Power with Paint?

Power with Paint?

Exploring expressionistic painting methods in new work

Recently I have been trying to quite radically change the style of my work by employing more 'action painting' type methods, to try and create a more energetic composition and interplay of elements in my work. I have also started to limit the colours I use in a painting, and in some cases dull them down from my usual bright primary colours! The reason for this is because most of the work I have produced recently which I think has had the most impact has been the pieces with a limited pallete, and I am beginning to learn that simply bombarding the eye with colour does not have as much potential for creating atmospheres in paintings, as say using a more limited amount of colours effectively.

These are the results of my experimentation

Schism 01:



















Medium sized acrylic painting on Board
This was one of the earlier experiments with using more expressive , painterly methods in my work. I have splattered paint, smudged it, scratched into it etc and I like the final frenzied nature of it. Be interesting to see if I can expand on this style and make it more my own as it were.

Drowning:


















Another medium scale square canvas painting. This time with a even more reduced pallete and with a lot more emphasis on scratching and smudging. Fairly happy with it, in some ways I find it unnerving and intense but I like that quality , make it more interesting perhaps?

Glacial Unrest:



















This is the biggest work I have done in this style at 48 by 36 inches , I'm really happy with it and I think it achieves that which i've been groping for with this experimentation - namely the portrayal of atmosphere and an increased intenstity that my older work may have lacked. I think it is a perfect synthesis of the first piece and the 2nd piece, as it employs methods from both in a more effective manner than both I think. This has portrayed some manner of power in paint I think, and I am going to aim to capture this kind of power again.

Leave any comments you may have about employing expressive methods in painting, about the work or anything else (relevant) that comes to mind. How do you portray power in paint? Leave your thoughts!

Upcoming Exhibition - Lost and Found

Upcoming Exhibition: Lost and Found As Part of Macclesfield Barnaby Festival

I have an group exhibition coming up soon which I am going to be a part of, Lost and Found is an exhibition featuring art which uses 'lost' 'discarded' or discovered' objects as the raw materials for the work. It is going to be one of many visual art exhibitions running as part of the Barnaby Cultural Festival in Macclesfield

The artists are all artists based in Victoria Mill, the converted mill with studios where my own studio is located.

I have been quite busy for the last few months doing work and organizing this exhibition and am very excited about it. So excited that i'm going to post up a sneak peek of one of the works on this blog.


This is one of the first works I completed in preperation for the exhibition called Bug City , it is acrylic , emulsion posca pen on Found fence. It will be on show along with many other works Lost and Found art from the 16th (Private View Night) till the 25th of June.

More specifics can be found on the lost and found microsite

Work 2010 - Breakthroughs and important works

It's been a while since I have updated this, but I figured I should update on what I've been up to art wise this year with a bit of blurb about each artwork I present.

Ok first up then is this untitled long format painting I did

Untitled - Acrylic on canvas

This was a slight departure for me in terms of I wanted to mix things up a bit more and make something that had geometric elements but mixed up with some more expressive marks, instead of my usual quite expressive style. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, but I haven't explored this area much more over the year so this remains in terms of my 2010 work a bit of an anomaly. Still I may explore this idea of mixing up the geometric and expressive so that they become a single unity more in the coming year.

Gateway - Acrylic on wood

This was a second of two paintings I did on some long pieces of MDF I was given, really enjoyed the process of creating it and I am very pleased with how it came out. There is some very nice mark making in the painting and I think the more subdued colour than usual is actually a plus. It's also certainly more abstract than some of my other work, although I think it hints at the landscape.

Twilight - Marker Pen on Card - Framed

This is one of a series of drawings I have been producing recently with marker pens on card. Am very pleased with this and the other drawings I have done and I love the spontaneous process of creating it. Again Interestingly this work hints at landscape as does the previous painting, expect obviously in an abstracted surrealistic way.

Dark City - Acrylic and marker pen on 30 inch by 3o inch canvas

This I think was perhaps one of the more ambitious and style shifting works I produced in 2010 as it is quiet markedly different from everything else in a lot of different ways. Firstly the pallete is reduced to a monochrome gray, black and dark blue, giving it a much more sombre feel than my usual colour. Secondly the composition is quite a departure in the sense that is much more obviously incorporating figurative elements such as the building to the right, but still with abstraction and distortion. It also looks quite graphical and I was quite consciously trying to incorporate a more graphical style for this work, influenced by street art. One of my favourite paintings of the year I think.

