Winterhawk Studio

Here is the look in my studio yesterday. I needed to pull out a large canvas from the back of the stacks so I spread them out in the available space and on the floor.

There is a span here of paintings from the 1980's to last month. My cell phone was set on panorama mode and stitched these individual stills into a wide view automatically in the camera phone.

Plasma is stretched after 30 years

I have nearly completed the relining and stretching of my painting, Plasma. This is the first look at how it appears, properly mounted after it was begun 30 years ago.

Stretching And Relining a Canvas

Since the painting, Plasma, was done on an unstretched cotton canvas I needed a method to display the entire piece without hiding the edges.

A stretched canvas usually has its edges wrapped around the wood stretcher bar and tacked in place. This should be done with a fresh canvas before the painting. That wouldn't work for me in this case. The technique used to restore old paintings by remounting them is called relining. The original canvas is removed from its stretcher frame and glued to a new backing, usually linen. I've seen this demonstrated at the restoration workshop of the Germanisches National Museum in Nurnberg, Germany when I was an art student volunteer. Its done on a vacuum table with archival, reversible glue. Museum quality restoration must use materials which can be removed without damaging the art should newer techniques become available to future restorers. These photos illustrate how I pasted strips of linen to the edges of my canvas from the back using rabbit skin glue.

This adds several inches of fabric with which to pull the painting using stretcher plyers around the edges of the stretcher. It is then stapled starting from the center of each side incrementally working towards the corners.

I did quite a bit of research and sought advice to choose the best method and to find a source for quality stretchers and braces. I haven't purchased stretcher bars in a long time. I have been using pre-stretched gallery wrapped canvas. I found that wood of the right type and dimensions are rare and expensive. Decades ago in Georgia I cut my own stretchers from local poplar and basswood . The miter joint used in this craft is unique and complex. It must be expandable after assembly to account for changing humidity and its effect on the canvas tension. I never found the correct name for the joint on any woodworking site, nor any instructions on making your own. I would just copy a commercially made example from an art supplier and scale it up to my materials. The closest name for this joint I found was a mortise and tenon miter. But that omits the subtle detail added to make it expandable using a small wooden wedge called a key. You may find this in photos of painters studios that include paintings turned to the wall exposing the back.
Making my own stretchers using this joint wasn't feasible for me since the 72 in. length of each of the four sides was beyond my machinery. So I finally chose a 72 in. stretcher kit from Utrecht Art Supplies
The package came damaged in shipping but their customer service was excellent. They sent a second package immediately and provided return shipping labels.

Reworking a Spiral

I chose another painting from the 1980's to revise, continuing the process after a long pause. This time it was quite a strong image. Over time an original image can be perceived differently. Difficult to describe, I became dissatisfied with it. There was no reason to accept it just because I once considered it finished. Not anymore!

I've got new colors and used another approach to mixing and overpainting. That previous painting, "It Is What It Is", was satisfying, especially in how the lettering gave me a new element to play with in the color field. The shapes could appear in layers moving forward and back as the eye roamed the picture. I could cover up a form yet it has a strength of its own resisting my masking. The new layer may be transparent enough to reveal what once was.

This time I am working from top to bottom.  I don't know why. I usually don't. Its interesting to alter my habitual approach. There is still more to do here. I need a way to push back on the past image and morph to something fresh.

It Is What It Is

This painting began its life long ago at my Neely Farm Studio in Norcross, Georgia around 1984. Its been rolled up, never stretched or mounted, moved about and stored for decades.  I only worked on it for a short time, waving my airbrush around freely with only two or three colors.

Well, I picked up where I left off. This time I thought to add text. I've been wanting to try this for a while. And what words and letters would I include? 

There are some things Americans say that annoy me. I won't explain it. See for  yourself.

"Whatever"
2014
48" x 54"
acrylic on canvas

Detail 16" x 20"

The same detail as above
How it looked in 1984

This is a Winterhawk Studio view in progress as I photograph the canvas tacked to the wall.

Looking At Plasma

After months of pause-and-go work on this painting I am coming near the end. I've had plenty of time to think up a title. It marks an end and beginning of seeing, my "post-cataract" period.

There has been an engaging kind of conflict finding forms that had an association to a real object and could be labeled. Should I continue to morph them and see what else they could become? Should I paint them more like what my mind labels them as? Should I paint them away as too obvious?

What I would like most is to design an original form and paint it in such a way that it is perceived as interesting, subtle and as complex as reality yet clearly artificial, but not stylized.

"Plasma" 2014
72 in. x 72 in.
acrylic on canvas

Dali in Atlanta

Here's Ken outside the High Museum in Atlanta along Peachtree Street.

