Rough Going

By Barry Hammond

Mixed media on canvas

20 cm x 20 cm x 4 cm

Price on request

Meaning and visual impact:

One week in my studio I could not decide to paint or to sculpt - so I did both on one work. The effect is like a sculpture on a canvas because the material appears rock like and carved out into a symmetrical form. Over the sculpted form are gradients of natural colour. Although a small work, suitable for mounting on a mantle or shelf, it has a lot of presence. Despite its size the work has three dimensionality and depth, not as an illusion, but because it really has those characteristics.

Technical aspects:

On a small canvas I used a near concrete style concoction to create a heavy material that I could cut, hammer, cut, and beat into place. The first stage was certainly more sculptural than painting . The material used dried hard as rock but was quite absorbent to oil paint. I added further depth by filling up crevasses with clear coat glaze for some real depth. I even uses an electric sander to flatten out areas before painting.

The canvas edges are sharp and precise, like a well executed painting, which surprises many viewers because the front surface is so rock like in appearance. The 4 cm wide sides are painted white.