11. Damaged Goods

Winter II, digital construct, dimensions variable, 2020

So, here are the final two digital constructs using other people’s marks to date. Frustrations seem to drive the work at the moment – I got to the point where other people’s marks could only go so far in a colour composition without the need for gross distortion (which would render the marks and objects somehow meaningless), so I stopped using them.

In the present phase I’ve been raiding my own pictures for marks. You can see the process creeping in in Winter II – there’s a section of my painting Psst! (Orange) in the top right quadrant.

Ropemaker A, digital construct, dimensions variable, 2020

If I could set a soundtrack to these images it would probably be something by John Dwyer. I’ve written about Thee Oh Sees on this blog before, but his other “band” Damaged Bug is just as good, but with a more experimental, electronic edge. Here’s the rather lovely Jet In Jungle.

And here’s where I went next…

Half Broke Horses, digital construct, dimensions variable, 2020

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If you are interested in seeing more digital constructs, there are a lot of them on this blog or you can visit my Instagram here or my website here.

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In early October 2019 David Cook and I visited Peter Doig: Paintings at Michael Werner, and Cy Twombly: Sculpture at Gagosian, both in London. Afterwards, we discussed the shows by email. You can read the resulting conversation starting here.

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10. Evidence of others

Set Me Free, 2014

The Tinderbox, 2014

Blue Trench study, 2020

Landscape study (081219), digital composite, dimensions variable, 2019

8: Working images

Here are some elements of new works in progress. The paintings are details from a series based on earthworks and have all been tipped on their sides. The photographs are all of parts of Dorset as seen from a train window. As of fairly recently I have started using elements of my own paintings in my digital constructs.

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And here is a finished digital construct…available as a C-Type photographic print on archival paper from my Big Cartel shop. For a more comprehensive description and for shipping details click here.

The Man Who Looked Like The Other Man, 2020

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If you are interested in seeing more digital constructs, there are a lot of them on this blog or you can visit my Instagram here or my website here.

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In early October 2019 David Cook and I visited Peter Doig: Paintings at Michael Werner, and Cy Twombly: Sculpture at Gagosian, both in London. Afterwards, we discussed the shows by email. You can read the resulting conversation starting here.

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6: Trenches

Landscape study (171119), digital composite, dimensions variable, 2019

At the moment I’m working with tensions – painting, drawing and digital constructs are feeding into one another with no clear path as to which is the dominant or most important form.

T-2, acrylic paint on paper, 42 x 29.7 cm, 2020

T-2 shot here on our beaten up old dining table. With source drawing below.

Sketchbook page, pencil on paper, 2019

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If you are interested in seeing more digital constructs and paintings as well as street photography (including portraits), visit my Instagram here or my website here.

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4: Hostile Landscapes

Winter I, digital construct, dimensions variable, 2019

Winter I (above) is another of the new digital constructs I’ve been working on. I’m having fun with their evolution – more posts soon – and at the same time have started working on paintings that have the shape of landscape as their starting point (T-1 pictured below on our knackered dining table).

T-1, acrylic paint on paper, 42 x 29.7 cm, 2020

Again, more to come…

The Paul mentioned in the title below is Paul Letchworth, a painter I was on Foundation with way back in the mists of time – his work’s lovely and you can see it on his website here. Hello Paul!

Landscape study (281119) for Paul, digital composite, dimensions variable, 2019

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If you are interested in seeing more digital constructs and paintings as well as street photography (including portraits), visit my Instagram here or my website here.

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2: Leg bone

Street Portrait (for and of Yozmit), 2013/ 2020

In the last few days I’ve been experimenting with converting portaits I originally presented in colour on TFIPM to black and white. This was partly to test Ted Grant’s adage. Above is the new processed main portrait of Yozmit, and below the original.

Street Portrait (for and of Yozmit), 2013

Back in 2013 I must have preferred the colour version as a true representation of Yozmit’s style. Today I like the inkiness of the new version.

The original post featuring Yozmit can be found here.

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Landscape study (271019), digital composite, dimensions variable, 2019

Around 2013 I wanted to show my portraits alongside abstract paintings. For all sorts of reasons (one being I didn’t know that many abstract painters) it didn’t happen, so I started trying to imagine and make the kind of abstracts that might work with street portraits. Seven years later, I think I’m beginning to find stuff.

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Untitled painting sketch, 2019

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If you want to see other work, visit my Instagram here or my website here.

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Entry #1: Look, Know

Living in the Gaps (Landscape study), digital construct, dimensions variable, 2019

As some of you may know, I’m a fan of the group, The Fall, whose chief creator Mark E Smith sadly died in January 2018. This post is named after a 7″ single which was released by the group in 1982. The image above has nothing to do with The Fall, except I suppose tangentially – I’ve listened to them so much their aesthetic must have seeped into my process somewhere…

The painting below on the other hand I did “for MES” – it didn’t start out that way, but it as it neared completion it seemed to fit…anyway…

Painting for MES, 2018, Acrylic paint and watercolour pencil on canvas, 80 x 80 cm

Diary Images

Spend so much of my time looking down nowadays…these were both taken in London in the first week of the year.

3rd January 2020

3rd January 2020

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Patti Fogarty

I’d like to dedicate this post to Patti Fogarty, who was a brilliant street photographer, portraitist and blogger (and one of the first people I “met” on WordPress). Her photographs were really something else – a celebration. I miss them and I miss her presence online. There’s a very nice tribute to Patti on Monochromia and you can see her work on her blog Nylon Daze.

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If you want to see other work, visit my Instagram here or my website here.

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Work in progress update

Improvisation has begun on the painting I mentioned in this post.

Image transfer got to a point where I was satisfied and away we go…I’ve also been using improvised paper stencils to open up areas of the composition…more on this soon.

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To see more please visit my website: https://richardguest.art/ or my Instagram account:
@richardguest9440

Work in progress: Cacotopic Stain

I’m currently working on this painting, which I’m toying with the idea of calling The Cacotopic Stain after a geographical area featured in a brilliant book by China Méiville entitled Iron Council.

The painting is based on a monochrome digital construct, which I’m transferring to canvas using acrylic paint and one paintbrush…

Once the image transfer is complete, I will improvise areas of colour and images on top. It’s a method I’ve adopted for the last couple of paintings. If you want to see more please visit my website: https://richardguest.art/ or my Instagram account:
@richardguest9440

Friday by the Thames

It’s been a while, but last Friday I went out with the intention of taking some photographs in the street and dropping in on Tate Modern.

Whilst I’m always on the lookout for a potential portrait, most of my time is spent collecting images of splats, scuffs, drips and abandoned carrier bags to form the basis of a digital construct.

The following were all taken last Friday…

Solid fuel tank?

The Millenium Bridge from outside Tate Modern

Ocado waste

In Tate Modern, I decided to concentrate on paintings in the main displays. I’ve been familiar with The Three Dancers by Picasso for decades, but I’ve never really looked at the surface of the painting close up.

I found this area:

fascinating. I guess I’ve always thought of Picasso paintings springing into the world fully-formed, but he obviously had problems resolving this patch…

This was my first time seeing White Plane White, 1974 by Bram Bogart as well, but I’m glad I did…

White Plane White, 1974 by Bram Bogart

In one of the rooms housing a large sculpture, I found the following stain. It must have been quite a hardcore chemical to have bleached the stone floor like this. Anyway, I love it…

Stain

Stainscape

Sulba (I think)

The stain’s got me thinking…

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To see more of my paintings, street portraits and digital constructs, please visit my website: https://richardguest.art/ or my Instagram account:
@richardguest9440