Tempesta (2011) Sculpture par Sari Grove

Waldemar Januszczak, the British art critic, compared a perfectly round pearl to the Renaissance, & the more blobby natural uncultured pearl to the Baroque...
This is a painting which is closer to the Baroque...
Later in art history, a style was attempted which was to be a combination of mathematical abstracts seen in decoration & plein air painting from life...
This 20th Century style was similar to a re-look at the Baroque...What emerged from the hybrid plein air plus the geometrical calculations, was a work that made for a good poster...
Somewhat simplistic in its natural message due to the mathematical leanings...
So, yes, this painting, called Tempesta (The Storm), makes a good poster...
But it also represents another transitional bridge for this artist & others...
Shall I go further into mathematics as the German school did? Or shall I retreat backward into plein air natural painting alla prima, which is the style closest to my heart?
Or shall I continue the dance between the two, mathematical integrity & lush bowing to Nature?
Possibly the dance, as my temperament seems to ebb & flow...When full, I paint in plein air alla prima expressionist style...When lacking I lean towards the mathematical abstraction & purity of the non-likeness...Ebb & Flow perhaps...
But mainly, the swans in the storm can see the breaking of light towards a newer better time...(This speaks to the Mayan prediction in 2012 & the possibility of rebirth afterwards to a greener day...A message of hope not despair...)
My process involves selecting wood that is sustainable, which can change from year to year...I also will have different edge widths, to suit each work...My linen may also be different weights and textures, often Belgian but I look through fabrics and select...On the back I use a black steel carpet tack that I hammer in...But first when I stretch I use tree nails to temporarily hold the linen taut for a week, then go back when the fabric has gotten used to the pull-then I pull it tighter with my hands...On the sides I use copper tacks, also hand hammered in...They are very pretty to look at...Then at the back, when the work is done, I screw in Best metal corner tighteners, which lay on a diagonal at each corner, and can be adjusted depending on the weather humidity...I use a double screw hole hanger at both sides, and copper wire for look and non-rustability and strength...I prime using a clear non-rabbit skin glue primer and size in several coats...I finish my edges at the end with a coat of oil paint in a complimentary colour, often then coated with an eco-dammar mixed with a metallic oil specific powder for gleam...
So the work of art is the whole thing, not just the surface...It is a path choice, I agree...That is my path...Yours is yours...I just wanted to share so that others would not be biased towards the pre-stretched, when the process of stretching is just so darn fulfilling...Oh and I put a rubber cane protector on the end of my hammer to turn it into a mallet for when I bang the bars together...Each step is so satisfying, I heartily encourage those who have never done it or not done it for a while to go back and feel that process again...Especially women who may shy away from the physicality of the pulling...(I do have a linen grabber now, as the pulling is hard on your hands...) In terms of price, I am more comfortable with charging alot, as I know what went into each work...and I can justify those prices...Also, because of the muscle involved, when I moved into sculpture in 2010, my muscles were able...Sculpture is just so darn heavy...Btw, most pre-stretched stuff uses quite sustainable wood actually, basswood, so there is that point to be made for that choice...(cross bars were also added for support at back, as well as a Fine Art registry security tag which connects to the website & specifically to my account there, so provenance can be tracked & certificates of authenticity can be issued...)

Thèmes connexes

A Family Of Four SwansIn A StormWith A Hopeful ResolutionThe Storm Is Breaking...