Art Gallery: You Can Be Loved

You Can Be Loved (2001)
Watercolors, spray paint and olive oil on canvas, 18" x 24"

At long last, we come to the conclusion of my watercanvas series, which were created during 2000-2001. I did create at least five or six more paintings, but they were never photographed for posterity before being sold. If you're a collector or future historian, then you'll have to search around Minneapolis for those missing paintings. Even I can't really remember all of them, so good luck.

This piece was one of three that used olive oil, and one of two that used gold spray paint as a base. The spray paint turned out to be a mistake, even though it worked wonders on the colors. Over time, the watercolor paints would chip away from the canvas, falling away until only a fragment of the original piece remained. This would occur fairly quickly, usually within a few weeks. You can see this in the official photograph above.

Looking more closely, it appears that the first layer of watercolor paints remained largely undamaged, so perhaps this was an issue when adding multiple layers. Perhaps I should experiment more with spray paint and watercolors on canvas. There may be a workable solution, or it may all be a loss. But such things happen when you experiment with radical new ideas. Not everything is going to work.

In any case, this was a great painting. The colors and composition of the black (serving the traditional role of the Kinko's correction fluid) are especially striking and portray a strong sense of motion and space.

The title comes from the Bob Marley song, another song reference. I probably should have spent more time practicing guitar and playing in local bands. Oh, well. The "watercolors on canvas" series has ended, for now, at least. I still think it's a great idea that other artists should embrace. We just haven't had the proper exposure yet. Give it time. Putting everything online might help spread the word. Right? Bueller? Stay tuned.