Modern Offerings

this millennium

Modern painting has the benefit of many more ways of creation than artists possessed in the past. Greek vase painters had to use pigments that could withstand firing, Vermeer had the choice only of paint or charcoal. but today with advent of photography and electronics. For example: Spin Painiting is a derivation from the mathematical theory of Chaos. It creates patterns. Here is how it is done. Start with 3 pieces of rigid card cut into circles and painted white The size is up to you but all must be the same. Make each no smaller than 80 cm. You need something like a potters wheel to which you can fix your circle,so that you can maintain a fixed speed and can repeat it for each card. Use 4 pots of different paint. It is important that you mix enough paint for all the cards. The paint shouldn't be too thick, so that it can be poured, and not too thin: it must stick to the circle (decorating paints or acrylics are OK) Try to create three identical spin paintings by pouring paint onto a spinning disc It is important that you try to recreate the identical set of circumstances for each disc (attachment, spin speed, quantity of paint, height and order of pouring the four paints.) The Graham offerings above start with photographs but are then modified in Photoshop, in the first to cereate a visual feeling of taste, and in the second to create the mystery of the Ashmolean. The final painting provides a textured feeling of ease.

Untitled - spin painting Damien Hirst Spin Painting Damien Hirst

Swirly - a Kiwi fruit John Graham Sleepless across the street from the Ashmolean Museum Oxford Dreams 2004 John Graham Textured Ease John Graham