Robert Pennor
My Inspiration
An instructor at the Art Institute of Boston once told me that I was a geometrical artist. Over the years, I came to realize that it was true even with my landscape paintings. After art school I became an advertising and architectural artist, which seemed to confirm that assumption. I do prefer a strong dark, typically black, shape to hold together various colors. I have always appreciated the gestural paintings of Franz Kline. I try to create movement throughout the painting. The name Starburst did not come to me until weeks after I had finished the painting.
My Design Strategy
I made it a point to not be so geometrical with this painting. Working with pencil and drawing pad, I completed 10 or more small sketches. Some of my paintings are very geometrical and give the impression of street scenes with rectangular structures. A few of my paintings have a sensual S-shape as a base. I wanted to have more action in this painting and decided on diagonal shapes. This automatically creates dynamism. It was important for me to keep the colors in tune with the intent of this composition. In other words, no calm pastel colors. Red and black were chosen.
My Working Process
I typically start with thumbnail sketches of black slashes within rectangles. After choosing one from the many I decided on a color scheme. Since this black cruciform shape is dynamic, I decided on keeping with the energy and used red as an accent color. I prepared a large canvas by laying down texture with a 4-inch house brush loaded with modeling paste thinned with gesso. I painted the canvas with a mother color, then, I slashed in the bold black connected diagonals. Layering color is important for depth. I kept the edges loose and proceeded with smaller supporting rectangles of color. Within two days I made some changes to shapes and colors. After two weeks I applied a satin varnish.
Contact Details
Email: rpennor@sbcgloba.net