Just about finished with this Rue Jefferson II. Prepared to dive headfirst into this smaller 24″ x 24″ painting. It took me some time to draw it out until it pleased me- and that is clearly evident by the many erasures. No matter as that will all be covered as I detail it in with oils. I envision it as a dark painting. “It’s a dark subject,” an acquaintance expressed when I mentioned my plans. I agree with the assessment to a degree, perhaps. The visuals of it may appear dark to one unfamiliar with the traditions but I was referring to the tonality of the painting. I know it as more sensory, pleasurable, hedonistic and fun. A rural revelry. Nevertheless, I am always surprised at the way my initial vision evolves as I paint. Once done, the work is never as planned. Sometimes it is as if an unseen force guides my choices down to the brushstroke and I am as amused as anyone by the results.
I was fortunate recently to see the documentary Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski. A great sculptor with an interesting, unusual and tragic history. I first encountered this artist in an issue of Juxtapoz magazine back in the mid 2000’s. It had a great sculpture of his on the cover- a horned beast or some other figure in turmoil, as I recall. It caught my eye at a glance and I purchased the magazine. This was a month or two after Hurricane Katrina. I remember this time well as it was while displaced from the disaster that I began to paint again in earnest. The documentary is worth a view if sculpture is of interest. Ultimately, he was a bit of a loon but what a talent to reckon with. The fine artist Robert Williams is interviewed at length, among others. Incidentally, I stopped following that art mag shortly thereafter as I feared the work within was having too much of an impact on my own work. That is most certainly true in several of my early paintings.