09-24-2015

09-24-2015 is the title of the newest painting of mine. The second using Fluorescent paint for the chassis. This painting measuring 66 X 41.5 Inches is what has become one of my favorite sizes of paintings. It's right between Institutional size and residential size. Just easy enough to move around on my own but also being just bigger than a regular human. Giving one the sense of calling it "Human Sized" and being correct. Fluorescent Red chassis really makes the whole painting vibrate, playing off the white of the yarn and the play of white over yellow acrylic paint. So much to look at visually, the variations of play upon the eye are almost literally endless. There are so many viewpoints to take into account when viewing a painting like this. I even lay on the floor and look from as far down as I can get, compounded with Dirk Serries Microphonics music, the sensation is just one of visual bliss to me. This is the first painting I have completed since June and I must say Thank You to all that helped keep me going in this time. Here's to looking forward to the future. All my best to you!

And for a little bit of Dirks music...

Stephen Maine @ Hionas Gallery

I was granted the opportunity to visit the season openers for the NY art world last week. In my personal opinion Stephen Maine at Hionas was THE exhibition to see. The sublime is still around and Maine is clearly finding it in these paintings. Unfortunately I am late on my writing about this wonderful exhibition as it is coming down very very soon. If I were living in the NYC area, I would have been down to see these paintings at least once a week. Truly a painter who deserves a lot more attention, and hopefully this exhibition is going to do just that. Seeing the two large format paintings in the front room, last few pics in this group, you are really taken in by them. They really push themselves onto you the viewer. Almost all large format paintings have some sense of power to them, but not all of them give off the sensation of desiring to jump into them.

Check it out here. The photos can be clicked and enlarged.

The two paintings in the front room, below. I am looking forward to seeing how Maine pushes his future paintings and how the extra space opens them up to all kinds of possibilities. This exhibition deserves to be witnessed in person.

Cheers.

Jeffrey

A Dialog on Painting with Michael Bravo

It was about two weeks ago with a friend, Linguist Michael Bravo came to visit. We got to talking about my work and what you are about to experience is the culmination of that day, along with many views into my work you may not have seen before. This is in some ways, the only way I can reach out to those who have not yet seen my paintings in person, and to give them some of the views of my work that I get to enjoy everyday. There are so many wonderful views in these paintings and this is my only way of sharing them with you. Until we can get you to see them in person.




Enjoy. BTW, the audio was recorded with a Zoom H4n which is kind of binural so you'll hear me more in one side of your speakers and Michael in the other side. It's quite the amazing device for recording. It's what i've used in my interviews since day one.

JEFFREY COLLINS: PAINTER

 

Diary for July 3rd.

I've been working for over a year now on this method of using acrylic yarn as my substrate to paint upon. And the more I work on these, the more I love working on them. So many opportunities to try new things, and I just keep learning and finding out about more methods to use to create with. 

Here's the newest chassis I am working on. Yes that is Fluorescent red paint for the chassis. I got the idea from a good friend who was wondering what my work would look like if I used some day-glo colors. Another friend told me to be careful of using day-glo's as they become addictive quickly. I can see why. They just vibrate in your mind.

This painting is 66 X 41.5 Inches and when finished will have a white texture upon it. I should have it done in a week or so. But with the holiday, it always ends up pushing things back a day or three. 

Just thought I'd let you know what is going on in my world. Hope things are going well in yours.

I thought today about beginning a website specifically for my writing about exhibitions, but that idea didn't last long. I don't want them to be separate from me, and I feel this page here is a direct reflection of myself. I love talking about painting, and I hope you enjoy reading about what I am seeing. I hope to be heading to NYC this month for another round, but we'll see how that goes. If not in July, than August will be kind of a bust too because almost all the galleries are shut down in August for vacation. There are a few choice exhibitions I would like to see that are up right now. The one that sticks in my mind the most right now is of De Wain Valentine at David Zwirner. I'd also like to go take another look at the Peter Reginato show I saw last time I was in town. We'll see what the future holds. :D Thinking positive!

Cheers.

Chris Succo at Journal Gallery Brooklyn NY

Of the few exhibitions I witnessed while in NYC for this visit. I knew that two of them were high on my desirable list. One was Chris Succo at The Journal Gallery in Williamsburg. Photos all with my iPhone 4, which doesn't have the best white balance.

I first learned of Succo's work from an online article about him and his work. To see someone who seemed so obsessed with white paint was quite interesting to me in this age. So much so that he even has his own custom white made for him.

