as a kind of starting point for a lot of paintings...so here are some pics of the work i been doing- started mixing up the colours with the circular one- I like the play of blue and orange, it seems to really suit this stencil- I always liked the combination of colours

The way I originally started with colours was just to get several shades of the same colour and go at it...Recently i been cutting some stencils- used on this piece with several different greens...

here i am hard at work

Ok so soon I will have new photos of the big ones, I'm doing for my painting class, which are almost finished...hoping that will be mid week, but probably not with the Grad show on wednesday the seventh of November in the light square gallery in of course light square, downstairs in the AC arts building if you are in Adelaide on that evening...And if you are in Sydney on the 21st of November you should come to the Australian Stencil Art Prize Launch and shindig at Chrissie Cotter Gallery in Camperdown and see my painting Atlas II which is one of the finalists this year...so swing by and say hello....

The danger illustrated...

I gotta say that, actually, there isn't much illustrating going on right now...and there should be...Ive got work due for my drawing for illustration and Im struggling to work it out- but no matter, i'll get it done, just can't say when or how... So...did a bit of work this week, despite the fact that i dont really feel like i spent much time in the studio this week...I painted some stencils, with mixed results so far...

This was just kind of a self portrait kind of thing- this is a picture of how the wall in my painting studio looks...

Then on Friday, I had a good day in the studio

I feel pretty happy with how these are going- Theyre getting close to being finished- some more so than others, but they should all be done on time...but for now i gotta get back to that drawing...

here are some more updated shots of two of my big paintings and the third is a new one i startedjuat because i didnt have enough to do already...

So here I am, first week back and i have just locked into a groove that started in the few days I got in the studio in the holidays and then I just jumped straight in...I managed to be at school painting at least 3 days this week and I've done a fair amount of work as you can see by these up to the minute pictures from today-

Obviously more to come, I reckon I'll be just about posting new stuff weekly from here on out,,,

So here is the difficult third painting- well a little less difficult now but just getting started on this one was rough...a work in progress naturally, the last layer took such a long time and though I was working with spontenaity, I was being very precise with the application and I felt completely exhausted after what had been some three days of constant painting...For me though, I like where its going and the painting has this feeling of strength...The design has become more geometrical but I think I've managed to keep the energy within the confines of the canvas. especially when I think of those two reds together- really messing with your vision... this painting is also a bit of fanboy tribute to Barnett Newman, the person who helped me plenty with this...

Also, I got selected as a finalist for the Australian Stencil Art Prize for my painting, Atlas II...pictured here...very stoked and looking forward to seeing all the entries at the exhibition!

station to station...

Alright- so i been busy in the studio, working on the three new paintings...I finally started the third of my paintings yesterday, concentrating on a faily taut line and just pushing the lines outwards...

when i came back in today, it was dry so I was initially tempted to leave the red as it was and start adding the next colour...in the end I decided to continue with the red and stick with my original idea...This took me a good chunk of today to finish the layer...

Next was the second painting,which was at this stage when I started today...

so i turned it upside down and then put another coat on

this is a picture of all of them together- not in any particular order- in this particular instance I was painting the front one and I looked around the edge to see the other two, paitiently waiting their turn....

same three paintings, but this time so you can see most of them, save for a couple of chairs...

this is me, goofing with paint on my head...dont try this at home, kids!

obviously more progress photos as they come to hand....stay tuned!

the smash of glass and the rumble of boots...

So Im well and truly bunkered down in the studio, producing new work for my painting studio, the late nights have begun again as we slide towards the end of term and holiday madness...More on my new paintings in a second...First I wanna show you a new stencil work I did for the Australian Stencil Art Prize- now if you know my other work or have read previous posts on my blog, I did an oil painting on the whole atlas thing and the painting I ended up doing for the stencil prize became Atlas II... The original idea about atlas was that sometimes being an abstract painter was a blessing and a curse- when it felt like a curse, I got to feeling atlas-like, that abstract painting was my burden to bear, especially when you get asked every five seconds to justify your work...anyway with stencils I feel that I can get away with abstraction a little more just for the fact that it is aesthetically pleasing...so the Atlas I did for the stencil prize has a lightness to it- I quite enjoyed making it and it's nice to paint like this on canvas. So anyway, if it doesnt get selected as a finalist, chances are that it will be for sale if anyone is interested...

As i mentioned earlier, I've started a new set of paintings- They are based on some of the research I have been doing into Buddhism. I started with just a general curiosity and it went from there. I came across the idea of the "Three Jewels" that are the foundation of Buddism...The Sangha which translates to the Buddhist community that you become a part of, The Dharma or the Teachings and the Buddha- this refers to the Buddha but also the potential Buddha nature that exists within all of us...I want to make it clear that I am not all of sudden pushing a religion or have experienced an instant conversion, but I am reading a considerable amount and what I have read makes alot of sense. This is the first painting of the three and I have posted earlier photos of it in previous posts, but now it has really started to take on a life of its own...This is titled "Sangha" and is representative of the idea of the Buddhist community, in part. This series of paintings are quite big, they measure approx 60"x48" and the style of painting really works in this size format.

Obviously this is just the first of the three- I have started the next one, "Dharma" but I'll post pics next time as that one is just starting to get going...I'll post more pics of this one as I do more on it...

down by law...

well now, i finally managed to get my act together to actually write something for the first time in forever...alot has been happening as far as the art is concerned...Last post I talked about the Hill-Smith exhibition- that went off splendidly, with much mingling and social interactions...I think the exhibition is on until the 26th of August so if you happen to be somewhere near Pirie street, drop in and check out the work upstairs...Not only mine but also my fellow students outstanding work...So the painting I put in was a piece I started when I was working on my big painting from first semester, just originally as a tester, but then it developed well beyond that...

