Concrete Block: an autobiography

I taught myself to paint while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Western Samoa. Since my first painting was a portrait of a student (I was a science teacher,)  I was imprinted on portraiture. Throughout my art career, it's always been my first love. For a decade, I traveled the world and did character studies of indigenous people: 

Morning in Samoa   by Nolan Haan     24 x 36 inches   oil on canvas

When I returned to the United States, I became a wildlife artist and specialized in portraits of birds:

Nolan Haan     Peacock   oil on panel     40 x 60 inches

When I finally dedicated myself to contemporary art and began doing paintings of concrete block walls, it was inevitable that I would eventually paint portraits of cement blocks.

What?

When asked at cocktail parties what I do, my answer is "I paint portraits of concrete blocks." As you can imagine, this is usually met with a glassy stare and a hasty retreat. I draw strength knowing that Andy Warhol once had to say, "I do paintings of Campbell's  soup cans." And we all know how that turned out. On occasion, however, someone will ask the logical next question, "Why?"

It took me a long time to answer that question, to realize that these concrete blocks were actually portraits of myself. I never painted a traditional self-portrait, always reluctant to reveal so much about myself. Subconsciously, I was using concrete as a diary. One by one,  the cement blocks were documenting my emotions, my states of mind--my life. My concrete alter ego is less self-conscious, so honesty comes more easily. A life story told in the language of cement...

Close to Silence     acrylic on silk, mounted on hardboard    70 x 40 inches

This series showcases the sculptural integrity of individual blocks, often rendered larger-than-life. The process begins with two questions: "What do I wish to convey about myself?" followed by, "How can concrete block convey this emotion?"

Since they look so 3-D, most viewers go first to the technical aspect of the work. My hope is that the content will also be explored. I want viewers to see something of themselves reflected back.

Nolan Haan in his studio, holding Close to Silence

When asked for a picture of myself in my studio for a forthcoming book, TENWORDSANDONESHOT, this was my submission. (The painting is ready to be mounted on a piece of hardboard cut to the exact shape of the block.) It was a relief to have the concrete block speak on my behalf.

Thank you for taking the time to read by blog. Please bookmark this page so you can find me again. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to post here or email me at nolanhaan@att.net. Also, my website is awaiting your visit at www.AddictedToWalls.com. Take care, and have a productive week.

A flock of Concrete Blocks

My faithful blog readers deserve to be way ahead of the curve in regards to the twists and turns of my artistic output. As promised when I started this blog, I want to share with you any new directions that I am considering. This is a risk for an artist, because once a series of paintings is proposed, it is at the mercy of people’s opinions, both positive and negative. Every comment that an artist hears about a work in progress has the power to affect the artwork. In the interest of full disclosure, however, I will take that risk. So, in the foreseeable future, my next major series will be (insert drum roll): A Flock of Concrete Blocks.

What you see above is a "sketch" of the concept, which is how I always start my paintings. I will do many of these before I choose my first flock. A simple line drawing is all I need. The textures will be added as I actually paint the cement blocks on my silk.  The painting will be mounted on a shaped panel. This is an example of a finished painting:

DNA   acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panel   48 x 70 inches

For now, I am playing with design and relationships. In this series, I obviously removed the constraints of gravity. My concrete blocks will tumble and float and intermingle across the expanse of a large wall. The scale of each will be much larger than life. They will appear light and feel heavy at the same time. Each block will be a separate painting, and then hung on the venue wall to form the flock. As usual, each painting will be shaped like the concrete block itself. If two or more blocks overlap, they will be done as one painting.

This series presents many challenges, but I am extremely excited to give it a try. It will take many months to complete, and you will be with me at each stage.  Oh, and if you know anyone with a large, vacant wall, please let me know.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. If you are a fan of cement, I invite you to visit my website: AddictedToWalls.com. I would love to hear from you, so please don't be shy and leave a comment. Take care, and watch out for those flocks of cinder blocks.

Nolan Haan: "Naked"

I won't ask for a show of hands, but I'm sure many of you have asked yourselves, "What does a concrete block look like completely nude?" My latest painting, "Naked," resolves that burning question. Enjoy.

Unadorned. Unapologetic. Fully exposed with all its faults, yet proudly displaying its sculptural beauty. No smooth skim coat. No fancy stucco finish.  Its beauty lies in its imperfections--a lesson, perhaps.

The painting is quite large, 72 x 36 inches, and is painted in acrylic on silk, then mounted on hardboard cut to the shape of the concrete block. It's a trompe l'oeil (fool-the-eye) painting, completely flat. The center holes are cut out, so you see the venue wall through them. The artwork is mounted two inches from the wall, casting beautiful shadows.

My cement block grew from humble beginnings:

As usual, the first step is to block in the shapes, using gesso of various shades. No detail at this stage, only basic shadows and solid planes of color. The hardboard upon which the painting will be affixed is cut later using a common jigsaw. For now, I must paint the image slightly larger, allowing for the wrapping around the edges of the hardboard. 

