Cary Smith: Splat16 February –13 March 2011> PAST  > ARTIST PAGE
.splat is the most thing-like shape i've ever seen you use. how did it develop?
The Splat paintings come directly out of my last body of work. I'm still painting the field around the shapes, using negative space to create the image. In those earlier paintings there were often biomorphic forms inside ovals or circles. There was also a meandering line, which along the inner edge and in the corners, acted as a hard edge geometry. Combined,  these elements inform the splat shape, and the unpainted strip along the edge.  I guess you could say the Splat shape has a "thing" like quality. The form is more "iconic" or singular than the earlier, more "diorama"-like paintings. For a good while now I've wanted to make non-representational paintings that suggest a narrative while remaining essentially abstract, if that's possible.

.your color is very specific - is it out of the tube or mixed for each painting? are you particular about using or not using specific brands?
I've only been making the Splat paintings in cerulean blue, straight from the tube, or with a mixed pale yellow-green. Specific color, yes, but arrived at intuitively. In  these paintings I’ve been using water soluble oil paint. I’ve been thinning the paint to a great degree, to create a luminous stain which I can continue to work on over a good period of time.
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Cary Smith Cary Smith Cary Smith Cary Smith Cary Smith Cary Smith Cary Smith Cary Smith Tracy Miller, Hydrangea, 2009 tmf0924 Cary Smith Cary Smith
space Splat #20 (green), 2010; oil paint on linen; 60 x 60”; $ 40,000 Splat #23, 2011; graphite on pink Smythson writing paper;
4.875 x 4.25”; $ 2,200
Splat #22, 2011; graphite on pink Smythson writing paper;
4.875 x 4.25”; $ 2,200
space Splat #21 (cerulean), 2010; oil paint on linen; 36 x 36”; $ 15,000 Splat #14, 2010; graphite on pink Smythson writing paper;
4.875 x 4.25”; $ 2,200
Splat #17, 2010; graphite on pink Smythson writing paper;
8 x 6.25”; $ 3,200
Splat #15 (cerulean), 2010; oil paint on linen; 36 x 36”; $ 15,000 Splat #16 (cerulean), 2010; oil paint on linen; 36 x 36”; $ 15,000 Splat #17 (cerulean), 2010; oil paint on linen; 36 x 36”; $ 15,000 Splat #15, 2010; graphite on pink Smythson writing paper;
4.875 x 4.25”; $ 2,200
Splat #12, 2010; graphite on pink Smythson writing paper;
4.875 x 4.25”; $ 2,200
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