As you can see from the title everything in this article will be rectangular artwork based. For regular blog Readers just to let you know I’m posting like–sets of works together due to my busy painting output of the past few months.
Excluding pieces in this article I now have eleven painting works to publish to my blog. Even as I write I have a new (to me) abstract artworking (style) in mind to make. I would say my artworking happens in phases. Phases can be inspirationally motivated, of styles, of mood.
Abstracts are primarily my present ‘phase’.
“Soul Window – Lagoon Nebula” is interesting in that this acrylic painting is derived from a digital artwork and not the other way around.
You can take a quick peek at the digital inspiration by clicking here:
A post shared by Matt The Unfathomable Artist (@the_unfathomable_artist)
Quotation from pre-published social media in brackets:
[ I made the acrylic painting completely in 1 hour 4 minutes and 8.07 seconds including the prior freehand sketching for the rectangular placements in pencil. These placements were all made without measuring equipment purely by sight.
Entirely palette knifework from tube placed paint. No masking of areas on the canvas purely for speed art working.
Whilst the artwork was drying I noted very minute details I wished to change. To the left I noticed some pinkish paint in the yellow-ochre rectangle which was quickly overpainted within a few minutes on the 19th.
The following day I removed cerulean paint marks at the 4mm canvas outer edges with ivory-black paint. To the lower-left canvas edge, very slight ivory-black additions to finely balance the visible canvas lines you see in the ivory-black outer rectangle.
The two additional separate drafts literally took me minutes each.
This piece is my first physical acrylic painting version of my earlier “Soul Window – Lagoon Nebula” digital Pop Art made on 1st September 2023 using professional digital painting software. One of my very best digital artworks in my opinion.
This painting is best viewed at gallery viewing distance to fully enjoy the artistic experience. ]
Future acrylic ‘Soul Windows’ could include non-rectangular designs. For now I’m happy to continue experimenting with the time-honoured tradition of mathematically pleasing rectangles.
“Fiery Mustard-Blue Rectangular Frame” is one of the most yummiest, diverse paintings I’ve ever made.
It [ took just under one hour six minutes to finish in one draft. It’s an inspiration from a photographic skyscape with ‘Van Gogh-like’ motions over the canvas.
The unusual colour palette makes for a different viewing experience.
Van Gogh, Rothko, Pollock, Warhol and Basquiat all had moments in their career where they chose to make works, perhaps, at odds with some pieces becoming immediate commercial successes. Yet, “the artist realises something in their work to appear alive, sentient.”
For me “Fiery Mustard-Blue Rectangular Frame” represents the undervalued beauty of the Earth through the magnifying glass of the sky.” ] – quotation in brackets from my pre-published social media.
I just re-read “represents the undervalued beauty of the Earth through the magnifying glass of the sky“.
It’s a fair commentary for this acrylic in my opinion. It does look like a VVG garden painting.
VVG = Vincent Van Gogh.
“Red-Green Rectangular Frame” took 35m29.43s to make. I love it. Here is a crop of the timer screenshot:
I have kept most every timer photograph catalogued with my speedworked pieces.
Quite challenging to make this one. I did geometric palette tool lines prior to the rectangles (seen underneath in the background). The top and lower green rectangle lines were perfection as soon as I placed them. Slivers of bright beautiful green.
Having purchased cadmium red I was delighted with the strong, overpowering tone. I buy quality paints. Yes it can be expensive, especially making impastos where I use heavy paint applications. To give you an idea, I bought paints in June 2024 and August 2024 to replenish regularly utilised colours.
I do try different product makers to vary my professional output and variety with colour.
I feel “Red-Green Rectangular Frame” has Soul Window qualities to the innermost rectangle. The two yellowy-gold verticals of the inner red rectangle look super on the canvas.
Personally I know how I would frame these pieces to hang on the wall.
Hope you enjoy.
The Unfathomable Artist 