Work in Progress

I went to Jane Lee solo exhibit at www.osagegallery.com

I really like her works , the noodle-like ones and the ones that mimic cloth material , including folds. Something that I would like to do but somehow house paint does is not able to retain its shape.

Recently , I have been exploring gel mediums , modeling paste , plaster strips. The latex I ordered should be coming in next month.
I am using pallette knife this time , have not master it yet.

I feel that I am walking on a tight rope , I still want to consider the process as "painting" meaning using brush strokes and not " sculpturing " , so the pallette knifes I am using it for filling process, or positive lineworks and brushes I still use for negative lineworks. I would not want to use the knife to carve.

I have already abandon the idea of using plaster strips because after trying it out , which involves cuting and pasting by adding water , even though it stack up height and create folds , the whole process is like "making" or more like craft work.

The new material whatever it is, should be able to retain its shape and height and not coagulate to form a blob it should be fulid and does not resist the brush.

I have not even begin complaining about color . Painting is becoming a problem to me.

I think the problem is in my head even when I sleep . I have a dream one day that I was on a high ground , a rice terrace in China , there is a group of chinese children crowding around a gentleman who is painting . I went to them , and I realise that the painter is the actor Jet Lee , he was painting the micky mouse with bendy legs , he use a fat pen knife like tool to extrude paint , he was explaining to me how to do it. He even show me the special mixed paint from china. After extruding the paint he quickly chop and dice it with his knife like a chef, in a second it was done . Easy. The childen wanted the micky mouse with bendy legs painting. Jet Lee did not sign on it , I know it was worthless , I am not eager . The scenery was beautiful relaxed open space , I took a deep breath to sample the air , it is natural and fresh.

I went to look for mediums that was made in china that day , but the medium is cheap but diluted , I cannot work with it , so much for dream interpretation.

Hopefully this year or next I would have one or more paintings that is a reponse both to Jane Lee's works and to chinese calligraphy.

Adrian :)

P. S. You can view my past works that I have exhibited at http://www.chongleechiang.blogspot.com