Hard Knock Life

“Hard Knock Life”  24”x 36” polished cement & dry pigment

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It continues to amaze me, the more control that I give up, the more things work out.  Trust in that fact can give you the freedom to break old habits and forge ahead.

Remus

"Remus"  8"x 24" polished cement & dry pigment

I am experimenting with small square tiles created one at a time that can be assembled in many different positions.

Swing Shift

“ Swing Shift”  36”x 30”

 polished cement & dry pigment on panel

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Angry Blurbs

“Angry Blurbs” 31”x 38”

polished cement & dry pigment on panel

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Joshua Tree

“Joshua Tree” 38”x 31”

polished cement & dry pigment on panel

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Barely Legal

“Barely Legal” 38”x 31”

polished cement & dry pigment on panel

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This piece uses a technique that I discovered out of desperation, trying to save the previous painting on this blog. I used a sharp flat metal scraper to exfoliate and simplify the surface, partially exposing underlying layers. This gives me another tool in my bag of tricks to help get my backside out of a sling when I've taken an image too far.

Third version after input from blog

“Prolapse” 38”x 31”

polished cement & dry pigment on panel

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I posted a second version of this piece on my blog and Mary Zeran confirmed my suspicions that I had taken it too far. Thanks Mary. I liked my first version enough to post it but it started to feel shallow after awhile. So, fools rush in, I over did it to the point that, as Mary pointed out, the simplicity of the earlier version was lost. Working in cement presents problems when you try to work back into a piece but at this point I had nothing to lose. With the help of a metal scraper and an electric grinder, I tore into the surface removing layers and pigment. After looking at the result, I decided to rotate the art into a vertical position. I agree with Mary that I'm loving the virtual critique aspect of my blog. That being said, is this third version an improvement over the second and even more important is it better than the first?

Sometimes I post a piece too soon. After I lived with it, I had to finish it.

“Prolapse” 31”x 38”

polished cement & dry pigment on panel

www.williamhallart.com

After I lived with this a while, I decided it needed more work. Sometimes my best pieces are ones where I took a chance on ruining OK image in order to make a great one. Compare this to the previous "Prolapse" two posts ago and you be the judge. Did I over-do it?

I need opinions on experimental piece

“Haviar” 21.5”x 33.5”

polished cement & mixed media on panel

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This image is a result of some experimentation with adding different material to the cement and playing with the earthy textures that resulted. I would welcome any opinions on this new direction.

Prolapse

“Prolapse” 31”x 38”

polished cement & dry pigment on panel

(click to enlarge)

OK, I have recovered from my show and settled back into producing work at a not so insane pace. I find it interesting, how seeing many pieces of your work together at one time in new surroundings can give you fresh insight and better understanding of the direction your work is taking. I don't know if other artists do this, it seems kind of indulgent, but I get a lot out of just sitting in a space full of my work by myself and not so much looking at it but, more aptly, communing with it. This process brought me to the realization that I have come a long way in a very short time.