The High Museum is featuring an exhibit of Salvador Dali's paintings. My friend Ken and I took in the show recently. I brought with me a certain disdain for Dali as a self promoter.  I was quickly impressed by the man's skill, intellect and hard work. He was clearly a master whose paintings challenge your visual perception with their scale, detail and bizarre subjects. Ken's son, Will, put it most simply, "weird!".

There were two documentary films featured in the exhibit which I had not seen before.  I listened to him narrate a "happening" which featured a pig sty and female model while he directed a small crew in a TV studio. It gave me a better understanding of his thinking and the term, "Dada".  He had a wonderful accent speaking English. If you follow along you hear him rattle off directions and nonsense that becomes a kind of "blah, blah, blah". That is until you pick up a few more words.  He brings you back to a sudden understanding of his idea. He entices you in, lulls you with run-on sentences, then snaps you back to attention. He was very amusing.

There is also a scene or photo I recall where he kissed Andy Warhol. This section of the exhibit labeled him a favorite of the "jet set". I came out of it with a genuine admiration and affection for the man and his art.

Returning home to St. Augustine I found a postcard on my office wall with a Dali painting. I had forgotten it was there. Its not featured in the exhibit. I have it because of the bicycles.

Mouse on Wheels

It's been some time since I posted anything new. During the past six weeks I've had numerous starts on various ideas. I tried working from new drawings, old drawings, photos and directly, without an idea or drawing. Yes, there are times when I don't have a new idea. I just keep trying to make an original picture anyway.
This most recent picture is based on a pencil drawing. I liked the sketch and challenged myself to evolve it into a painting. This one was hard for me. I used no color references or samples. I just followed my whim, so you could call it "whimsical". I had to call it something. Of course, it's not a picture of a mouse but it does have something like wheels. Just last night the image of an item found in Tutankhamun's tomb came to me. It has a similar form to this picture. Can you tell which piece it might be?
There is also a major feature in this painting that I will not reveal until some sharp viewer can guess that also.

All images are copyright Michael Velkovich and my not be reproduced without permission of the artist.

Denver Art

I recently returned from Colorado where I had several excellent visual experiences. My brother, Peter, and my nephew, Mark, guided me to some wonderful art and an interesting film. We saw, "Exit Through the Gift Shop". It's a documentary about street art and much more than that. It features some well known types like Banksy and Fairie but the main character is a guy with an obsession. He video tapes his life yet never looks at his tapes. There is a message to this flick and it has to do with the contemporary art market. Wait until the end and you will get it. I enjoyed it especially because I shared it with Mark, a young designer, who just earned his college degree. It was showing at the Mayan Theater on Broadway. This is a great little venue for indie films with interesting decor inside. I recommend seeing them both. As for street art, I enjoyed the early graffiti found in New York City during the 70's more than what is featured in this film. Some of that graffiti could be quite painterly without being pretentious. There is some excellent street art around the world today but I just don't remember seeing much of it in this film.

Denver has made a major commitment to contemporary art, especially outdoor monumental sculpture. To see two of my favorites go to the Denver At Museum and the Hamilton Building designed by Daniel Libeskind. Outside in Martin Plaza you will find "Big Sweep" by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, then look up across the street. You will see "The Shootout" by Red Grooms. The Hamilton Building is striking from the street and can be quite disorienting inside. It must be a tremendous challenge for the museum staff to mount pictures. My favorite sculpture inside is "Floating Man" by Anthony Gormley.

Le Bicycliste

"Le Bicycliste"

Although this picture is not originally about cycling, the form is clearly there. This recent version is derived from an earlier colored drawing dated September 1981. It's a great pleasure to be able to pick up my older ideas or projects and develop them further. Although there are elements from the past work in this newer version of "Le Bicycliste" their proportions are changed. Much of the texture and color remains. I've included some additional drawings from my sketch books done in the 1970's.

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I still have my French-made Motobecane ten-speed bike that I bought at the PX in Germany in 1977. I've been around Europe and the U.S. with it. There are a lot of great memories of places and rides with that bike. It was my main set of wheels until a few years ago when I upgraded. I still maintain it ready to go. Bicycling is a favorite sport I can still participate in for recreation and I enjoy visiting places that accommodate cyclists. There's much more support in the U.S. for cycling since I returned to the U.S. in 1980. I often see riders around the St. Augustine area and my neighborhood is great for bicycling.

All images are copyright Michael Velkovich and my not be reproduced without permission of the artist.

Arch Duo

This digital painting is based on an original ink wash drawing on paper. The imagery is entirely imaginary.

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I offer a representation of the final picture and a video animation from drawing to finished image in 2 minutes. Loading times may vary!

All images are copyright Michael Velkovich and my not be reproduced without permission of the artist.