Eclipse - RANGE #2

Dimensions:

Width - 420mm x Height - 620mm including frame

Construction:

Hypochlorite and Water Painting on Black Packduck Canvas, on hardboard. Dark Wood Tray Frame. In these works.

The black cotton canvas has a deep matt black quality, the oxidising of the canvas changes the colour but not the texture. The colour change becomes a part of the cloth, rather than painted on.

Note: (hypochlorite is an ion composed of chlorine and oxygen with the chemical formula ClO−.) The hypochlorite oxidises the canvas and causes a bleaching effect.

I am painting the light with the celestial orbs as my muse.

As the shadow of the moon crosses the sun, the world turns an eerie shade.

Ranging from human scale on earth and soaring out into space and the imagination, there is an expansive aspect to these paintings.

These works were conceived with the fortuitous discovery that hypochlorite causes the black cotton canvas to turn a warm and brilliant peachy-orange.

The idea of just painting the light on a dark surface is not new to me, but this technique is. It took some practice to master. It is a process of subtraction rather than addition.

Getting the right ratio of hypochlorite to water, masking out, letting the materials do their thing with just the right balance of control.

When first painting with the hypochlorite solution it is invisible on the canvas and develops slowly like a photograph. When the painting is done I take the work outside and hose it down to stop the bleaching process. It is not until the canvas has fully dried that the completed artwork can be seen.

There are no second chances with this. The artwork is either finished or it is ruined.

Care: Please keep these paintings out of the direct sunlight. The canvas will fade if exposed to direct sunlight. To clean use a soft, clean, dry paintbrush. Lint and dust can be lifted using sticky tape.