These paintings are a group of 7 large paintings in the front room and a suite of small paintings in the back room. The hanging of this exhibition was very well planned and executed in my eyes. Thankfully the light was able to diffuse in such a way by being so close to the ceiling that it made it feel like it was almost all lit by natural light. The people behind The Journal Gallery really have shows their passion for making one of the best spaces for viewing art in Brooklyn.

The main painting in the back wall of the main viewing room is quite the showpiece for the exhibition. Filled like the other landscape painting in the show with his famous signature in black aerosol paint. But then counterpointed with a glazing of white over top, done in a manner very similar, if not exactly similar to that of Gerhard Richter. Who is known to him for doing this technique. My knowledge of art history tells me it was done many years before by David Diao and Jack Whitten, but both of those painters did the technique in their own way. Which is what Succo accomplishes here, his own riff on the squeegee method.

Remember you can click on the images and see it's larger size.

The more portrait oriented paintings were filled with mystery. A mystery that discussed to me, Succo's love for painting, and his love of history. Which I saw in the catalog for the exhibition. The man has got one heck of a library in his studio. Enough to make any artist jealous. As my eyes danced over the calm but once violent surfaces, I began to notice the way Succo signs his work. Remember, this was my first time witnessing the work in person. My mind immediately went to another of my favorite painters...Robert Ryman. A painter who signed almost all his work in such a way, that if you looked hard enough you could always find his signature. Succo's work was in that same manner in these works. I even caught myself taking pics of all the signatures I could find from one painting in the images below...found 6.

I began counting Succo's signature within the painting below. Counted 6 signatures.

Playing with surfaces is always something that is of interest to me in painting and these paintings kept me interested for quite the period of time. I usually don't spend that much time in a gallery but this day was definitely different for me.

Usually in my viewing of paintings, when it comes to large work such as this, I usually see the painting accompanied by a thicker stretcher, this was definitely not the case in these paintings. I loved how thin the stretchers were and how it allowed the work to sink into the walls, almost giving it a fresco effect.

In the back room are a series of 12 paintings which I would refer to as "For the love of pleasure in painting". Very happy work that asks you to dare him to not have fun while painting. I can imagine these bringing their new adoptees much pleasure in their lives. Within these works you can clearly, and sometimes not so clearly, see his signature strokes. Which definitely set him apart from others who make this type of "reckless abandon" painting. Each work is also cleverly dated IN the painting. Lush surfaces and even more lush colorings tell me that if you spend some time in this room, it'll bring you out of your funk.

The exhibition DRIVE will be on view until the 21st of June. So if you have been tempted by my talk, head on down and swim in it for yourself.

Diary Entry 04-26-2015

I do believe today is a very active day for me. I learned that working on a number of paintings at the same time is more fulfilling than one at a time. Granted right now I don't have the materials to finish all these paintings, but I can sure work on them and get them all ready for the finishing touches....meaning the application of the texture medium. The last two days I spent gluing up two small chassis of 22X16 Inches or 55.88 X 40.64 CM for my rest of the world friends. It's always a joy to be able to create a painting almost from the ground up. Notice I said almost, I know I can't go out there and grow the tree, cut it down, and mill it up. But it sure feels good to know you built this thing with your own hands. Now they are ready for paint and I've been in the studio painting them white, getting them ready for whatever pigments they might call for.

I've also been working on my second fluorescent painted chassis, the first was orange, this next one is red. They sure do and will make for one heck of a contrast to what they will be paired with. The iphone I have doesn't do well for they types of colors, so bear with me.

The painting is not a landscape format as it is shown here, I prefer doing portrait format paintings. It's such a wonderful feeling to make new paintings, to create what one has never seen before, it's fun.

I've also decided to do my first all silver'ish painting. I've had this silvery gray yarn for a while now and been toying around on how to use it in the best way. I've had this chassis from the only yarn painting to be dismantled, and been wondering what was going to eventually be made from it. Now I know. And I feel it is going to be glorious. Pic below only shows the side and some of the back, I don't usually show that side to people, but it is a very important part of the painting as a whole.

I used to think painting one at a time was the way for me to go, but I now think that was because I simply didn't have the space to work on more than one at a time. Now I have the space and am truly enjoying going from one to the other, while one dries, I can be working on another painting. It's really kept me busy in the studio. One might think I'm getting ready for an exhibition. Well, it's just what being a painter is. It's what you do. Whether you have an exhibition coming up or not, you gotta paint.

Jeffrey