kent paulette derfla art@derfla.tv
The Jones House is the Watauga Arts
Council's gallery.
I'm having a solo show of 23 paintings in the main gallery.
My show runs from June 1st-25th 2010.
It's located at 604 West King Street in downtown Boone
828.264.1789
www.watauga-arts.org
My thoughts about this exhibit
For this exhibit at the Jones House, I’ve included paintings utilizing a variety of subjects and techniques. After combing through paintings at fourteen venues, I’ve picked out some of my favorite oil paintings from the last two years. In addition I created oil paintings in the last couple of months specifically for this exhibit.
Starting about six months ago I began experimenting with new materials. For these mixed media paintings I begin with a primed artist grade wood panel made of Tung wood. I then make some initial marks using oil pastels. Next I use a brush to apply a premium grade tempera paint. For the last step I use a palette knife to fling thick acrylic paint at the painting in a technique I’ve dubbed ‘ninja splat’. Paint goes everywhere but eventually most of it finds its way onto the surface of the painting. This process can be fun to watch and so I’ve begun to paint live in front of people so they can share in the fun.
This Jones House exhibit highlights my current fascination with trying to capture movement in my work. I’ve always been drawn to the female form so it seemed natural to try to capture the movement of dancers. One way I try to do this is in the way I make the marks. The drip begins as simply a mark and then it happens. The splat begins as simply a mark and then it happens. In that way the mark is an event and that introduces movement into the painting. Paradoxically the splats also serve to ground the painting so that the subject doesn’t accidentally “flow” right off the wood panel.
Another way I try to capture movement is in the way my process abstracts the image. Because the marks are loose and not exact, the subject can be seen in many slightly different ways. For instance, an arm might be right here or it might be a little over there. The mind switches between the two and in the process it sees movement. The spaces between the marks also give the breathing room needed for this movement to occur.
I’ve created three paintings for this exhibit to go along with the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway. My website, www.derfla.tv, provides access to all of my paintings. You can also follow me on facebook by searching for the name Kent Paulette and sending me a friend request.
Some of the new paintings in this exhibit
click on each thumbnail for larger image and info