 

I am adding the final details and getting excited about the grand unveiling (my current and former tenants can attest to how exciting that is!) My studio is a 400 sq. foot room in my historic apartment building in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Each month I hang my most recent painting in the public hallway, under perfect lighting of course! If you're ever in South Florida, please stop by.

UPDATE: "Naked" had its world unveiling at the Boca Raton Museum of Art's "All Florida" exhibition, curated by Valerie Leeds (Flint Institute of Art.) Please see the following post with pictures from the event.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my art blog. Please bookmark this page so you can read the new entry each Sunday. If you have any questions, please ask, and don't forget to check out my website: AddictedToWalls.com. Take care and have a good week.

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Secrets Revealed: How to paint like me

Often I have been asked how artists get their ideas and inspirations. Most artists would agree that a concept can come from almost anywhere: a comment overheard on the subway, a line of text in a blog, a picture or painting one sees by chance. The photo of the painting "Raft of the Medusa" by Gericault was given to me by an artist friend, Dee Connors. I was overwhelmed by the image, and knew instantly I wanted to do a painting based on it. My blog today will show you the various stages the painting went through.

Gericault    Raft of the Medusa

If you look closely at Gericault's painting, you can see the face I chose to paint in the lower middle/left. I enlarged it as much as I could in Photoshop, but the working photo was quite pixilated, so I probably didn't get too close to the original. This is fine, because I wanted to make it my own anyway.

The first step is to block in the figure and shape of the concrete blocks, using thin acrylic paint in a watercolor consistency. All the major decisions as to placement are made in this stage. It is important for the mortar lines not to interfere with an important features of the man's face. Using light umber and yellow ocher, I indicate the highlights and shadows. I am not concerned with details yet. The painting is 40 x 40 inches and is painted on silk charmeuse.

Confident that everything is where it's supposed to be, I begin to refine the details with thin layers of paint. I am now sculpting the lips, nose, chin, eyes, and of course the cement block. Both the skin texture and cement texture must be done concurrently. There is always a push and pull to keep the balance equal.

 I begin to introduce colors like burnt sienna, which will glow through the subsequent layers of paint. I delineated the eyes for proper shape and placement. To add interest in the concrete block texture, I introduce a bit of stucco in the lower portion of the painting. I have to commit to this from the first layer, or it'll give me problems later.

 By now I'm feeling good about the piece.  All the problems have been worked out (one trick is to look at the painting in a mirror. The reversed image shows any flaw in the design.) Each layer of paint adds richness, and as the shadows deepen (to both the figure and the concrete block), the textures become accentuated and the drama reveals itself. The drudgery is over and the fun begins.

Voila! The grand unveiling. And then the doubts begin. Did I go too far? (One of the hardest aspects of painting is knowing when to stop!) Did I lose too much of the concrete block? Did it get too dark? There is always a moment when the painting looks good, but you think that with one more push, it can be great. "Do I risk everything and take it one more step?" Every artist has to struggle with that question. Sometimes you lose a piece because it went too far. But it is very important to be willing to take that risk.

Well, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you have any questions, please ask. I'll try to post something new each Sunday, so please come back to visit. Hope you have a productive week.

To see more paintings of concrete block walls, please visit my website: www.AddictedToWalls.com

Urban Cave Paintings

My transition from wildlife art into contemporary art was a series entitled "Urban Cave Paintings." I combined my love of wildlife, my fascination with prehistoric cave paintings, and my new passion for concrete blocks. This series answered the question, "What if you bought a house and went into the basement, only to discover a cache of ancient cave paintings?"

Urban Cave Painting: Wounded Stag (Lascaux)     acrylic on silk    60 x 40 inches

In 1991, this painting was shown in the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's "Wildlife: an Artist's Perspective" and was chosen for their world tour. It was the first time one of my cinder block paintings was exhibited, so it was a proud moment for me. In the catalog, the reviewer wrote:

“...Another unusual work is “Urban Cave Painting:  Wounded Stag” by Nolan Haan.  The only wildlife in sight is a crudely rendered prehistoric antelope on a cinder block wall.  All of this is rendered in acrylic on silk in perfect illusionistic detail.  It is one of the few works in the show with depth of content.”  

                                                       —Ron Netsky, Professor of Art, Nazareth College

This is how the painting looks draped, prior to stretching on stretcher bars. I decided to base this series on famous cave paintings from around the world, often taking artist liberties with the color and design. The next painting featured the swimming deer, also from Lascaux.

Urban Cave Painting: Swimming Deer    acrylic on silk    40 x 60 inches

Urban Cave Painting: Elk and Horses     acrylic on silk    40 x 60 inches

I took some liberties with Elk and Horses. After studying the typical stylistic proportions the ancients used, such as small heads, distended bellies, and tiny, thin legs, I created my own horses. Apologies to Lascaux for presuming to improve and their design.

