on a clear day, 2010
The first in a series of landscape paintings [per se] titled sentimental journey’s. Landscape has historically been represented and constructed in romantic ways. As a series, the project will cull from similarly sentimental forms such as film, literature and music. Sheets of 20”h x 70”l aluminum will have selected phrases cut out, the letters consisting of the negative space, and obscured further by the placement of the typography, whereby the letters are only ¾ present at the top of the rectangle.
This example of the first in the series takes the phrase ‘on a clear day’ – initially familiar as the broadway play that Vincente Minnelli made into a fantastical romantic musical film in 1970. However, the full title of the film is ‘On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever’. Interestingly, there was a 2005 film titled ‘On a Clear Day’, by Glasgow director Gaby Dellal, which, in contrast, portrays a gritty working class story. I am curious about the potential for misinterpretation, both in reference to the film titles and in the formal presentation of the phrase, which obscures an easy read, in contrast to the clarity the phrase evokes.
Formally, the negative space of the typography against the white wall can ‘read’ like clouds.
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on a clear day, 2010
Powder coated aluminum 70"w x 20"h. Edition of 3 + 1 AP