"Sutro Tower Junk Painting" -- a different and experimental piece for me! It's on view in a show opening tonight, January 24, at the Drawing Room Annex on Valencia!
As a mural artist, I have often encountered obstacles on the walls I am painting. I have become fascinated with figuring out how to wrap the painting around the objects that are in the way, such as pipes, poles, and bolts. To explore this idea further, I used found objects such as abandoned building materials, parts of other art projects, and recycling to create an entire panel of obstacles. Some things are recognizable, like an egg carton and a takeout container, and some are more difficult to identify. There is a cut-out repurposed from another project in the shape of the Transamerica Pyramid. I chose Sutro Tower both because I love to paint it and because I thought it would be extra challenging to have the lines of the tower warping around the objects. The tension between the image trying to hold onto its cohesion and the objects trying to get in the way is exciting, and the painting changes dramatically depending on the light conditions it is displayed in.