Breaking From Darkness

I had started this one with a blend of left over paints which had created this muted tan colour. A split canvas between that and black at the base felt like a good place to start, with a flowing blend of reds, blues, greens & a hint of white running along where those two darker colours met.

For me, much of the excitement of fluid art is the unpredictability of what will happen during the process. In this piece, as in many others, I only have the loosest of notions in mind of what I wish to achieve. What transpires, what I feel I'm able to extract from that process as I reach toward a final outcome, is more often than not a surprise.

The mix of semi-transparent & opaque paints can create some interesting effects with both cells & lacing, so I was looking forward to seeing how they interacted as I used a hairdryer to blow the design out. What resulted was the trailing of roots through the black bowels of the painting, colours forming and strengthening the further they reached to the dulled tan surface. Darkness's upper reaches are seen dissolving into wisps of smoke in the upper right, as colours explode fan-like from a lava red core to the left.

I was marginally too late to enter it in an exhibition focused on mental health awareness, but it did feel at the time like it would have been suitable. I imagine that breaking from depression is a process. The skies are not immediately blue & sunny. But there is a shift. You can sense the darkness dissolving, at times breaking apart more dynamically perhaps as a burst of life & hope & enthusiasm. The transformational process has begun.

MATERIALS
This painting is an original one-of-a-kind artwork, on a thin edged, back stapled, stretched canvas.

Artist grade acrylics are used, with the painting continuing down the sides of the canvas eliminating the need to frame. The artwork has been finished with 3 layers of professional grade archival satin varnish for extra protection (including UV protection), colour enhancement and a smooth finish.

The artwork is signed on the back of the canvas & initialled on the side of the canvas at one corner. A certificate of authenticity is provided.

HANGING
The painting will come with D eyelets & wire, or sawtooth hanger & screws attached. You choose.

IN SITU PHOTOS
‘In situ’ photos used are from within my own living space, so each picture is to scale with its surrounding items.

PACKAGING & DELIVERY
The artwork will be packaged & sent within 3 business days. It will be carefully double-wrapped in bubble wrap & boxed in sturdy cardboard. Packaging & delivery within Australia are included in the artwork price.

If you choose Bluethumb’s framing option please allow additional time for delivery.

Follow

Derek is a Hobart based artist. Self taught.

Born in rural Western Australia, I grew up mostly in rural South Australia, with three family ventures to England for a dash of variety. My own restlessness as an adult prompted several moves around both Australia & England, as well as working in fields as diverse as retail, disability services, voluntary sector services, hospitality, furniture removals & energy healing. Throughout all these ventures & adventures, both writing & art remained a keen interest. A briefer than intended move to New Zealand to complete the final phase of writing my first novel, became an extended visit to Singapore & another return to Australia.
With my second return to Hobart, my interest in art quietly overtook my focus on writing, with my discovery and exploration of fluid art quickly dominating my pieces. There is an excitement in creating an artwork that you cannot control, where the result is part inspiration, part preparatory effort & intention, & finally submission to a process of mildly predictable chaos. The intended outcome may be broadly achieved, but the finer details of each piece are always unique & often surprising. The very fluidity of each colour flowing, blending, reacting as they are blown, tilted or spread over the canvas, creates an organic unfolding of myriad details that mesmerise as you explore the final piece.
And what I find most exciting about each piece, especially the purely abstract ones, is the almost endless variety of responses from those that view them. Do you see a wave? A flower? A cloud? A galaxy? Each artwork presents an opportunity for the observer to explore their own imagination as they get lost in the details.
I have found myself repeating certain styles that speak to me, my 'Ripple' series being one, but the process of stumbling along, exploring, learning & refining my expression of a largely unpredictable painting technique makes my heart sing, for want of a better term. It is a wonderful therapy & an even more wonderful gift to be sharing with those that derive pleasure from the finished works.