This is a piece I did on Saturday with the help of a squirt bottle, a pot of coffee and my shoe. The lightly stained color that sets up the black is a couple cups of very dark coffee poured and brushed into the fabric...the stain is just slightly brown, and gives the canvas a more earthy tone that I really like and look for a lot in my own work and that of others. In some work of great masters, it's the linen or burlap peeking through, and with cotton canvas, you just need a light stain to really bring out the relaxation of the earth tones.
I just like the tan backing better than a stark white. While the white may provide more pop, I think the tan provides a bit of warmth and contributes to the color. Where the white will lie undisturbed and vibrant, the tan seems to interact a bit with the color, giving it life while keeping its own. The white worked well in Class Warfare, setting the black and yellow off in stark contrast to the surface, releasing that bold symbolism I desired, but here, I feel the image is much more relaxed, subdued and reserved. maybe even intimate?
It's got some iconic power, but it's a "cozy cabin on a small, still lake" power, not a "sunset over the mountains with eagles and bears and a waving american flag" power...
The inspiration for the image came from two separate images. One with coal-workers standing in the mist and haze, silhouetted against the mine with only their headlamps breaking the darkness...and one the silhouette of trees against the light of an approaching forest fire...i suppose it's about enduring.
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