post cards from Istanbul

currently untitled (in progress), oil on canvas, 

120" x 81" [two panels], Rico '14

Progress today as I lost myself in retouching the Moroccan patterns by hand.  There is a sublime beauty in Islamic geometry, and I found what I would normally consider a very tedious process incredibly meditative.  I can't really say why I've suddenly introduced these motifs into the work other than the fact that I've been reflecting on a trip I took to Istanbul with my wife in 2006.  We toured mosques until our eyes blurred and then visited the modern art museum.  I don't think I've ever fully digested the work I saw there, though perhaps this is, at last, an honest attempt to do so.  Seeing AbEx interpreted through a completely different culture's eyes was simply incredible.

I've begun researching more patters for incorporation into new work.  I find the combination of order and chaos (albeit constructed chaos) very interesting.  I have many personal associations, but for now at least I'll keep those to myself and allow people their own.

I think the next logical step for me is to begin mixing patterns and combining them.  It's time to clear off the drafting table; I have a feeling I'm going to be using it a lot in the weeks ahead.

I took a fantastic photo of this with my phone, which caught a lot more of the refracted and reflected lighting on the thinner panel.  If you follow me on Instagram, you can see it here.  I'll be building out the abstract forms over the next few evenings and hopefully emphasizing and expanding those wonderful liquid-like moments.