Cool Mechanics - Acrylic on canvas

This painting I like mostly because I enjoy the composition of it , especially all the jumbled up craziness in the bottom left corner! Not much of a departure from my usual style I.E Black lines, solid areas of colour etc, but I think it's done well, so it doesn't matter.

Combust 01 - Acrylic on 30 inch by 30 inch canvas

This is quite recent and again I am returning to a darker pallete, but I like several elements of this painting. Firstly I love some of the painterly mark making of it, such as the scratch marks and dollops of paint applied with pallete knives and secondly I like the composition , especially the central shape which looks like some kind of creature. Very pleased with this painting and it was a joy to paint!

Recent Work April - May 2010

Some Pictures of recent work starting from the most recent -

The Eyes of the Storm



Untitled



Overflowing


Vivid Dream


Belly of the Beast

These paintings form a series that I completed recently called 'The Flesh Distort' Series and I figured I’d write a little about the thought processes that went into their creation. I always find it interesting to hear artists wax lyrical about their work because it provides a bit of insight into their minds and intentions, and maybe you (yes you reading this!) can take something from this, or more likely I’ll have wasted several minutes of your life.... Ahh well onwards -

Basically as far as I can figure out from the skittering network of misfiring neurons in my noggin, I was pushing forward with the biomorthic abstraction that has marked some of my more recent work. I was trying to create images that are almost violent but dazzling at the same time.

I didn't prepare a sketch for the first painting in the series and it was in fact a happy accident (The result of experimentation after a failed painting) and then when that experiment turned out well I ran with it.

I tried to keep some of the symbols and other compositional elements universal in all three paintings to get the sense of a ‘series’. Thus there is

White circles with lines sprouting out (Almost like suns)
A red half circle line is included in every painting
Similar colours – The Yellow, Black, Fleshy tones etc

I guess to sum up they're kind of a dream landscape of half forms and distorted flesh ... Much as the title implies!

Open Studios / Craft Fair - Next Month (April)

Upcoming Event at Victoria Mill Art Centre , Congleton (Location of my studio)

Open studios and Craft Fair April 18th 11.00 - 16.00

Open day to promote the new arts centre.
There will be an Art and Craft Fair, an Exhibition and some of the Studios will be open for you to see.

Browse jewellery, ceramics, textiles, fine art and much more at your leisure.

Facebook Event -
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=354134570765

(I won't be there for this particulur event as I'm away on holiday but some of my work should be on show)

Where do I go from here?

Painting is a strange beast , frustrating and rewarding in equal measure, for every joy you have at evolving and getting more satisfied with the work you produce there is an equal amount of despair at pictures gone wrong, and the dreaded effects that creative block produces.

I've been going though a strange period in my creative output recently, experiencing periods of elatation and confidence in my work mixed with certain periods of feeling burnt out and experiencing creative block. It is probably to do with the fact that I paint on such a regular basis now, it kind of saps the energy out of me at a certain point.

I feel my work is evolving , certainly in terms of composition, colour and complexity my work is getting better, but I do still knock into these walls of blockage and extreme self doubt as to the direction and the quality of my work. The self doubt part may be down to the fact that I paint in an abstract manner in most of my work, and that requires a kind of constant self-reinvention so that I don't repeat myself over and over again, and so that I can forge my own style.

That is my major concern at the minute, forging my own vision as opposed to something derivitive of other artists. Of course to a degree it will be derivitive, I should imagine it obvious to anyone with a knowledge of art history that I am taking inspiration from several sources - Kandinsky, Picasso, Pollock, Gorky etc etc , but the real challenge is to work though those influences, learn from them and create something new from a type of art some decree as already dead.

So where do I go from here?? God knows, but in a way thats how I like it.....

Newest painting - Triple Charged (Acrylic on 28 by 36 inch canvas)

The first update in a lonnnnnggg time

SORRY!

Sorry I've neglected this blog so much and haven't posted anything for months , I've been relatively busy with various things so haven't had much of a chance. With that lame excuse out the way , onwards with the blog -

Studio

Just going to update generally , Major thing is I've now got a studio where I can paint!! In my home town in a mill building, settled in there now and I'm very happy with it, suits my needs to a tee. Nice space, nice amount of natural and artificial light and a place where I can escape from the world to create. Currently participating in a group show in the exhibition space there which is on till this Saturday.

Art wise I've been more prolific than ever painting more than I ever have previously. Pretty much at least two hours a day every day of the week!! It is good when I'm feeling it, but sometimes I can feel creatively drained so it's a double edged sword.

