A Break From Nature

A rework of a painting experiment from 2013

When I take a break from painting nature I often go to the human figure. I'm interested in how extreme an image can be blurred while maintaining just enough information for the mind to assemble the shapes into something, or someone, recognizable.

Living with myopia allowed me to experience this trick of the mind in realtime.

I also suffered from allergies, and often wore only one contact lens. I would see the world in vague shapes in one eye, clarity in the other eye. This was a useful tool for painting. My left eye identified broad strokes of shadows, color and form that became the base of the painting. My right eye gave me the detail to complete the work.

 Splatters of paint on the surface help to build form