Notes from other Easels

Wrapped the collaboration with Mark (Jesinoski) late last night.

I'm exhausted and still too close to the experience to say whether the experiment was entirely successful. I enjoyed the camaraderie, the alchemy and the journey, and though I am fairly happy with what we accomplished in nine hours-needless to say, a month unfettered where I could have immersed myself in just that project and polished it to my usual standard, may have produced something truly magical.

However,it was a lot of fun, and shall provide the centrepiece and an interesting talking point for the forthcoming show at Mosaic this Saturday.

Also dropped off two pieces at Alex Salazars Easel showcase yesterday. It's a pretty spetacular litmus test to the quality of artists here in San Diego-dare I say that there is a scene-but the collection certainly gives rise to some kind of burgeoning artistic movement.



Was most impressed by the featured art of Dan Camp. What a true consomate master that gentleman is-a veritable magician with paint, content, color and composition.
He's a sort Noir,surreal,expressionist and his canvases dwarf everything - I'm honored, if a little intimidated to be showing my very meagre contributions alongside such a giant.

For the time being, I am a few steps short of completing 'Legend', to which I added a little humorous side flourish yesterday-the domestic fly, being singularly insignificant and significant in the grand scheme of things-encompassing,I feel- the sentiments of the piece perfectly.

Notes From Two Easels-Speaking in tongues, session one collaboration between David Gough and Mark Jesinoski

Major exciting day in which myself and Mark Jesinoski collaborated on two panels consecutively as a project for the Speaking in tongues show at Mosaic, Sept 4.

Working side by side, without seeing what the other artist was painting, we would switch panels every hour, as a catalyst to the surreal and the abstract, to see if we could draw a balance between the two pieces.
It's an odd dichotomy,akin to marking your territory on someone else's pissing ground, and I'm not sure if the integrity of splatters are always successful working blind like that, but its liberating.

I guess the closest thing to it is a musicians jam, except as the third hour turned,we began to realize the folly of constantly editing out the other voice to be heard, and will begin reigning in the endless noodling by the next session.Here-for all their naked fumbling's, are the results of our first session.

We reconvene next Wednesday.

Notes from an Easel

I'm traveling at the speed of light at the moment.

Days have been spent sequestered in my studio, high on paint fumes, melting in atomic temperatures, and trying to avoid any unwanted distractions.

The studio looks like the bloody aftermath of a painting blitz, but I can't stop, shows are pending, walls need filling, the bank account needs feeding-goddammit.

Got the bill today for my injury, at such moments I wish I was back home with the good old NHS.



The oil for 'Disintegration' is complete-It looks deceptively simple, but has been one of my most involved pieces for some time. I've been looking at it for too long to be objective about it. I'll scan it and make prints available as soon as I'm able.


Finally, I've begun the large canvas for a piece going by the working title, 'Infertile Ground'. I figure I needed another wow piece like the Valley, seeing as I am doubling shows over the next few months.

First though, there is the 'totally awesome project' I hinted at over the weekend. San Diego abstract artist Mark Jesinoski and I are getting together to work on a special collaboration for the forthcoming speaking in tongues exhibit. It's an experiment, and will be completely spontaneous, but its going to be a specially filmed event recorded for posterity, so no doubt it will make itself available in some form.