Category Archives: Art Shows

Change Machine

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An image that I should leave untitled, it was another outburst of maniacal distortions, not a chance to have a thought before hand, but I am always tempted as my mood changes and I see the effect the title might have on the viewer. Preferably at a live art show, its always the best to see them in person. This piece is 20 years old at least.

‘Entropy’, 24″ X 24″, oil on canvas, 2003. I also named it ‘Stuffed in a Box’, when I was feeling more confined spatially. And Change Machine. Entropy: Within a closed system, like a box, or the universe, entropy will increase. Entropy being the measurement of disorder. It is the second law of thermodynamics. All we can do is slow it down for ourselves locally by putting in energy, like painting pictures and such. I don’t know what you do. Maybe making shelter for everyone, something like that.

The background here is composed of a part of a branch of a tree in a drawing in the book called Entropy, The Art of Graham Houston….I tiled and squared it repeatedly until this appeared, something always appears.

We are all living inside a change machine, and the rate of change is increasing.

Sunflower Geometry

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‘Sunflowere Geometry’, 15′ X 15″, watercolour. Private collection.

Standing in a field of sunflowers.

Burden

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Burden

‘Burden’, 48″ X 60″, oil on canvas, 1994.

I remember it well, so long ago now, at a typical physical art show, you can see the painting in person. The title is on the wall, sometimes. A friend whispered in my ear, “just number them”. I see now the wisdom in that statement. You shouldn’t need anything really. The presence of the physical painting should make you hear it without me saying anything. If I have done it correctly.

Am I a burden to you? Or are you a burden on me?

Reclining on the Wall

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To show the size of the painting compared to an ordinary batchelor apartments walls.

‘Reclining/Neurotica II’, 60″ X 120″, oil on canvas, 1988.

The second painting in the attempt to create a style for myself to study the effects of colour and form on the audience, or gallery patrons is more acurate. I am always interested in what the public are doing when they look at the piece, and they don’t know I am the painter, the show is when I can watch you. The idea is that people could be affected by colour and form, even if they don’t know what they are looking at. They physically bend and twist their bodies without realizing it, trying to give the image a place in their minds. Its quite hilarious. And then its too late, the artist is in now, the image moves at the speed of light, you can’t unsee this. What information is in the image?

As you can see I have to stand in the annex to my greenhouses in order to get a picture at all. There are two this size which did make an appearance in the public eye. At a small gallery in the West, and at a business conference. That was fun. This piece was standing vertically beside Neurotica One, it made a ten foot by ten foot wall of flesh. They were both painted at one of those rare moments in my life when I actually loved one of you.

‘Neurotica One’, another painting taken by beings from a different dimension, or reality, as in anyone with a house and a wall large enough to show this painting. The photo of Neurotica One, on the right, is from my sign shop in the West where it was created. Standing beside each other they were a spectacle.

I have just recently pulled this out from my art cave to unroll it and relieve the canvas a little. It should really be hung again in a frame to pull tighter than this. But hanging it for a few days and pinning it down will do for now. Its still really flexible, no cracks at all. It was framed and stretched originally by a professional, me, so its a bargain at $35.000.00 US.

‘Neurotica #2/ Reclining’, 60″ X 120″, oil on canvas, 1988.$35,000.00 US.

My second book

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This is the cover I designed for the book. I made these through Amazon's books and Kindle.

This link will take you to the e-book on Amazon.

A fellow painter of large pieces said to me I should make a record of some kind, a gathering of little images and ideas created from the large ones. Maybe stitched or glued together.

As I have many large paintings, and a great deal of other work, the idea of having something small I could hold in my hand was very enticing. As much for others as it was for me to see what I got up to from my death bed.

Domesticated VI

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‘Domesticated VI’, 24″ X 32″, oil on panel, 1996.

This one does have a title its ‘do as I say!’,

I was using a palette knife and a brush for these. I would mix new dried blood colour for doing each line drawing on the blank panel. I had a little mirror hanging on the same wall, and would usually start with a sketch right on the wall. It was covered with little red doodles of my face and attempted body distortions.

I am trying to make the image with as few brushstrokes as possible.

Domesticated III

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‘Domesticated III’, 20″X 32″, oil on panel, 1996.

I think it is not truly square, its a found piece of masonite as I remember. If it was in the rubbish pile and I thought it was the right shape or just paintable, I would take it, more from cheapness than any idea of recycling or upward cycling like the future decided would be good. New canvas or even decent wood panels for gessoing was expensive as far as I was concerned, and that was from the lumber store, forget about art suppliers.

The series is not numbered by people in the image to be sure, even the first has two people. Some of them have titles, but for now, for this section of my attempted refurbishing of Bedlam Studio Gallery, there are definitely different rooms, I have them numbered, but even that may not be right. Some were painted simultaneously, sometimes three at once, it depended on what I had seen outside the studios. Just a short walk from my apartment to the studios was enough input of despicableness for a week of paintings.

As soon as the group was 3, sides were taken, someone has to be the least. It was like studying anthropology before I went to university and studied anthropology five years later.

Bedlam : The Art of Graham Houston

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Click the cover for a preview of the book.

 From famine and war to murder and suicide I have always sought ways which the visual artist could attract the viewer, hold their attention for long enough to see what’s in front of them and prompt a discussion. It’s the temptation of brightly coloured imagery used to create horrifying ideas, human ideas.

Thanks for the help in making more art. Donate whatever you like, for art supplies or coffee.

$2.00

Pay with PayPal

Below is the link to amazon for the hardcover.

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Domesticated

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‘Domesticated II’, 24″ X 32″, oil on panel, 1996.

There are quite a few painting in this style. I have 32 of them close by or hanging up. Possibly fugurative expressionism, I’m not fond of style labels, it leads far too often to people thinking its connected to or should be compared to a different artist, it is not in someone else’s style, it might be labeled a style, that’s all. The style I developed here was to strip down the elaborate brushwork from the neurotica paintings. A simplification of the image, so the idea that you have been domesticated, is perhaps more easily understood. What are we like when we are put in the same confined spaces as the animals we eat. Soft and mushy bones, fatty muscles, psychological breakdown, extreme violence. Homo domesticus.

Hunger II

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‘Hunger II’, 36″ X 60″,oil on canvas, 1993.

The scale is always a problem. Works like this and larger really need wealthy people with a house and walls big enough to look somewhat balanced. And they need to be this size to have the effect I want. A large field of pthalo blue can be quite chilling physically when you stand in front of this. Perhaps its just the idea of a very large starving child.

Its the second of along series of images I thought of as icons to represent the conditions of our times. This piece has only been seen at Bedlam Gallery in 1994. It is somewhat difficult to find a gallery that will show these at all.

If you read this, I am pretty sure I was not accepted by the Cambridge Library Gallery show about poverty, a bit to loud and direct for them.

These are in the red room. Both of these paintings sold and went to a very big home with 3 others larger. It was great fun hanging them for the customer. I absolutely love seeing my work hanging, well, anywhere.