Around 30 years ago I began to collect African Art. I see the masks every day and once in a while they influence my work without my realizing it.
The current 3D piece is a perfect example of that.
I worked without a title from the beginning until I reached the first layer of color and then I saw it.
I began to call the piece “Songye” after one of my masks. Painting it became a battle because it started out with fairly hot colors. When I though it was close to being finished I found it physically uncomfortable.
Really uncomfortable.
I know some artists think this is a desired response to their work but I prefer to live with work that doesn’t jar me.
I would guess the palette changed 10 or 12 times; slowly getting warmer and darker until it finally fell into the current version. The multiple glazes and the translucency of the colors make it work.
This is what I call, “Juicy”.
Meet “Songye”.
“Songye” 40″x 50″x 7″ Oil