Anyhow here's a few pictures of my newer work (Most of which I'm pretty pleased with, I feel I'm evolving artistically a lot more now)

Oh yeh and I have a website up now, check it - chrisgodberart

What I've been up toooooooooooooo

Just an update really......

Drawings - done a few self portraits and a sketch of Thome Yorke recently because as always I am trying to improve my portraiture skills, making progress slowly... here are a few , also did a still life - apples in a bowl sketch






















































Paintings - Working on a 60 by 80 cm abstract at the min, after quite a long break i'm painting a lot more , finding the will to do it again :). Also have painted a small still life on a 8 x 10 inch canvas called bowl of apples (with help from the sketch I did earlier and observation), needs a lot of improvement but it's an ok first try I guess, was going for a kind of fauvist inspired frenzy of colour, but I don't think I really achieved that.






















Completed this abstract painting a few days ago , it's untitled though, quite pleased with it, was trying to go for a flowing abstract expressionist feel.

Newest work + Oxfam exhibition

Haven't updated for a while, mostly because iv'e been slacking a bit in the artwork department (skint, lack of materials and energy etc etc) but here's the latest work i've done , well from last month but still :)

Oh yeh , the exhibition for oxfam never really updated on how that went, it was preety good even though I didn't sell anything , it was nice to get the chance to see what people thought of my work though and I got positive feedback on the whole as well as some constructive criticism which is always useful!!






Construct - Acrylic on 60 by 80cm canvas


A simple abstract composition , kind of done on a whim , didn't really plan this one out just went with the flow. It turned out ok I think though perhaps it could be more complex.














Lips that would kiss form prayers to broken stone - Acrylic

Based on a line from the T S Eliot poem 'The Hollow Men' which I was listening to a lot prior to this paintings creation. This was based on a sketch I did of two figures kissing, and then I added the detail of the buildings in the background in the painting. I wanted to create a loving yet sombre image for this painting hence why the colours are quite faded and greyish/dark. Im quite pleased with it and I was going for an expressionist feel which I think I broadly achieved. Though the guys ear could of been done better, that is the major niggle I have with this one, ears are tough though!!!








Outwards and Downwards - Acrylic

The oldest of these three, actually thought I had uploaded this one, obviously not though. I am really rather pleased with it, just like how it is very energetic and busy, more akin to some of my abstract drawings.

Eating its own tail painting

Most recent painting - Eating its own tail


This is a painting I completed yesterday, I am quite pleased with how it came out. My artwork seems to be getting increasingly busy and bustled, but I spose my drawings have always been this way and now im just painting more like I draw. Im very glad this turned out as it did, there was a point when I started this one out where I thought it was going to be a real diasaster...

The title is a reference to the ouroboros (the snake eating its own tail)

Upcoming Exhibition

Im having some of my paintings shown in an oxfam art exhibition
called painting for poverty. Preety excited/nervous about it haha.

27th march - April 5th (11am-11pm)

at Solomon Grundy, Wilmslow Road, Withington Manchester


http://www.citylife.co.uk/arts/news/12792_art_community_unites_to_paint_for_poverty

Jill Smith Art: An Interview with Chris Godber

Jill Smith Art: An Interview with Chris Godber

Interview with me on Jill Smith's art blog

Demon Eye - New painting - My biggest yet!!!

This is my newest painting called demon eye, an exercise in abstract expressionism. It's also my largest painting thus far at a meter by a meter..

I am quite pleased with how it came out, I wanted to produce something more dark and moody than some of my other work, something inbued with more of an inner tension and I think I achieved this broadly.

the creative process that went into the painting was one of going with my first feeling or my gut feelings and seeing how it turned out. It was also painted in an almost action painting sense as I experimented with different ways of attacking the canvas as it were, and different methods of applying the paint. Sometimes with broad brushstrokes, othertimes with an almost stabbing
motion.


I like it though , its preety messy i'll admit but I think it looks good and works on the whole.

Latest Painting Dance

This is the latest painting iv'e done, not been doing so much recently because I am poor so i'm saving my money up a bit, hence not being able to buy many art supplies. I am thinking at some point soon I want to work on a much larger scale though, maybe metre by metre canvas and bigger. Iv'e always liked doing big paintings because you get a real sense of achievement when they're finished and they wow you a bit more in scope....


