Following 'Creative but Can't Escape', this painting develops the concept of working without outlines...basically there aren't very many at all except in the papers that are under the foot-shaped lamp in the middle, and a few others here and there. The subject matter of the painting is very organic, abstract twisting hands and feet, multiple skylines, strange plants populate the landscape. Yet all the elements are connected...that concept, of connecting elements, is inspired by Inuit art that I saw when my family took some trips around Ontario... Norval Morrisseau was one of the most famous ones.
Still based on notebook doodles, in 'The paper |chase' I established the elements using flat washes instead of starting with a painted outline. I had to control the washes very carefully to avoid overlaps... where two washes touch they either create a blur (if they are both wet), a backwash (if one is wet and the other is half dry), or a dark line, if one is totally dry. The dark lines create the impression of an outline even though I did not put one. In some cases I left these dark lines to create definition, in other cases I erased them using a moist brush (not my good ones). By not using outlines, I found that I concentrated more on the quality of the washes, because that is all I had to define the shapes. It also took a lit longer than normal... but it also helped keep up my inspiration since each element was almost immediately established as opposed to making outlines where you have to finish the drawings in steps.
22x30" cold press 2012
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