8th International Encautic Conference

I have been invited to attend the 8th International Encaustic Conference and Symposium in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in the States, after winning one of only 3 International spots to gain a scholarship. I think I can be justifiably stoked! The event happens in June 2014 and I have been awarded one of three international scholarships that cover the cost of the 3 days of talks and classes. I wanted to thank everyone involved in this event, particularly Cherie at Truro Art Center, who struggled through my accent and gave me all the info that I needed including what whales to see while I am there. I'll also be having a show at the same time in Provincetown, and then a show up in Toronto. Its going to be a busy month!

Ferris Plock painting artist

Ferris Plock is a San Francisco based artist and some of his work is lovely. I'm fairly certain that some people would claim that his entire oeuvre is marvellous and they'd be correct... except for his paintings of big eyed female figures. C'mon man, this is done already! You are wasting your talent.

Where you really get to see Plock's mastery at work is in his appropriations of various culture forms to create a unsettling and insightful new composite whole. Take as an example, the painting below, where a garishly clad demonic samurai totes an equally garish AK47, converse trainers and a Daffy Duck furry suit, haunted by Elmer Fudd's spooky disembodied and betoothed head. What we see here is firstly, something I really like. This is a tremendous painting and is especially bright considering it is painted on ply. Secondly, we have a painting that draws heavily on the last 20 years of LowBrow and Pop Surrealism, while anchoring itself equally comfortably in the medieval past.

The image's unsettling nature is that we are programmed to respond to cartoon characters in a certain way. Part of it is in our upbringing and part of it is to do with our mammalian instincts; the reason that all 'cute good guy' cartoon characters have such large eyes/space around the eyes (see Mickey Mouse) is that we are hardwired to resond to them as if they were babies. To paraphrase, we can forgive Daffy being a bit of a dick because he is cute. Demonic samurai, not so much. We recognise their beady malevolence and aggressive posturing, the red of the skin so much like blood. But then, doesn't he have elaborate threads. I mean, that is a lot of silk and he has kept them sparklingly clean. And then he has eschewed his sword or mace for an AK47, the workhorse of third world hell holes everywhere.

The point I am laboring to make is that this is not an easy painting to pigeonhole and in fact the demon Daffy has shot the pigeon anyway, like the hunter he is (Fudd tells us that). This lack of ease and the beautifully balanced and well rendered use of tone and medium means that Plock's painting and the rest of his similar paintings speak to a viewer who likes challenges, reads about history, likes snazzy (if challenging) fashion choices and is probably into D&D. Nothing is new under the sun, but Plock has created a dischordant synthesis of old and new and challenges the viewer with humour and age old grey areas of humanity.

Art Marketing Blog: Fair? Jealousy? Typical

Art Marketing Blog: Fair? Jealousy? Typical: One of the more irritating aspects of working in the visual arts in one particular divide I straddle.  My host institution (a fine art u...

It does annoy me when successful artists are criticised for either appropriation or for the act of being successful. In this article Banksy cred is called into question because of the above and because he has been absorbed by the mainstream art world. Is it jealousy that calls out against him? Banksy started as a street artist who innovated (some would say appropriated) the use of stencils in graffiti in his native Bristol. Nowadays he is a megastar of the art world and has works shown in galleries (gasp, shock, the horror!) as well on the streets. Banksy is criticised in the article for being able to fly around the world plying his grossly successful brand of graffiti and there are Banksy works 10 minutes walk from where I am right now. I'm not sure that Banksy is quite as alone in that as the "true" NY graffiti artists would have you believe. In and around Perth and its environs, we have at least 3 street pieces by French artist SPACE INVADER and I saw another in Melbourne a few years ago. Personally I have made or exhibited art in Oporto, London, Nottingham, Perth, Melbourne, New York, Trenton amongst other places, and I am definately not grossly successful. In reality, appropriation and its tangled skein of ethnic, gender and theological considerations and engendered politics is an unavoidable comfit that all artists must deal with at some point. I would ask that the NY based graffiti artists to grow up and start thinking outside of a "you have, me want" kind of attitude. You want to outdo Banksy? Don't bomb his pieces; go to Bristol and do a piece so outstanding and innovative that it melts Bristolian heads and makes them forget their errant son. Don't be a hater, be an innovator.

Preparing of Balga Resin for use in paintings

On the weekend I was painting a canvas, as I often do. Even after 14 years as a professional artist I am still experimenting and trying to build a better mousetrap; I imagine I'll still be doing that when I'm 90+!

One of the materials that I specialise in and am constantly exploring is balga resin, which is hardened sap from a grass tree (Xanthorrhoea preissii, aka X. pecoris or X.reflexa) indigenous to the south-west of Western Australia. Now if anyboday wants some to conduct their own research/experimentation/painting with this then I am happy to send you some if you cover postage (please check first with your government website to make sure this isn't a banned substance in your country).

I have been trying for years to find an appropriate way to break down the resin for use as a paint without wastage or too much loss of its natural consistancy and on the weekend I think had a eureka! moment after I sprayed workable fixative over the top of some powdered balga resin already adhered to my painting. I'm not sure if it is the alcohol that is acting as a solvent or some other ingredient, but I have now experimented with a variety of amounts and achieved quite a good control of consistancy and drying time (the alcohol evaporates leaving the resin to reharden to it's natural state).

The resin in it's natural state looks like fire blackened brown pebbles. These can be gently washed in plain water to remove surface sand and char before being left to dry. When dry, use a mortar and pestle to grind the resin into a powder that can be as coarse or fine as you like. Use a mask because the resin is somewhat carcinogenic.

Using workable fixative in a glass jar, you can add the powdered resin to the fixative until you get the consistency and colour that you require. The excess powder will gather at the bottom but if left overnight in a sealed jar this will mostly be dissolved.

I also found that the solution can be mixed with molotow buff proof ink although I suggest being sparing as the ink is powerful and goes a long way. The balga resin itself is a blend of browns, yellows and reds and looks approximately like wood stain but without streaks. You will be left with a shellac like liquid that can be painted directly onto your surface. Allow to be completely dry before adding more layers.

I will add more pictures as my experimentation develops and hopefully be of help to you all!

update 23rd Oct 2013:
I really stress the importance of getting the resin as clean as possible before you start. I found that a lot of sand had been lurking in my block of resin! Also when it comes to brush cleaning, the resin can be cleaned off using more fixative, or you can do what I did and leave the brush to dry after wiping off excess; the resin will not clog the brush and will slough off when you flex the bristles.

Matthew Ritchie: Chance and Skill

Matthew Ritchie is a very interesting polymath who came to the actual creation of art relatively late in life. This video is of a presentation he made at the University of Michigan and shows what drives, intrigues and informs Ritchie's work. I think anybody looking to see what the new black is or how to create a better ratrap should look at Ritchie, not for the easy answer but rather for how to look to what is being challenged, imagined and theorised right now in the world of high science and how that could inform high art.

Matthew Ritchie: Chance and Skill from UM Stamps School of Art & Design on Vimeo.