Mockup Background Image by Pete Willis on Unsplash
“Investigation No. 2”, Oil and Pastel on Canvas, 20×28cm, February 2025
The “Investigation” series is a series of projects that experiment with new uses for different mediums. “Investigation No. 2” experiments with the most traditional combination of fiber and oil.
Typically, cotton fabric is used for canvas. The less durable cotton fibers are more prone to breakage due to pulling and stretching. Oil-based pigments are easy to make, convenient to color, and simple to cover up, but they're also not well-suited for long term preservation. Could there be a more inappropriate combination for an expression of immutable beauty? Yet it's a combination that has endured, and will continue to endure.
To express its fragility, “No. 2” does not use a wooden frame. The oils, applied directly to the cotton fibers, flow unsteadily. The slightest movement and the coloring is quickly disrupted. Now what can I do to make it hold? Pre-pinning is just a little trick.
