Hey all, it’s spring, my favourite time of year. There is simply nothing I don’t love about it! Flowers, scenting the warming air. Cycling, birdsong, green popping out everywhere. Happy sigh. I hope you are loving it as much as I am.
Last week, I wrote about this show coming up tomorrow, the “tomorrow” after this edition of the Grapevine comes out. I told you about the songs, my history of a cappella singing, my relationship with the guitar, and all the changes there.
This week, I’d like to share some background on the art project I’ll be presenting.
I’ll be projecting a slideshow onto the big screen at the Arts Centre. Each image will remain for thirty seconds before fading into the next. There are 38 images in total, so they should cycle through three or four times, though not always in exactly the same order.
This project began in 2009, when I committed to a two year daily practice. Every morning, I took a selfie, making faces at the camera: a grimace, a smile, a serene gaze, whatever my impulse of the moment called for. Then, throughout the day, I photographed anything that caught my attention, mosses, animals, sky, flowers, textiles, everything and anything.
At the end of each day, I layered two or three of those images with my face and blended them in Photoshop until something resonant emerged. I didn’t view them as self portraits. I used my own face because it was the only one I had on hand. Convenient. I wanted to create something archetypal, for each image to evoke a specific mood or feeling.
After two years, I had built quite a library. Many of the images were forgettable, but a surprising number turned out well, and I always intended to do something with them. I uploaded some to Facebook and many to Flickr, and then forgot them to move on to other things.
Two years ago, while searching for images for the inside fold of my CD case, I remembered the project. To my horror, I discovered the external hard drive I had stored them on had died. But there they were on Flickr, so I downloaded them all to my iPad. I chose a joyful yellow flower face and, with the help of a graphic designer, submitted it, only to be told the resolution was not high enough.
Stumped, I had an idea. I imported the image into a Procreate canvas set to the correct dimensions and resolution. I stretched it to fit, then, working on a single layer with a small blending brush, I carefully painted it. It worked beautifully. That image became the inside fold of the CD and was also used for the posters for my release party.
I loved the process so much that I began working on the others. This time, instead of limiting myself to CD sized dimensions, I created the largest canvases my iPad Pro could handle. When my older iPad started crashing and would not recover, even after a factory reset, I bought a new one specifically to continue this work. The new device could accommodate canvases up to 33 × 46 inches, so that became my standard size.
I became completely absorbed in the project. Some images were incredibly complex, taking months of daily work, often for hours at a time. Others came together in just a few days. Every piece was painted on a single layer in Procreate, using a fine tipped digital blending brush. No AI was involved. The process was deeply relaxing and pleasurable. I listened to audiobooks and painted every day.
I am still working on these pieces. There are dozens more I love and hope to include eventually. What I have now is just the beginning, though at 38 large images, it has already become a substantial body of work. I am thrilled to be sharing them for the first time.
With the exception of the two images used for the event poster and the CD itself, none of these have been shared on social media or anywhere online. This will be their first public showing.
If anyone falls in love with any of these images, I can certainly have them printed on large canvases. (Just thought I’d mention that.) In the meantime, they only exist in digital form on my iPad. One day, I may create an online gallery where they can be viewed, but for now, this is an exclusive opportunity to see what I’ve been doing.
It will be less a performance than an experience. Next week, I promise I will come up with something else to write about, but right now this is my consuming obsession. I hope to see you there, Hornby and Denman alike! Friday is, after all, late ferry day.
Friday the 17th of April, doors at 7pm, show starts at 7:30.
That’s what I think! What do you think? Feedback and comments are welcome. Thanks to those who have commented so far—it makes me want to do this more! Email me at phoenixonhornby@gmail.com
