A Couple of New Paintings

Continuing the idea of folded/folding paintings, here are two new works inspired by concertina doors, the type of which you see on lifts or building service entrances such as this lovely rusty example on the AWRE site at Orford Ness.

AWRE - Lab 4 - Orford Ness - Door

Nic Pehkonen - AWRE - Lab 4 - Orford Ness (1), 2016

Detail

Nic Pehkonen - AWRE - Lab 4 - Orford Ness (2), 2016

New Paintings

Here are various views of some completed paintings that I have been working on this year. As my studio comes up short in terms of ceiling height, photos had to be taken with the works flat on the floor although this is also less than ideal as in most cases I couldn't achieve the necessary elevation to photograph them square on. Never mind.

As points of reference, I have included additional images which may go some way to explaining where the idea for each painting has come from...

Nic Pehkonen, Double Opening, 40cm x 180cm 

Nic Pehkonen, Double Opening  (other way up!)

Nic Pehkonen, Double Opening (detail).

Inside one of the test laboratories on the AWRE site at Orfordness 

Nic Pehkonen, Beam, 30cm x 227cm

Nic Pehkonen, Beam (other way up)

Nic Pehkonen, Beam (detail)

Supporting steelwork for duct pipes at Orfordness

Nic Pehkonen, Orange and Turquoise, 49cm x 230cm (max dimensions)

Nic Pehkonen, Orange and Turquoise (other way up)

Nic Pehkonen, Orange and Turquoise (detail)

Nic Pehkonen, Red and White, 49cm x 230cm (max dimensions)

Nic Pehkonen, Red and White, (Other way up)

Nic Pehkonen, Red and White (detail)

Orfordness, an endless source of inspiration...

Nic Pehkonen, Yellow and Turquoise, 25cm x 230cm

Nic Pehkonen, Yellow and Turquoise (other way up)

Nic Pehkonen, Yellow and Turquoise (detail)

Not a building but a close-up of a bulldozer radiator grill

Nic Pehkonen, Grey Panel, 86cm x 90cm

Sizewell A Power Station, main reactor building exterior

Nic Pehkonen, Grey Panel (detail)

Nic Pehkonen, Grey Panel (detail)

New work in progress

Here are a couple of new paintings I have been working on over the last few months and which are now finally approaching completion. The first painting is in two sections which are designed to be hung right up against each other. In the image below one section is hanging over the top of the other but you can hopefully imagine how they would look side by side from the shape of the piece in front (see the drawing below to get the idea). I need to find a suitably large free space in order to be able to hang and photograph the painting as I want it.

Nic Pehkonen, Yellow painting, (in progress), household emulsion paint on unstretched canvas, each section approx 6' x 6'

Nic Pehkonen, drawing design for yellow painting

As with most of my work, the ideas behind this painting have evolved over time from a variety of sources and subject matter so the reason it looks the way it does is mostly due to a visual coming together of this…

Orfordness, Lab 2 Blast-doors

and this…

Sizewell A, Perimeter wall section.

and this…

Uranium Oxide (Yellowcake)

The second work currently in the pipeline is:

Nic Pehkonen, Double Duct Pipe, 2013, 8' x 2' (approx), Household emulsion Paint on unstretched canvas

The idea for this painting comes from the pipes in the building below, the ends of which can be seen protruding at ground-level. I need to try and find out the exact function of these pipes within this test laboratory. Perhaps they were part of some sort of ventilation system? Either way, they look intriguing as they disappear into the wall. The tall cross-shaped openings set into the walls are going to feature in a new painting, which I have just begun.

Orfordness, View inside Lab 4

Cheltenham Group of Artists - Spring Exhibition

The Cheltenham Group of Artists annual spring exhibition will be running from this Wednesday 17th April until Tuesday 23 April at the Gardens Gallery in Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham. The gallery is open daily from 10.00 - 6pm

These are my two submissions for selection:

Nic Pehkonen, Orfordness, 2013, Emulsion on canvas and plywood, 75cm x 25cm    

Nic Pehkonen, Broadmead Car Park, 2013, Emulsion on canvas on plywood, 46cm x 46cm

and some relevant links...

http://www.gardensgallery.co.uk

http://cheltenhamgroupartists.org

New work in progress

Here are a couple of new paintings in progress;

Nic Pehkonen, Broadmead Multi-Storey Car Park, 2013, approx 45cm x 45cm

I have been thinking for some time about producing much smaller works on the theme of concrete architecture and these are the first experiments.

Nic Pehkonen, Orfordness, 2013, approx 70cm x 25cm

They are basically going to be collages, the plan being to stick the painted canvas cut-outs to pre-painted boards (not the boards in these photographs). I imagine I will probably use 18mm plywood, painted in solid colours to maximise the visual impact of the architectural forms.

New Painting

I have recently completed the painting (based on the interior of one of the concrete A.W.R.E test laboratories at Orfordness) that I documented as work in progress in an earlier post . Here is the now finished work.

Nic Pehkonen, Lab1, 2012, height 182cm x width 182cm.
Household emulsion paint on unstretched canvas hung off 4 x tarpaulin clips