I got sucked into some reading and thinking that led me to some works of Joan Mitchell that have really gotten under my skin. I started exploring the 550+ compiled works on the Joan Mitchell Foundation website – what a treasure trove it is! I wish I could include some specific images here, but I don’t want to infringe on anyone’s copyright, so I’ll include some direct links here:
City Landscape, 1955
Liens colorés, 1956
The Green Book of Barbara Guest, 1960
Girolata Triptych, 1963
Untitled, 1964
Vétheuil, 1968
Untitled, 1969
Weeds, 1976
La Vie en Rose, 1979
Edrita Fried, 1981
Faded Air, 1985
Untitled, 1992
What has struck me most is the energy and tension in Mitchell’s post 1960’s paintings. Similarly to the early impressionists, her canvases vibrate with colour, and her energetic brushstrokes enliven these paintings that evoke landscapes. Without obviously defined subjects, I am left with a sense of the tensions of the painter, perhaps, in relation to the landscape.
For me, what I want to take from Mitchell is the sense of freedom with which she makes her paintings. That isn’t to say she lacks intention or is chaotic, it seems to me that she connected to, and yet, unencumbered by constraints – whether her own physicality or circumstances.
In my own painting practice, I find that I need a foundation on which I can build my expression. To me, the big picture brushstrokes aren’t as exciting without the detailed nuances that come with the meticulous understanding of any given subject. Nor are the accurate representations of a subject without the gestural, expressionistic of the painter’s touch. I want each of my canvases to hold at least part of this spectrum of understanding.
These thoughts being me back to consider a series, The Conversation, 2020, that I’ve meaning to get back to. The earlier versions incorporated a paintbrush attached to a long stick that meant I was unable to be accurate or precious, and left scratchy, expressive strokes that are remind me of some sketches done entirely with my non-dominant hand.
Oil on wood board, 30x30cms.
Oil on wood board, 30x30cms.
I remember I was trying to find a way to paint how conversations might look. At the time, I was in the UK in the midst of some fairly hefty conversations about Brexit, and I wanted to make visual representations of how a conversation looks from the outside. These first studies weren’t quite working, but I’ve wanted to get back to the techniques I was experimenting with during this time.
The Conversation: Study I, 2020 and The Conversation: Study II, 2020 are both available for sale on my website and can be viewed at Atelier do Tijolo.