Johnathan Daily Swedish-American , b. 1974
Nordvind (series Blixtfisket), 2020
Oil on canvas
60 x 50 cm, 66 x 56 cm with frame
Series: Blixtfisket | Fishing for Lightning
This series is the first in a new style that I’ve been working in since 2019. I feel like I’ve created a new language with this series, one that furthers...
This series is the first in a new style that I’ve been working in since 2019. I feel like I’ve created a new language with this series, one that furthers my capacity to express my thoughts and imagination. These paintings involve loose brushstrokes worked into black backgrounds. The imagery here is intentionally somewhat random, and any trends in motif tend to be ephemeral. I’m “fishing for lightning” here, grabbing a netful of random thoughts from the recesses of my mind and then capriciously choosing one to share, giving little consideration as to why. I am trying to spy on the inner projections of the mind, where fantasy and memory mix together, objects cast no shadows and can be seen internally and externally from a three-dimensional “god’s eye” perspective, and depiction blends phenomenological impressions with abstracted interpretations. Varnish brushes are trimmed to make them thinner, and the oils are loosened considerably until a fluid brushstroke is achievable. Only one colour is painted on a canvas at a time, which is then allowed to dry before another layer is added, and frequent layers of black brushwork are necessary to submerge imagery back into the background sufficiently. Multiple layers are necessary to create “3D” colour combinations meant to collectively create individualized overall colours (in the same way that artists use pastels when drawing from life to add vibrancy and complexity to their depictions). I mix pigments in order to achieve partial transparency which, in combination with the striated effect created by the adapted brushes, allows new layers to reveal much of the information underneath. This extends the number of layers that can be overlapped, which gives this technique powerful potential to create visual three-dimensional effects. Varnishing is also an important finishing step in these works, as it fuses the black layers together and makes the paint in the brushstrokes feel like crystalline light. I enjoy this painting technique very much. It gives me a great sense of freedom, it’s challenging to execute, and it makes me very curious.
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