Ghost

Ghosts guide

Halting hands

Demanding their due

Riling up the

Spirits of the living

On Thursday afternoons

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I lost control tonight.

With wild abandon, I mottled the canvas of the third painting, completely deviating from the foundation I set for the other two. Here’s why.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing a woman’s home for the magazine I shoot for. As I walked up to the nondescript house in a cul de sac, I could not imagine why this was my assignment. Then I stepped inside.

Every surface, every inch of wall, had treasure on it. Paintings, artifacts, sculptures, lanterns, masks - every corner of the world brought together into a cohesive collection. Morocco, Africa, china, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan… she had dozens of pins littering the map in her office.

Her husband was a prolific artist, and one epic painting of his spans the wall in the living room. (It’s the one at the top of this entry). Framed in gold with lights above it, the piece is a testament to banishing everything sacred out of every symbol and lovingly taking self-centred ownership.

I worked through each room while Sharron told me about Brian. Each trip, each place, each piece, and the memories woven into it all. By far though, the best part was walking through his studio and examining his unfinished paintings. Under the hyperrealism and precision is an underpainting of vivid colour and reckless abandon. Only after he laid that down, did he start to block out the piece.

I’ve never met a dead person who felt so alive. Part of it was the sheer amount of stories and artifacts. Some of it was Sharron speaking as though Brian still lives. I don’t know what I believe in after leaving punishing dogma and irrational fears behind - everything I process now has a hefty dose of skepticism. Tonight though, as I was painting, it felt like Brian was right there, giving me a gift - how to move forward, how to trust myself. Showing me the way underpaintings should not line the object. Instead, they should add depth and complexity and texture. Only after this, should the ground be laid.

Maybe all of this is bullshit, but who cares? I have to take a lot of things seriously, but painting isn’t one of them. I did thank Brian out loud tonight for showing me the ropes. If nothing else, it felt good to talk to spirits.

Here’s my dog’s breakfast of an underpainting. Fingers crossed tomorrow goes well when I start to block it in.

Here are some quick pics of Brian’s underpainting to give you a glimpse of what I mean.

Check out his work here: