I've often thought of my process and practice as it relates to painting as being akin to that of a b movie film director. There’s an unnecessarily short amount of time I give myself to make a work (I’m trying to change this this year). I always feel like i’m on the clock and have a deadline. Even though I’ve got none. Anyway. The allure of the big badass painting does loom in my mind. The James Cameron of paintings, with all the right characters and planning, etc. The thing is. That’s just not how I work. I’m perfectly comfortable to churn out independent features that are short and sweet. This is quite similar to my favorite films. Most of which are made by Cannon films. Ninja III. maximum Overdrive, Runaway Train, Delta Force, Missing in Action, etc. These films were created out of sheer determination and a tight timeline and bedgetary constraint. But this doesn’t just pertain to low budget cannon films. Many directors are loved for their “early work” Sam Raimi making Evil Dead, or George Lucas’ THX 1138. We love the fact that they made due with what they had and there’s a certain charm in these films which can’t be reproduced. One thing I’ve always wondered, is why after a ton of success don’t these directors who have an endless amount of cash waiting to fund their projects do ten small films instead of one big one? Surely five will be trash, but there would probably be one masterpiece in the midst. In the current climate we’ve got films written by committee that hit on all the right notes that a film is supposed to have, but they still fall flat. Ninja III is still a far more interesting film than JJ Abrams star wars.
Anyway, since nobody is reading this I can use it as a place to take notes about my own process and how I make paintings. Yes, I do make them en masse, and work consistently with very basic materials, but there’s some good ones that come out as well. Many times people think success should be quality over quantity, but I think the way I find the keepers is through making consistently. I wish all artists would take this approach. Musicians included. Where’s LADY gagas acoustic album she recorded on her bedroom and released on SoundCloud? Just her and a guitar. That’s all you need.