Project AM 730 - Painting/ Material Experiment 1

Materiality plays a key role in this painting project that aims to reconstruct and deconstruct the space and place of the painting surface. In this experiment, I used a 120x120cm square of Belgian Linen, a traditional painting surface that was treated in the following way:

• Washed in a 'hot' cycle - outcome - a surface embodied with the history of the washing process  - heavily marked with creases and definite lines that were not part of its original material identity.
• Rabbit Skin Glue - Size applied - followed by Rabbit Skin Glue Gesso x2
• An imprimatura of Black Gesso was then applied
• Another coat of White Gesso was applied
• The surface was sanded back to reveal a series of random natural marks [black]

The rationale behind this material investigation is to allow the materiality of the linen surface to direct production and at the same time apply traditional methods and processes to prepare the surface. The idea is to maintain a material conversation with paintings past - this way I am thinking through the language and history of painting while experimenting with the surface preparation.