Urban Cave Painting: Falling Cow (Lascaux)     acrylic on silk     40 x 60 inches

Urban Cave Painting: the Hunters     acrylic on silk     36 x 72 inches (diptych)

The Hunters is based on cave art found in Africa. I found the depictions of humans (rare in Europe) to be very contemporary in design.

Urban Cave Painting: Spot lit Bull     acrylic on silk     40 x 60 inches

I conclude my blog today with one of my favorites: the Spot lit Bull. I hope you have enjoyed exploring my urban caves. Please bookmark this page so you can find me again and please come back often. I'd love to hear from you with any questions or comments, and don't forget to visit my website: AddictedToWalls.com. Take care and have a good week.

Art of Discrimination

Many people are curious about my process, so today I will take you on a step by step tour of how my concept for a group of paintings entitled "Art of Discrimination" developed.

Step one: the Concept. When I come upon a person who is physically challenged, I react in specific ways. Depending on the severity of the deformity, I tend to respond with avoidance, indifference, or curiosity. I am ashamed of these reactions, but I believe they are typical human responses. I wanted to depict these reactions using a series of concrete blocks.

Step two: the sketch. I drew the installation prototype with a free program, Google Sketchup. With this software program, I can draw a concrete block, then orient it in space. By carefully positioning the blocks, I achieved the attitudes of avoidance, indifference, and curiosity. These simple shapes are all I need to render the final paintings.

Sketch for "Art of Discrimination" by Nolan Haan  7 x 32 feet 

My computer generated working sketch for the physically challenged concrete block is:

The scale is for a 32 linear foot wall, which I consider an average size installation. Each of the cement blocks will be a highly realistic, larger-than-life painting in acrylic on silk. Each will be painted separately and mounted on a shaped panel using acid free adhesive.

Step Three: Preparing the silk. The first thing I do is cut and wash a piece of  silk charmeuse (the same material wedding dresses are made of), using cold water and a gentle shampoo. This pre-shrinks the fabric, so it won't respond to the water based acrylic paint and gesso that is later applied. The silk is air dried and then ironed:

Contemporary artist Nolan Haan preparing silk charmeuse for painting

Silk is difficult to work with, but because it has a smooth surface, it does not compromise the illusion of cement with the texture of canvas. To keep it square, I tape the edges with masking tape.

Step four: The painting begins. The shape of the concrete block is carefully pencil sketched on the silk. The basic planes are blocked in using Golden Gesso. I mix black and white gesso to make various shades of gray.

I do not worry about details at this stage. I want a layer of gesso on the entire surface, and I want to be sure the shapes are all correct.

The gesso layer is complete.

Step five: With the design blocked in, I begin the process of painting the cement detail, using acrylic paint. Over the years I have developed  proprietary techniques to transform the silk into cement. I incorporate brushes, rubbing, and spray paint to transform the luxurious fabric into concrete. No computer, printing, photo transfer, silk screen, or photographic techniques are used. 

Step six: mounting. When the painting is complete, I cut a piece of hardboard to the exact shape of the block, using a jigsaw. I then mount the painting onto the board with acid free  spray adhesive.

The final painting

UPDATE: The Boca Art Museum accepted Art of Discrimination into their highly competitive "All Florida" exhibition. Because of the 8 foot size restriction, I could only enter 3 of the panels. The painting was a hit! The museum's education department asked me to give a talk about my work. It's always gratifying to see a concept come to life and engage a viewer.

As usual, I appreciate your time spent reading my blog. Please bookmark the page and share it with your friends. To see more of my artwork, please visit my website: AddictedToWalls. This week I was profiled in the Cultural Quarterly-- you don't want to miss that riveting read! Questions and comments are most welcome, so don't be shy. Take care, and I'll see you next week.

Boca Raton Museum of Art's "60th Annual All Florida Juried Competition and Exhibition"

The annual show at the Boca Raton Museum of Art  is always my most anticipated event, if I'm fortunate enough to be chosen. This year's curator was Dr. Valerie Leeds of the Flint Institute of Art, who culled through 1800 submissions to choose 101 for the show. My painting, Naked, which was discussed in an earlier blog, made its public debut.

Nolan Haan                                Naked                                   Mitchell Lambert

What artists appreciate most about this show is that each painting is hung and lit perfectly. The curators carefully transition from one painting to the next, cognizant of how the artwork relates visually to its neighbors. The opening reception was well attended, and the concrete block name tags worn by my friends (as seen in photo above) made quite the impression. Branding efforts were in high gear!

"All Florida Exhibition" at the Boca Raton Museum of Art

Although I did not win an award, my friend Virginia Fifield won the prestigious merit award for her stunning charcoal entitled "Contemplations of Life, Death, and Beauty." Congratulations Virginia.

This concludes my blog for this Sunday. Thank you for taking the time to visit, and please come back often. If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you. To see more images of my artwork, please visit AddictedToWalls.com. Take care, and have an eventful week.