This month I went to many art openings in Chelsea, in preparation for my thesis. William Steiger’s show, Manufactory, in Margaret Thatcher Projects gallery particularly caught my attention and as a great inspiration for my painting. Steiger’s work in Manufactory included collages and paintings of various views of landscapes, mills, factories, water tower’s and railcars. Across the room was a large railcar cleanly painted red-orange with slight tonal variations, and I was immediately drawn to it.
I spent a considerable amount of time in front of it, trying to figure what exactly drew me to this large railcar with the white gesso background. His use of bold and vibrant color, and clean graphic edges are something I am really interested in using for my thesis painting of cars. William noticed my interest in his railcar, and we immediately started a conversation about his work. His painting process, although seemly simple, involved an extensive process of layering flat color after his drawing his done. He says patience is important in the work; often what was hard for him was to leave the studio with his painting in an awkward drying state but was necessary in his process. Warhol’s flat and graphic imagery is an influence for not only my work but for Steiger’s graphic work. An important question that arises in the work is how do you create a perspective plane contradicted by a flat picture plane? William is successful in created such a space by his attention to line, form, and slight but importance shifts in color.
I was inspired to layer clean flat color to create a more vibrant plane of color. I also liked Steiger's used of high contrast and tried to emulate that in my work.
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