back next Grid Work © 1971 Tom Ferguson
oil on canvas 17 x 14"-ish collection Ashley Schalow-Ferguson, Wisconsin
The grid creeps in on occasion
for some reason. It was used to transfer drawings to canvas
traditionally and also, in Modernism, it was used to emphasize the
surface/objectness... it abstracts
the picture, assuring that though you might see references outside we
know that this is a conceptual/visual/two dimensional experience... not
a view out the window. I did a series using uniformed characters, in
this case dancing. I recall some movie of military types in Russia
dancing as if everything is perfectly normal while Napoleon's army is
on the outskirts of town. I guess that was in there someplace as it is here in or lives. Mostly I
was into painting everyday and the things I would think to paint
reflected what I was seeing in Art History books, the museums, books and my
schooling. Part of the liberation I was feeling was that I could
incorporate anything crossed my mind, so long as it resonated.
