One of the best feelings I get as an artist is getting out a new canvas to start on and imagining all the possibilities and potential. Sometimes though it’s fun to stretch my brain by painting on a completely different surface like fabric, rocks, wood or even a brick wall.
When I was maybe 10, I got my hands on a rock painting book and some acrylics. I thought it was the coolest thing ever and, at that point, I hadn’t seen it done before. We lived by a river, so I would go hunting for the perfect stones to bring my little creations to life. It was almost a game I would play, to find what was hiding in the rock; every crack or hump turning into a tail or face.
It’s easy to just paint on a blank canvas, or a piece of paper, because you can turn it into anything you want. The challenge with painting on a 3D surface is you have to mould your painting into the shapes that are already there.
The biggest challenge I’ve faced up to this point is attempting to paint a mural on a brick wall. Where do you find the fluidity, and the movement of water in a brick? They were literally created to provide unmoving structure and stability. As a result I’ve spent a lot of time with this installation, just sitting and looking at it, trying to get a feel for the shapes within.
Every project I learn something new and this mural is clearly not done teaching me yet.
