hundreds of people filed through. gallery stroll records may have been broken. i thought i was camera badgering people (lo siento!) but now i realize i didn't capture a tenth of the evening.and my paintings? they were dripping wet. i painted 12 pieces in less than two weeks. the special high gloss medium i used (for the first time) was a polymerized linseed oil called stand oil, a misnomer if i've heard one! when we hung the show those oils did not stand, they ran...nay they cavorted...across my paintings in big sloppy drips. O'lover came to the rescue when he offered to play fortune teller by providing spectators psychic readings of the drips (much like reading tea leaves).
I like my paintings, even when they misbehave. Yet i reserve the right to never ever ever ever show wet work ever again. Never! ever. NEVER.
Have you ever had a disaster while everyone was looking? i offer you empathy.
p.s. this is a link to the mandatorily cool gallery stroll blog (add it to your subscriptions!) ryan & beccy neely will have september's photos up soon.
8 comments:
So sad I missed it, drippy paintings and all. I will see them soon!
Oh Raquel, I've always loved your paintings -- and from the glimpses I can see in these shots, I can tell I need to get myself down there soon to gawk.
Do you do commissions for people with too many big blank walls in their homes? People who can't afford to pay you what they're really worth?
I also meant to ask -- how do people who lay the oil on thick normally keep it from dripping? (I'm utterly painterly-illiterate.) When I've marveled over the Van Goghs in the museums with their layers of thick paint it never even occurred to me that the artist might have to worry about the paint misbehaving. Do they lay them flat to dry? But what about while they're working on them? Or do most oils not run that much? And did your paintings really run enough to ruin how you intended them? If so, I'm SO sorry, after all your work. Like I said before though, from what I can see of them, they look gorgeous.
Raquel--We had so much fun at your opening and I loved every one of your paintings. I couldn't even tell they were misbehaving. I still love the one with the pumpkin and yes-I am excited for Autumn. You are inspiring in everything you do.
WOW. How I wish I could've been there. Raquel, you are amazing and an inspiration! I'm so glad you're blogging again after your hiatus. I missed you.
Quel--i just landed on the worse friend ever list. visiting family overtook our few days in Provo (Bryan's new/first nephew occupied our time) and i just saw that i missed your opening and i was so close! i was thinking about you all weekend and am kicking myself now. i'm back in NYC and far, far away from your stunning paintings and gorgeous self. that's what i get for not checking your blog more often. but it looks like it was a success, despite the paint not cooperating. sounds like it wasn't even noticable. i hope to see you, Ollie and your latest creations in real life next time we're in the vicinity. much love.
hi mary, thanks for the compliment. you should come over sometime and pick some paintings. and to answer your question, there are many kinds of mediums and some dry faster than others. i believe van gogh used straight paint which wouldn't drip.
xo!
wendy! ahhh! i need to get my rear end to your neck of the woods! so close yet so far away...i understand about family occupying all of one's time. i was supposed to have spent an entire month and a half working on the paintings, but my cute visiting nieces and nephews with their adorable ways...
xo! and congrats on your new nephew!!
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