Anyway latest painting - Dance (Acrylic on 35.5cm by 35.5 cm canvas)

Slightly different from some of my other paintings due to the fact that the forms are spidery and thin , the concept for this painting is two lovers dancing, but in an abstracted fashion or at least thats my interperation of it. The figure on the left being the male and the figure on the right being the female.

Prints

Iv'e a few prints of some of my artwork now avaliable to buy on deviantart

http://perma-fried.deviantart.com/prints/

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, been quite busy and not really had much time to draw and paint, plan to at some point soon though, possibly tommorow.

Latest paintings 29/12/08

These are my three latest paintings produced within the last week or so, and in order
of when I completed them

Grinning banker - Acrylic on 24cm by 18cm canvas-
Did this as a bit of fun, the reason he's grinning so widely and obscenly is because he's still getting a big bonus at the end of the year!! It's a very strange painting, I kind of just did it in the spur of the moment, and it's very different to what I do normally. The face is identifiable but very abstracted and warped so that's it's almost monsterous.














Fragments of Microcosm - Acrylic on box canvas
Painted over an old painting I had because I didn't like it very much and ended up with this. It's a bit darker in the colours I used for it than my usual paintings but I think it works still. It's called fragements of microcosm was because when I looked at it, it looked like a small weird ecosystem or something on the microlevel. The sketch which the painting was based on was called fragements/fragemented so I went with that and called it fragments of microcosm.










Swirling Mass - Acrylic on 18inch by 24inch canvas
Based on a sketch I did , this painting was quite gruelling and took me about 4 or 4 and a half hours to complete. I am quite pleased with the results. It has a much darker background than many of my other paintings (which tend to have light backgrounds) and this makes the eye concentrate a lot more on the central shapes or swirling mass in the center I think.

Some new paintings

The Priest - Acrylic on Acrylic Paper

This painting is something I just did on the spur of the moment.














Self portrait - Acrylic on 60cm by 80 cm canvas

Another attempt at a self portrait painting, but on a larger scale, came out better than the others
though still needs improvement.














Cutting the cord - Acrylic on 24cm by 18cm canvas

Abstract painting i did yesterday, very pleased with how it came out















Magic Eyes - Acrylic on 12 inch by 16 inch canvas

Abstract painting I did today, again pleased with it.

Charcoal Drawings

I have recently started drawing with Charcoal, here is some of what I have produced over the last few days. All are portraits of people, as I am trying to improve my portraiture skills and capturing human form.

1st is a drawing of Julie driscoll, not really sure who she is I just saw a picture of her in a magizine I had and decided I want to draw her cos she looked quite mysterious and strange.

2nd is a drawing of John Lennon I did based on a picture from the same magizine.

And the last is a drawing of Albert Einstein.

I am quite happy with them all as by doing them and other drawings my skills at drawing the human form is improving steadily. I also have some other drawings to show but I shall wait till I have scanned them in to post them up here.

Self portraits thus far

Recently I have been trying to get my drawings and self portraits of myself to look better,
I still have a long way to go in this task but I think i'm making slow
progress, and have been experimenting with different ways of going
about it.

These are some drawings i've done of my self over the past few months more or
less.

I was quite please with this one, it has a softness to it I like, I think because I look calm and relaxed in my expression, or at least that how i've drawn
it.




























Where as this one is more of an aggressive pose I am pulling , especially if you look in the
eyes, which look quite angry and squinted.





This one is my latest drawing self portrait (well that I've scanned anyway), I think it looks
alright , though a little too podgy around the face, it could do with more detail too I think.
















And these are the paintings , that i've attempted to do of myself. Ive done a few more than these
but they turned out really bad so im not going to show them haha




This is my first proper attempt at a self portrait (well actually my second but the first was a diasater!!)


It looks preety simple and it is, there is nothing really excting about it in the pose or the way i've
painted it, but it is ok for a first try I think.















This is a recent one I did, messed up the skin tones so it looks like I have many bruises on my face,
also my eyes are way too big. So not very pleased with it at all!!!








This is the 2nd recent one I did, preety happy with it even though it was just an experiment. This time
I painted a black outline for the face, this made it easier to define the features of the face, im preety
happy with it , it's ok for just trying out a new method.















And my most recent one, a self portrait of me in my green coat (The one I always paint in actually!!)
I did this in a similiar manner to the last , that is I used black lines as an outline, but this time they
were much thicker black lines. Im preety happy with how it came out, but again, it needs more detail and
I need to define my style further.