Progress Report: A Flock of Concrete Blocks/Discrimination

My first Flock of Concrete Blocks is comprised of ten individual paintings that will comment on the various ways we discriminate against the physically handicapped. The paintings are in acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panels. Three paintings are now completed.

Physically Handicapped      acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panel     28 x 32 inches

This is the star of the series. Each painting floats two inches from the wall, so shadows of the cement blocks will be cast on the venue wall, adding another level of interest.

Avoidance     acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panel     52 x 34 inches

When confronted with a physically handicapped person, we are sometimes guilty of avoidance. One of my best friends is wheelchair bound. I love spending time with him, but everything is a bit more complicated. If we go to an art show or the supermarket, he has to be helped into the car, and then the wheel chair has to be stowed in the trunk. My house has eight front steps, so if I invite him for dinner, there is the issue of getting him into the house. Nothing major, just an extra effort. Sometimes that small effort is enough for me to refrain from inviting my friend to a function. Avoidance.

Repulsion     acrylic on silk, mounted on shaped panel     50 x 32 inches

Sometimes the physical deformity is so great that our immediate response is repulsion. Just as we are genetically predisposed to respond positively to beauty within our own species, deviation of the norm can elicit repugnance. Once I was eating in a restaurant when a severely handicapped person was seated at a table across from me. I am ashamed to say that I literally lost my appetite. Intellectually I told myself that he was a person just like me, but physically I could not eat. My compassion could not override my repulsion. 

Below is my working sketch for this series of paintings, showing the scale with the silhouette of the man. I substituted the three concrete block sketches on the right with the first three paintings.

 Sketch for A Flock of Concrete Blocks: Discrimination     showing progress

Thank you for following my progress on this new series. I appreciate your support of my blog, and I encourage you to post comments. If you have experienced discrimination, I'd like to hear from you. Perhaps your story will become part of a series. Please visit my website at www.AddictedToWalls.com. Take care and have a prejudice-free 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.