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Watercolour
Oil & Acrylic
On making « Tidal »
During the month of August in 2018, I wanted to get back to larger, gestual paintings. The sun was high. We were having a heatwave, but in the studio at 1, rue d'Anvers in Marseille, it was light and cool. I could open up the front shop window and let the breeze in.
Over a period of days, during which I was mostly alone, I started in oil on a fairly big canvas, about 1.10 x 80cm with my favoured palette of blues with touches of red, white and tiny ones of yellow. I delight in the smooth blending that oil paint procures, the fact one needs time to build up the density and/or transparency of the colours. Returning day by day, adding, rubbing ; I used coloured crayons and pastels to gouge and draw through the oil before it dried.
Slowly the textures developed, sometimes I used my hands, even both at once, working on a group of circles and the flow between them. They gently collide or overlap, these are meetings, encounters. I wanted to keep the large brushstrokes apparent as well as knowing I would be adding the fine lines of coloured crayon at the end.
The gold leaf was a last minute, spontaneous addition in keeping with the precious and shining facet of the new owner's personality. Indeed, my friend, Farah Alimi, expressed an interest in buying the painting with her partner Fabien and this gave me new impetus to « finish » it, having let it 'rest ' for four months.
All the while I listened to music, often soft jazz, piano and saxophone, slightly dissonant, occasionally flute too. This music ressembles the movement in the painting and that of my own body as I work.
When I at last have a period of uninterrupted time AND I am feeling balanced in myself, painting or drawing gives me a truly joyous and liberating sensation.