Resonance
There are occasions when an image would just pop into my mind as I look at a blank page or stare out from a train window. Not sure where or why I thought and sketch this one out. The only thing that I do recall was a sense of something transitional from the physical to angelic, hence the sweeping arches which are somehow invoking the presence a halo before forming the feathers of the winged angel. Not sure how much of that was the thought at the time or the story I have created since.
This was the original pencil sketch from 2005.
The final finished painting, if you stare at the image you may start to see it vibrate. Resonance (2024) Oil on Canvas board
This work was originally painted in oils, built up with smooth layers of colour to capture the sharp lines of the original sketch. When I finished, it sat on the easel staring back at me. It felt flat. Something was missing. It looked strangely uninteresting, with nothing to intrigue the eye or spark excitement. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with it.
With nothing to lose, I decided to attack the surface with a palette knife and simply have some fun. That was when things began to happen. The dark areas came to life, becoming deep and rich with tones of purple and streaks of red, evoking a sense of the sins the angel carries. The painting became fast and loose, less concerned with detail and more focused on movement, gesture, and the moment captured within the curved lines.
Then I noticed something unexpected: the painting began to move. It sounds strange, and it was entirely unintentional, but to me it started to vibrate. I wasn’t the only one to experience this. During the last two Emsworth Arts Trails, many people stood in front of it, staring. Some saw the same vibration, while others became slightly frustrated that they couldn’t see anything move at all. Even now, I still see it in the uploaded image above, although the effect is far more pronounced in the original.
And so, that is the story of Resonance.