From the Artist: I'm not sure if this fits the brief – I had some mixed grout left over from a mosaic and didn't want to throw it away, so found an ordinary plastic knife from a fast-food meal (you can tell I never throw anything away!), and smeared it onto a board, more or less in the shape of my dog, the available subject matter. When it was dry I painted on top of it – the grout absolutely drank up the paint, and I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with the flat background, decided eventually to make abstract doggy-dream (?!) marks. I enjoyed the freedom of quick sweeps of the knife, knowing the medium wasn't too expensive to really lay it on thick.
From the Painting Guide: Plastic knives have the disadvantage over "real" metal painting knives that they snap if you apply too much pressure! A painting knife will take quite a lot of abuse, though they're not indestructible...
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Texture Following Form: I've encountered paintings where texture was created in the gesso just for the sake of texture, where it doesn't enhance the subject in any way and often competes with it. But in this painting, look at how the texture has been used to enhance the figure of the dog, how it follows the form or contours. It adds a sense of strength and power to the body and posture of the dog.
From the Painting Guide: Plastic knives have the disadvantage over "real" metal painting knives that they snap if you apply too much pressure! A painting knife will take quite a lot of abuse, though they're not indestructible...
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Texture Following Form: I've encountered paintings where texture was created in the gesso just for the sake of texture, where it doesn't enhance the subject in any way and often competes with it. But in this painting, look at how the texture has been used to enhance the figure of the dog, how it follows the form or contours. It adds a sense of strength and power to the body and posture of the dog.