Painting > subtle knife

abstract painting by Robert John Glass, fire, bamboo, trees
oil on canvas
16x20 inches
May 2014
abstract painting by Robert John Glass
oil on canvas
24x30 inches
September 2014
abstract painting by Robert John Glass
oil on canvas
16x20 inches
October 2015
abstract painting by Robert John Glass
oil on canvas
16x20 inches
October 2014
abstract painting by Robert John Glass
oil on canvas
16x40 inches
October 2014
abstract painting by Robert John Glass
oil on canvas
16x20 inches
October 2014
abstract painting by Robert John Glass
oil on canvas
36x36 inches
October 2014

Subtle Knife: This series begins to explore the possibilities arising from the sculpting of color on canvas. I apply color in layers while it is still wet, much like icing a cake with multiple layers of icing, and then remove wet paint with a variety of knives to “sculpt” it, colors emerging from below. To date, I have applied oil paint in layers starting with yellows and sometimes oranges, followed by reds and sometimes light blues, with a final outer layer of deep dark blues. The curing process, requiring many months, evolves complex surface structure in some of the layers reflecting light in mesmerizing patterns across the field and imparting infinite variability to the observer.