‘North by Northwest’
is a blue and gold abstract painting created with dragged lines
180cm x 100cm (71″ x 39″)
Perpetual Motion
£1995
‘North by Northwest’
Blue and gold and all things nice!
I have used this drag and remove technique many times over the years and each time I do I discover something new or learn a little more. Of course, that’s worth nothing unless you have a direction to take it in.
So here we have North by Northwest, created with a series of gorgeously deep blue colours fused together with hints of gold and orange and just the odd feature of purple, white and black.
In fact, it’s the black I want to talk about first as it forms a rather clever backbone for the whole painting and one you may not be aware of as you look at it from a distance. Notice the opposing ‘V’ shape that the black forms? These are the two paints strokes that define the positions, shape and feel of the whole painting.
Anchor points
My own opinion for these dragged paint artworks is that they should have an anchor point – a place from where the other lines and colours come from or get defined by.
Defining these points is not a given though and may not always be requirement, but I believe that these linear and repetitive techniques need something to ground the eye before it’s allowed to wander off.
Angles and things
Of note next is the line angles. I have chosen to NOT be consistent with their direction or their position relative to each other. This is not a normal thing for me to do as I am a big fan of regularity and order. So it has been something of a baptism of fire to get all wayward and break my own rules on composition.
Thank goodness it works though! Now we get a much more flowing and fluid series of drags that almost seem to make the canvas larger than it really is. Not that this ever becomes awkward or misplaced; that balance I always aim for is achieved in part with the use of blending.
I have taken care to bring paint strokes together in opposition so that they have a degree of continuation across the painting and not be left on their own as they float off into space. The exception to that rule is the orange which, quite frankly, doesn’t give a shit about any of that!
Let’s talk…
Drop me a line and I will get back to you as soon as is humanly possible!
Prefer a call? Great, we can have a quick chat about the painting and how easy it is to view
