Above are the two images ('Circumnavigation A & B') that Nigel is entering in the 'Small Images/ Grand Visions' at Wagner in Sydney. They are studies for 'The Cartographer' - the image that is still in progress that was discussed in detail in the previous entry.After having difficulty with the large image, getting it to come together and work as a whole, Nigel put it aside to test some ideas on these smaller canvases. Having to be only 12x12" this provided the perfect opportunity to play with the tonal and compositional make up of the images. The small size allows for drastic changes to be made quickly.
Coming back to 'The Cartographer' after spending a few days on these images Nigel was able to add deeper reds to the foreground of the globe which made the smaller images work well. Also compositionally in the two 'Circumnavigation' images there are two different skies. The image on the left, like the larger image, has the dark clouds above moving off the side of the canvas. On the right however the dark clouds come down the side of the canvas, framing the image. Discovering this worked best these changes are able to be made to the large canvas without too much time spent experimenting on a large scale.
Below is another, very close up, detail of the developing palimpsest at the bottom of 'The Cartographer'. It is in looking at details like these that we can see the wonders and fascination if this new medium. In the layering, scraping, carving of the wax there are amazing details that develop on their own. with some parts keeping the opaque white of fresh wax and other parts being so transparent that despite the continual layer some of the texture of the raw canvas is still visible.
This detail is of only about 3x3cm of a 150x170cm canvas. In it you can see the textures, colours and interest developing below the surface of this wax. And still this is only with the first two languages, it is hard to image what amazing details might unexpectedly emerge as a further two languages are added.
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