Brooklyn Navy Yard Artist Residence 2015

I was an artist in residence at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 2015. This is the painting that I created as part of the residency. It started with a laser transfer to canvas of a panorama photo I took from the roof of one of the Navy Yard buildings. The image was low resolution, but I used it because it depicts the Navy Yard as it exists today. I next laid out marsh grass that I collected from around the area to reference the past. The Navy Yard is build on a large swamp area of tidal sand bars on the Brooklyn side of the East River. These two elements of past and present were then connected with painted iron rust and Brooklyn earth. These elements created their own organic forms as they mingled with each other. The iron/rust pigments bloomed, changed, and evolved over time even after the paint dried out.   

Experimenting with the layout of the marsh grass and the photo-transfer. The canvas at this stage is  unframed. The photo transfer is done by printing the photograph using a Laser printer. Acyric matte medium is applied to the canvas and the print placed image side down into the medium. After the print has dried the paper is soaked in water and scrubbed off. All the paper is removed leaving only the black toner of the print.

Adding the iron and rust elements. Now the canvas has been stretched.

Rust creeping and building.

Building up lower elements with natural elements of soil and clay.

My proccess of creating a painting is first establishing the various elements of pigment, soil, and playing them off reactive elements of iron, salt, and plant material. I define the perameters, add the elements, and allow the process to occur.

Starting to form and build the horizontal areas that describe the evolution of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. At the bottom, the marsh grass will sprout. It will be both the starting point and the obscuring end point.

Building and planting the marsh grass in grey clay. This is the one element I would change if  I were to recreate this work. The clay ended up heavy and brittle when it dried. I would use styrofoam and a thin light coating over it. That would significantly cut down on the finished weight. It would also help solidify the overall structure.

The almost finished work. I went back in and added color to the grey clay area to blend it in with the bottom paint elements.