Completing A Thought Through “Absolute: Contrive”
by Daric Gill
The occasional conversational sidebar can prove to be a helpful way to add extra depth to a particular idea without stepping aside completely. As the Absolute series has grown, there has been several micro-series within the larger set. Absolute: Contrive and its sister painting Absolute: Construct are such examples. Both pieces (photos below) are the same size and expand upon similarly themed content. Read on for more information.
[Full Image & Process Gallery Below Article]
Like its sister painting, Absolute: Contrive was reclaimed from a discarded oak end table. The history of damaged polyurethane was made a thing of the past after it made friends with a belt sander and random orbital sander.
One of the funnest parts of my job is that I can work on many different projects all at once. This has some obvious benefits like I can set a painting aside to dry while I work on building a sculpture. After completing the first piece in this micro-series, I painted a few bottom layers of the piece and then set it aside to dry. I’ve never been the type to start something without the follow up, but in this instance I was sufficed to wait for a while until I had some fall leaves to observe in real life.
Living things surely die
After what seemed to be an eternity, I eagerly started back in on the boat and branch. Anyone who has painted from real life can attest that the subject matter can change appearance quickly. Especially things that are already on their way out. Under the heat of my soft box light the leaves curled and changed colors with remarkable speed. It was actually fun to watch. As a result I made it a personal challenge to see what I could finish in one sitting to avoid the re-working the next day.
I make it a practice not to overly-explain all the content in my work (unless in formal thesis writing). It’s nice to just let the work explain itself to each person through their individual filter. But one thing I can say is that much of my work has two opposing, yet connected ideas. The title includes the word Contrive, which I chose for its slightly dual meaning too. That interplay of duality is something I feel is a pretty crucial lens to view all my work. This allows the viewer to have an intellectual place in the work as well.
Contrive~
1. to create or bring about (an object or a situation) by deliberate use of skill and artifice
2. to do something foolish or create an undesirable situation
Daric Gill Studios 