Aerosols January 2019

I’ve started 2019 revisiting my aerosol explorations. It’s a perfect medium for me to expand my interests in colour, contrast and geometry. I’ve included a varied set of six here for you as well as some photographs and explanations of the process and thoughts behind the work. Excuse the slightly off centre photographs, I need to edit them to half a degree, all paintings are formed with perfect right angles.

The origin of all geometric drawing is the circle so I began there. Many of these are created to split an image so although symmetrical in form they create two contrasting sides. By the time each painting is finished there can be hundreds of different tones and colours.

In the third painting below I extended this idea into six circles. The more layers that are applied the less clarity the colours have. It’s all about finding a balance. The essential primary colours move yellow, blue ,red from left to right.

In addition to dividing through 45 degrees a I began introducing further divisions such as an equilateral triangle. Maintaining accuracy as the painting develops is a challenge. Here I let yellow and red predominate, concentrating the lightest tones towards the centre.

In the fifth painting below I introduced a more rhythmic format using just one sized circle. Even with this basic idea the options are endless. Often the true pattern isn’t revealed until the very end of the painting.

The final painting is as far as I’ve developed the concept. Continuing with the circle as the base coupled with the a triangle (in pairs a diamond) the hexagon becomes apparent. My ultimate aim is perhaps to explore the options of a repetitive pattern that could be extended on a larger scale, like tiling.

Here is an example of a painting being started. The sellotape acts as a masking agent and can simply be removed with care at any point. It is crucial to weigh down any stencils to keep an accurate line. The window and door are always open to provide ventilation so this part of the studio isn’t the warmest right now.

Here is an example of another painting much nearer completion.

This is the first time I have put a selection of this work out in public. I’m really just trying to gauge the reaction to them. Any questions feel free to email me info@mjforster.com