The body of work I've created is based upon the Chopstick Drip Painting technique I developed about 12 years ago. Harnessing the power of gravity, I drip oil-based enamel paint from chopsticks onto wood. It's a system of gravity and imperfection.
I have chosen to use this (unruly) paint in an unconventional approach, creating mostly figurative works that push drip painting beyond its confines of abstract expressionism. The synergy of paint & gravity has allowed me to create a hybrid art form that coalesces the seemingly inverse worlds of Jackson Pollock and Bob Ross.
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, but for me it was boredom. I got bored doing art that has already been done before, and this led me to experiment with this paint. One day I left the lid off the can by mistake, and noticed how this altered this viscosity of the paint. I noticed after the paint thickened, the lines I dripped kept their integrity. This opened up a whole new dimension to creating art, realizing I could use my pen & ink drawing skills to drip the line instead of draw it. The technique requires me to assert control over a medium with a high random tendency.
I found that the simplest drawings I dripped took on an edge and a life of their own. I had to adjust my concept of “mastering the medium.” I had to learn to work with the paint. I did what I did. The paint did what the paint did. It was the beginning of a relationship. There was no master. Just the two of us -- me and the paint dancing together. Sometimes I would lead, sometimes the paint would. Sometimes we stepped on each others toes, but it never got boring. So we kept dancing. That was over 13 years ago.
I keep it simple -- chopsticks, paint, gravity, and maybe a little imagination. To see more videos and read about my inspirations, visit buchanart.
Thank you for visiting, Peter G. Buchan.
More info: buchanart.com
A Moment Ago - A Chopstick Drip Painting That Received 1st Place Among 622 International Art Entries
