SO

This is a new painting that is in a different style for me. I also used the colours yellow, green and orange which are three colours I rarely use. It is loosely in the style of Solbes Arjona who is one of my favourite Spanish artists. I did it as a one-off for the purposes of learning and doing something with a wider colour range.

SO
20cm x 50cm
Acrylic
2008

One of my favourite artists.... Antoni Tapies

Pintura - Paulo Consentino

Identity?

I have decided to stop describing myself as an ‘abstract artist’. I have come to the conclusion that the term doesn’t especially mean or illuminate anything and is a fairly meaningless label. One of my pet hates in life is being put in a box as my immediate and automatic reaction is to get out of it if anyone places me in one. I have also concluded therefore that by describing myself as an ‘abstract artist’ that I am also boxing myself in. We live in an abstract world on all sorts of levels so I feel I am simply reflecting the things that I observe and interest me in life if that makes sense.

When I meet someone new and I am asked what I do for a living, I usually say that I am a painter. The assumption then is that I paint people’s houses so then I have to explain that I paint on canvas and my work is of an abstract nature but I kind of resent having to say this. I feel it doesn’t really describe what I do. I don’t really enjoy trying to describe my work as I am not really sure what it is myself. Words just don’t seem to fit somehow. I think this is because creativity is a language in itself and it is pretty hopeless to try and translate it into words that are often ‘loaded’. Take the term ‘post modern’ for example – what does that really mean? Just as bad – ‘contemporary art’! These terms mean nothing to me in all reality.

I have also decided to avoid debates about what is art and what isn’t. I have been involved in some pretty heated debates about this in the past and I am finding the debate increasingly tedious. Who has the right to say what is art and what isn’t? I am willing to accept anything as a work of art if it is presented as such and that is the end of it as far as I am concerned. How it is was produced and what medium is used means nothing to me. It’s just another box I feel inclined to get out of.

Getting this off my chest helps me to feel free to do whatever I want so I needed to say it. Will it make a difference? To me, yes. At this moment I want to pursue anything that appeals to me in any way that appeals to me. Can you relate to this? Do you find labels a help or a hindrance?

The photo attached to this article was taken at Alicante Marina recently. It has been cropped to make it square but not manipulated in any way. What is it? I don’t know and it doesn’t seem to matter – it just is and I like it.

Street Photo

I think I have taken about 300 photos of crumbling walls, posters, graffiti and various textures over the last few weeks. It's all part of my search for new sources of inspiration. One of my objectives is to paint in a broader range of colours than the last few years and I am finding photographs a big help.

More to come!

Cool cat with sunglasses

To be honest the title of this painting only occurred to me after it was finished! I haven't used metallic paints for some time so it was fun using lots of bronze.

PS

After posting this picture here and living with the painting for awhile, I think I may do more to this painting. It's a bit of a one-off for me and someone said it was very 1950's but I am thinking now its a little plain for me and needs more depth and detail. I'll live with it for awhile longer before I decide. Any opinions?

50cm x 50cm
Acrylic
2008

Independentista

40cm x 40cm
Mixed media and acrylic
2008

This painting was a real challenge because it represents a change of style and something new for me - combining collage, paint and graffiti. It is meant to represent a familiar site in Alicante City - especially in the old town known as El Barrio. It stressed me out on a number of occasions which illustrates, to me, that it was just the kind of challenge that I needed.

Light Graffiti Art

I came across this amazing web site when I was checking out the history of graffiti and urban art. Click here if you would like to see more of this.



This is an example of 'Light Graffiti' by Cenci Goepel and Jen Warnecke.

Graffiti Experiment

I decided today to try my hand at graffiti and the result is show in the slide show below.I am not attempting to become a graffiti artist or a vandal - this was done purely to try my hand at this and to enjoy the experience of using spray paints. The work was done on brown paper stuck to a wall with masking tape in the patio just off my art studio.

I was thinking of doing this onto a ready painted canvas but it is not as easy as it seems especially as the paint comes out quite 'wide' and I would have to use a very large canvas to use this method. Of course, I would have only one chance to get it right and might easily ruin the work that had already been done. Well, I will just have to give this more thought. Good fun though!

PS
A couple of hours later I decided to add some brush strokes of acrylic paint.

Graffiti Experiment

Graffiti and Crumbling Walls

I have had what seems like a very long break from painting – it has been at least six months. I realised I need a break when the last two paintings I was working ran into the ground. Throughout this time I have taken no interest in art whatsoever apart from wondering sometimes if my interest had gone for good although I really hoped it hadn’t.

Part of the time was spent on a much needed holiday in The Gambia where I came face to face, for the very first time, with extreme poverty. It was an experience that will haunt me for the rest of my life and one which has occupied much of my thought and resources ever since. I could write pages about it and the total lack of working together by all those that are trying to help to improve things. It is, in my opinion, a human tragedy which would be relatively easy to solve but like so many things in this world it needs some joined-up thinking and that still seems to be an ever elusive human quality.


For some unknown reason my interest in art returned in the last few weeks. I decided it was time to experiment again and found myself thinking back over some of the articles I had read on Jafabrit’s blog on the subject of graffiti and urban art. So, one day I took out my camera and took loads of photos of graffiti, crumbling walls, peeling paint and torn posters that are plastered all over Alicante. Since then, I have become really quite turned on by all of this and found it a real inspiration. It also brings into question what is the difference between abstraction and realism. The photos are of abstraction and yet are total reality. ‘Go figure’ I think the popular phrase is.

Jafabrit said she would like to see some of the photos so in response to this I have put together the following slide show. It was great fun taking these ‘abstract reality’ photos and I am sure they will influence my forthcoming work enormously. I am definitely in experimentation mood and my head is buzzing with ideas. I hope that you enjoy them and see what I see.

Photo Slideshow

New Painting

This is my first painting following a much needed break of about 6 months.

30cm x 30cm
Acrylic
2008