Dodalism Painting

Painting opens up a range of new possibilities for Dodalism. Do to the ability to construct images faster than with any drawing medium it is my usual choice when performing Dodalism in public. The variety of painting techniques available like texturing, blending, impasto, glazing etc., are efficient ways of adding dimension to the work that is not available in drawing even though the approach to mark making is still largely informed by it. Images are built up by overlapping brush strokes which mimic drawing with a pen or crayon. Clusters of symbolic and abstract shapes fill the canvass with colour and paint texture adding to the dimension of the work.

The first Dodalism paintings were almost entirely line driven with little consideration for any other painting method. They were also my first works in Dodalism to break the monochromatic rhythm set up by work accomplished with ballpoint pens.

In 2009 I experimented with creating highly textural surfaces loosely referencing abstract painting styles of Jackson Pollock and Gerhard Richter. The textures are built up with thick coats of gesso and acrylic paints which I later enhance with brush or pen Dodalism.

At the end of 2011 I began experimenting with painting using glazing which allows the image to build up slowly with a lot of interactions between each layer of colour. Each layer of paint informs the next building up to create texture, shading and symbolic likeness.

It is still a developing idea which I am interested in seeing evolve which each painting. Staying true to the core philosophy I approach each new painting from a fresh perspective seeing what is happening as I am performing the action of painting. The works are still very much line driven creating a sort of hieroglyphic narrative which is something I am interested in developing further. The idea of Dodalism as a form of coding which is balancing visual coding with that of text is my current concern.

Currently I have an ongoing painting project under the title of “In the beginning there was nothing, not even this…” which charts the progression from one paining to the next of how the language of Dodalism paining is evolving.

BACK to Dodalism

“Women” is the third installment of “The Players” series focusing on the Library of Congress collection of short biographies “Women Who Dare v.2”*.  I set out to create a broader dialogue within each poster painting using images not only of portrait nature but also images that reference the life and actions of the people who are being portrayed. This is the first body of work to tour Eastern Canada. This occurred during a month long art project  “We Made a Deal with the Devil” art and music tour.

* Irena Sendler and Sheila Watt-Cloutier are the exception.

Artist thoughts

Having been painting “The Players” series since 2005 I realized that I could be saying a lot more within each of the paintings. Each person portrayed led a life rich in experience and knowledge that I hoped to encapsulate so that others may be inspired to find out more about them. This also added a whole new exciting dimension to the work. I had a universe of possibilities.

Some of my favorite things to paint were a dress that Ma Gertrude is wearing in the lower portion of the painting where the glitter I painted in references photos of the Milky Way.  The subtle swastikas which engulf Irena Sandler were an optical challenge because I did not want them to be a prominent aspect of the painting yet I wanted to convey context of her actions written boldly at the top of the painting. The math formulas I incorporated within the painting of Marie Curie posed a challenge which I feel was best resolved within the lower portion of the painting where the thought bubble which she shares with her husband looks like a hart. The red sun which references the Japanese flag and the start of Dickey Chapelle reporting career is a strong graphic which I enjoyed painting. The crowed behind Maria Corazon turned out really well where the subtle use of grays adds a sense of depth and popular support having a crowd of people behind her. There are multiple things that I like about the painting of Sheila Watt Cloutier but combining a geographical reference with that of the Inuit symbol is one of my favorites. The landscape with in the painting of Beatrice Potter Webb draws upon my optical mixing technique where the smoke and buildings are layers of subtle grays building up the darks and depth of the image.

I am very proud of this work and see many future possibilities for new paintings where more of the story of the life of the person will be interwoven within the canvass.

“The Players” series are “poster-style” paintings of individuals who had a significant impact in shaping our society. The work focuses on Anarchists, Revolutionaries, Philosophers, Writers and Economists.

The series originated from the need to create work in a public studio setting on the streets of Toronto. Being surrounded by commercial media, as an artist, I wanted to create art work that would provoke thought and discussion while it was displayed and created live in front of the people.

Throughout the years, I have showcased “The Players” to a varied audience in different neighbourhoods across Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, New York, Boston, Peterborough, Kingston, Ottawa, Cornwall, Merrickville, Quebec City, Fredericton, Moncton, Sackville, Pugwash and Halifax.

The most recent public displays occurred during a month long Methinks Presents: “We Made a Deal with the Devil” tour.

Some of my earliest and most beautiful memories are of being by the Baltic Sea alongside my parents and sister. My father worked as a chef on oil tankers. At home he told tales of the immensity, power and beauty of the open waters; images which embedded themselves in my psyche.

“In the middle of the Ocean” is a painting series about a man inside a life boat, far away, surrounded by the fury of nature:  As the storm rages the figure endures, perhaps even enjoys the spectacle which he finds himself a part of. It is a trial whose outcome is of no consequence. His life within the moment, the moment an eternity.

The painting series continues a story I’ve written prior to painting these images, under the title of “June 3rd“*.  Each one of the paintings is a snapshot of the moments where the storm has descended upon him. To depict the depth and fluidity of the ocean, I have mixed various colors in varying quantities of acrylic gel mediums. This technique allowed me to layer the transparencies in bulk and paint with pallet knives as well as brushes.

Overall the series is a powerful portrayal of man within nature.

*One of four stories in Zine 4, a Dodalist writing exercise.

Throughout the past ten years, I have experimented in different styles of painting. The various paintings body of work is a collection of my evolving practice, each art piece painted with either oil or acrylic paint. I am continuously improving my understanding of optical mixing when painting, especially with acrylics, layering color in custom proportions of paint and medium. With time, I also began to incorporate other materials such as wood veneer and molding paste in order to add texture and depth to each piece.