blast : detail #42 (from The Ruined Sky), 2014
industrial paint, oil-and water-soluble pigment, polyurethane, silica
povidone iiodine, homemade walnut ink, carbon black, victoria blue, interference
mica, clay, metal shavings, studio dust, gesso on conjoined wood panels
33 1/8 x 35 1/8 inches | collection of the artist
detail #40 (from The Ruined Sky), 2013
industrial paint, oil-and water-soluble pigment, polyurethane
povidone iodine, homemade walnut ink, carbon black, victoria blue, wax
interference, mica, silica, steel shavings, gesso on conjoined wood panels
32 7/8 x 37 1/8 inches | collection of the artist

detail #39 A–B (from The Ruined Sky) diptych, 2013
industrial paint, oil-and water-soluble pigment, polyurethane
povidone iodine, homemade walnut ink, carbon black, victoria blue, wax
interference, mica, silica, steel shavings, gesso on conjoined wood panels
66 7/8 x 37 1/8 inches | collection of the artist
three larger examples of "working
the seams " inside the stratigraphy
of damage, surrounded by the residual
ambiance—and scaleless space—
created and then left behind.
more image than object (and as much
above as below), these paintings incorporate
industrial-grade materials, natural earths,
minerals and pigments—some collected
on travel—emulsified and merged in an
uneasy mix of transparent and opaque
color, thin washes, and rubbed or abraded
material transference all accompanied
by various intrusions, blots, and clots
embedded in full-bodied layers
of stressed paint.
materials are applied to the support
with the idea they will be lifted, altered,
transferred, damaged, or removed entirely.
because this is so, there is nothing
particularly "technical" about the methods
used to initiate the layers, build up the layers,
or arrive at the work's "final" surface—
the painting's external face.
what is presented here is serendipitous
evidence of work and the work behind
the work—its
having been made.
all the rest lies outside—
inside the tremulous frames
of the interpretive gaze.
goldsmith blocks studio (portland, oregon)