I spent a long time looking at it and working on it and eventually I decided to call it Atlas, based on the Greek mythological character who was banished by Zeus as punishement for siding with the Titans against the Olympians, to hold up the sky at the edge of the earth...sometimes i feel as though I bear the burden of being an abstract painter- when you create work that is abstract and has no recognizable points of reference, it can be hard for people to understand what you do...but still I push on and eventually, i think people will start to get my work... Just today I have started the first of my three new works, all sized 60" (152cm)x 48" (122cm)so it's good to be working on a large format again...These are for my painting 8 class and are looking at ideas of inter connectivity, the nature of humans, life, death and a few more light hearted subjects...this is the beginning of the first picture, obviously I'll post more pics as the works develop...

The great leap forward...

So on Friday nightI have a painting in a group show with a fine posse of fellow third year students...its at the Hill-Smith Gallery, level one, 113 pirie street at 5.30pm- some of you have probably already seen my painting...in fact I think i have posted photos of it on here in various stages of completion...I'll post more pics after the opening... One big bit of news is that I've booked the date for what will be my first solo show! It will opening on the 8 of January 2013 on the middle level main gallery at The Gallery on Waymouth in Waymouth street- When I know more of the details, I'll post them, however, what i did want to post was my new paintings in progress- some of which may well end up in the show...

These are all derived from work i began last semester whilst working on the big painting- i wanted to expand on some of the things i that I had looked at...The top picture is a painting I started on 4 pieces of oil sketch, stuck together, pushing the shapes of my earlier paintings to a more angular conclusion...below that is the first two stages of a new painting, started during the holidays...below that is more from the holidays, firstly the red/blue layering experiment on paper and at the bottom, is one i have definitely posted pics of before, but now it's pretty much finished...all clear sign posts as to where my painting is going...so keep checking back -or subscribe- for updates...More photos of new work soon!

over and over and over-like a monkey with a minature cymbal....

I might have put an earlier pic of one of these stencils on here but heres my two new ones basically finished... I'm on holidays at the moment, so i should have the chance to do lots of new paintings as well as get ready for the next semester...

one door closes, another opens...

So since I last posted I have finished the big picture- of course the reason why I havent put anything on here was due to the fact that I have been in the studio til 9 most nights...and when I wasn't in the studio, I was at home doing an art history tutorial or a collaborations report...all manner of distractions to the really important stuff- ie the big picture. So i finally put the finishing touches on this one, it was good putting the last bits of crimson on and seeing that it was finished...I realized that i had balanced the picture, which is such a fine line with an abstract picture...when you look at it now, it looks, i guess, weightless in a way...it seems to just hang in the air- suspended... I think this one came up nice-I had been champing at the bit to have a crack at doing abstraction on a larger scale and I loved the opportunity to work on a surface that allowed me to paint as I wanted to...gave me the space i needed...i presented my work and that all seemed to go well, especially having a teacher who taught me painting in first year giving me positive feedback... The following three were test peices for techniques and stuff that i then tried out on the big picture...however i wanted each one to be a piece in its own right...overall I think i managed that- These paintings were quite diverse in many areas- with two of them I wanted to pare the colour down- apart from a small amount of ochre yellow on one of them the only colours i used were Payne's grey, Unbleached titanium and white. I wanted to get away from all the colour on the big picture to just see how things looked...both of these feature ideas of geometry, but i like to describe it as wonky geometry-so it kind of looks straight but then you realize none of the lines are... Then theres the Red painting, which started out life as fairly ordinary blue and white abstract was never the same after the lecturer suggested that i should cover it with red paint, and i did and the painting was transformed...That alizarin crimson paint is so great for doing these glazes and especially when it was combined with the french ultra marine blue and the pthalo blue, it almost went black... Once again, big ups to all you cats who helped me with this painting- especially those endurance atheletes who went the distance to 9pm time and time again, you guys know who you are...

same as it ever was...

I am in pain after yet another long, late night stint in the painting studio...we are really pushing to get our work finished and of course this requires dedication and perseverance...we got what it takes however and there is a group of us who can be found at any given time of the day or night, chained to the easel, paintbrush in hand. Without being overly dramatic, of course...

As you can see, there has been quite a few changes on the big one- I'll update the previous blog post which has the progressive photos of this painting- but you may have noticed but I have actually rearranged the order of the panels by swapping the ends- the middle remains the same, but it has brought a very different dynamic...I discussed this idea with my lecturer and after doing it, we both agreed that it gave quite a different visual experience...I think also now with the addition of more yellow, white and blue, the painting really seems to be gelling together. I get the feeling that I'm on the right track with this one and that I may just pull it off yet. My lengthy discussions with my fellow students, in particular John the Generalist, who has been an indispensible help with giving me another informed perspective, have helped greatly toward getting this beast in the bag...

I havent posted pics of this one in a while, i guess because I havent done much on it recently but in the last week I have felt the need to lay down more paint...this is one that I'll continue to overlap layers on to build it up...I like how it's going and it staying true to my original sketches I made when I was in the plane on the way to sydney... Thats it for right now, not sure when I'll post again due to having eight million things to do for school but I'll certainly post new developments as they happen...