“I approach the creation of my art and use of subject matter similar to how a new born child would view the world; everything is fascinating and nothing mundane.
Applying the childlike philosophy to my work and being a Pop artist goes hand in hand for me, it’s the perfect union.
When Warhol was presenting to the world his visual works of Campbell’s soup cans, and Litchenstein his works based on popular comic strips, they were trying to convey that beauty can be found in all things no matter how seemingly ordinary and mundane the subject matter may be.” – Kathryn Gallagher
TECHNIQUE
I love process. This is an outline of my practice.
1. Selection of image either by the client (commission) or by myself from various sources.
2. Photoshop image enhancing canvas size and altering colours for visual reference later in the process.
3. Projecting photoshopped image onto 12oz cotton duck canvas and mapping it all out. It is at this point where I will elect to have a certain section printed up for the underpainting process or will do a far more comprehensive drawing and work into that using acrylics as the underpainting.
4. Sending the unstretched canvas to a printer that prints up my specifications as required for that painting. This may vary from painting to painting, dependent on the complexity of the composition.
5. On receipt of the unstretched printed canvas commence reworking. Laying the canvas flat on the ground I sponge either mineral turpentine or methylated spirits to the printed area leaving only either a faint outline or faint blocks of colour. This method acts as an aide to help block in colours or outlines to assist in accelerating the painting process.
6. Preparing and stretching the canvas.
7. The now stretched canvas is ready for the painting process (sometimes I will paint on the unstretched canvas so I can take it with me from studio to studio to work on).
8. Reworking the painting from scratch constantly referring to the enhanced Photoshopped image created in step 2. Using various materials in this step including pencil, acrylic paint, spray paint, oil stick. Oils go on last and are built up layer by layer. I mix fine line liquin with my oils to accelerate the drying time and to ensure that the fine line details are referenced from the original image.
9. Once the painting is completed and the underpainting is 100% covered, I then give it two coats of oil varnish after a week of drying time.
