#336 - New Fish

12" x 12" Oil on 2" cradled hardboard  $295

"Water which is too pure has no fish."
-Zen Proverb (Ts'ai Ken T'an)

A new fish for a new experiment:
Perhaps I've been spending too much time on color lovers and using the color schemer app, but I think about colors schemes all the time. Plus, I've always loved color field painters like Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko. So although I love color field, it's a little too pure for me... so I put a fish in it! :D

Behind the literal is the metaphor that I still need the organic creation and expression of representational painting. The judgment of color is what painting is all about to me. I fumble my way through the drawing (the judgement of shape) part of painting, but a color is first to me. HOWEVER, a close second is "brushwork" which I really don't even know what that really means, BUT I know what I like: I feel brush size for the stroke is almost as important as the color of that strokes. Hell, I have every flat brush size (often doubles) and wish there were half sizes in between.

Anyhoo, my point is that, I love color field/schemes but I love brushwork and representational painting also. So now my experiment in these next few paintings (+ some after that) is to try to combine these things. Stay tuned and I'd like some feedback (including constructive criticism) on the this and forthcoming "Color Scheme Paintings" as I explore this area.

BTW- I'm painting bigger for these because I need the space and I want to be able to hang them on the wall unframed (it could always be framed later). The sides are around 2" thick and currently gessoed black, but I might experiment with that. It would be included in the color scheme? Perhaps a "black" or dark that reflects the overall color key of the painting?  Currently I handmake these cradled hardboard frames, but I might have to look at some good/affordable premade ones. We'll see.

I can't decide how hard or soft the lines that separate the colors should be. Maybe I should work those edges for variety and cohesion the same as I so for any subject? Many thoughts. Tell me yours in the comments. :)



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