"Rustic"

($40.00.....6" x 6"....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Rustic is another name for nostalgia." Old and poetic looking places really do create a sense of nostalgia. The outbuildings in this painting are a part of the Arboretum at the Biltmore Estate. The holidays seem to bring out memories of rustic places we've been. This is one of my favorites.

Most of the time, texture in painting is simulated...meaning that it is implied by the values and shapes created by the way the paint was applied. Heavier applications of oil paint or acrylics can create both. So you will see texture created by the values and also the "real" texture of the paint itself. 

Texture is a grainy, fibrous, woven, or dimensional quality as opposed to a uniformly flat, smooth aspect; surface interest. (meaning from Design Language by Tim McCreight...available from John Neal Bookseller)

It is to the artist's advantage to exploit this particular design element  because it can be so irresistible to the viewer. Real texture can be incorporated with thick paint, acrylic mediums, collage elements, mosaics, and assemblages. Texture is precisely why most people would rather have an original piece of art rather than a print. No matter how good the print quality is, it can never replace the original artwork in a viewing experience. 

So I encourage anyone that creates artwork to think deeply about ways to incorporate real texture in your work. A sgraffito technique in wet paint is one of the simplest ways just as I did with the lettering in this piece. It's a great way to enter into the world of gestural mark making with a variety of different tools. You might just want to pick up a stick and make an erratic mark in wet paint (oil or acrylic) and feel how satisfying it is. It might become addictive! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.