"Bryn Mawr" An Artists book

These abstract landscape paintings-on-paper were completed in 1994.  They never made it to mats and frames so binding them into a book seemed a good presentation.  The geometric designs bring everything up to date with the current portfolio.  Designs are all based on hexagons, and are incised into the painting's surface, then peeled off to reveal clean white lines.  

"The Aesthetic Persist"

 Art is a long strange trip.  Pay attention because sometimes it doubles back on itself.

Art leapt forward after nearly 50 drawings in the surrealist “Emergent Image” series.  Number 48 had potential to go further....

Investigation was required. A rendering of the original image streamlined its edges and accentuated the lovely central black shape.  The new drawing looked like a lovely mid-century ceramic sculpture.  

Check out those edges!

This idea ran its course after a few iterations and it was time to return to the series work with so-so results.  But the potential of the "Open Vessel" drawing...time to return for another rendering. 

(bean emergent image)

Flushing out those curves a little and working out the shading…but so what?  Hmm...What if the edges changed?  Another rendering.  Even worse. 

(first two rendering)

But then that wrinkle pattern itself was more interesting than the original shape.  What if the veins were included?  Oh YES.

What if the image were mirrored like a Rorschach print?  Aha.  From nearly 4 dozen random automatic styled drawings into meticulously rendered, highly ordered, intentional imagery.  Some with veins.

Ooh, surprise! Relates to artwork from the early 1980’s, who would suspect?

 

                               Persistent aesthetic!

https://jtnwdc.wixsite.com/jamesthatcherarts

  

New Year, New Drawing

One Heart

"Emergent Images"

"Dream Girl," 2019 Enamel wash and gesso on canvas, 7" x 10"
James Thatcher  2019  copyright

The diminutive “Dream Girl” begged for a larger version.  Replicating textures on a large scale is a recurring issue in the studio.  This was no exception and it has led to a new body of artwork.  

Using hay on a very wet surface would cause a paint wash to gather around the hay and would theoretically result in a frost-like pattern that might approximate that background texture.

Not so much.  But pouring more paint over that experiment created such an interesting result that I didn’t need the girl’s portrait anymore. 

"Dream"  2020  Enamel wash and alfalfa on canvas, 44" x 66"
James Thatcher  2020  copyright 

The question of how to get that frost-like texture continued to puzzle me.  The next attempt was crumpled paper with an added wash.  The way the wash gathered in the wrinkles created wonderful possibilities for free-style composing.  

All other ideas have been banished. 

Success caused me to prepare dozens of crumpled and washed papers to draw into during the coming days.  

Forty papers.

The “Emergent Images” series currently stands at 30 pieces which measure 7” x 10”.  There are a few additional quarter-sheet works.

"Emergent Image #3"  2020  Enamel wash and pencil on paper, 7" x 10"
James Thatcher  2020  copyright

"Emergent Image #10"  2020  Enamel wash and pencil on paper, 7" x 10"
James Thatcher  2020  copyright

"Emergent Image #16"  2020  Enamel wash and pencil on paper, 7" x 10"
James Thatcher  2020 copyright

I look forward to creating drawings using full sheets (22” x 30”) as this series moves forward.

https://jtnwdc.wixsite.com/jamesthatcherarts  

Emergent Image #30

Letter to SeymourPowell

I'm an artist with an idea that happened with the combination of a couple of images in Photoshop.  

I believe there is an opportunity to partner with industry/tech to create shaped flat screen displays that could be fastened to structures, conformed to structures, or to joined to each other to create sculptural forms.

Could triangular flat screens be fabricated to display video or images?  In the structure illustrated, the bottom could be open for installing electronics, ventilation, and access.  It could be either large or small. 

I work with octahedrons regularly (eight equilateral triangles).  This would create a fascinating screen/object.  At this time I'm interested in making a few sculptures that feature this technology.  I believe that funding and exhibits are available for such objects and applications.  We can conquer the world from there.

Does this technology already exist?  Is this brilliant?  I am looking for a partner.

I got your name from this article:  

https://www.theverge.com/2013/10/31/5050084/lg-samsung-curved-smartphone-design-flexible-oled-future

Sincerely,

James Thatcher