"LE 4 AVRIL": a painting in
progress
September 2000 - March 1st 2001
STAGE 1 (9/2000) STAGE 2(9/2000)
STAGE 3 (9/2000) STAGE 4 (9/2000)
STAGE 5(10/2000) STAGE 6(10/2000)
STAGE (12/2000)
STAGE 8 (2/2001)
Stage 1: I began by staining the canvas in thin washes of liquid acrylic. I then wrote alphabetic characters in permanent felt pen.
Stage 2: I stuck on various collaged papers, including pages from an old shorthand manual, an enlarged copy of a $500 bill, a piece of mulberry paper, and some large words from a 'Teach Your Baby to Read' set. I then made some calligraphic marks in black paint.
Stage 3: I spread thick azure blue acrylic over part of the painting, knowing that this would be covered later, with only a few areas left showing.
Stage 4: A very abstract expressionist phase, this! I scrubbed on cadmium yellow, napthol orange, and some titanium white.
Stage 5: I added some pieces of corrugated cardboard from a lamp bulb package. Then came the difficult part - covering up large areas of color with titan buff to integrate the painting. Naturally by now I've lost a lot of my original markings.
Stage 6: So now I had to start restructuring the composition with blocks of pure black and glazes of quinacrodone crimson and transparent yellow oxide, creating a rather strong grid. I put Marcel Proust's portrait on the banknote, added a palmistry diagram over the mulberry paper, and a few subtle black lines. The question is "Is it finished?" It's hard to say. I'll leave it alone for a few weeks, then judge.
Stage 7: I spent several months staring at Stage 6 (meanwhile concentrating on other paintings). I knew it wasn't working, but I just didn't know what to do. Finally, you'll see where I simplified and softened softened the grid with more titan buff, got rid of some of the fussier collage elements, and drew some tea cups. Obviously this is not finished, but now what?
Stage 8: Another 2 months passed - some paintings are problematic like this! I wrote out a poem called "Les Lilas" composed by Proust for his maid. I pasted on a portrait of his mother (center right). I collaged a photocopy of one of his annotated manuscripts. And finally I increased the contrast by darkening the blues and brightening the ochres. Now I think it's far too strongly divided. Aaaaaah!