Best Text Painting

BangBang is the text painting about the COVID-19 lockdown. It combines culture, historical news, identity and racing thoughts all in one place. BangBang is a slice of history on a canvas.

When the insidious Coronavirus became world news, the Australian government decided to shut down all international travel. At that time, I was a contractor manufacturing & installing signage at Sydney Airport. In an instant, my job was immediately terminated. Sitting at home and watching the news was both horrifying and devastating, and it gave me time to think. So I started a series of artworks based on the pandemic. I am a sign writer by trade so the idea for the BangBang painting was to put that skill to work in a text painting. The text represents a timeline of thoughts going through my mind, influenced by the news, and random impulses to document some daily activities.

First I draw 10 mock-ups with genpels and makers on acid-free, non-yellowing paper. I mixed up the designs, colours, and words to create very different artworks. In my mind, I saw 4 very strong compositions. With my mind set on a body of work, I made 6 custom-built, kiln-dried timber stretcher frames. Next, I stretched and stapled the heavy-duty canvas, painted my Gesso sealer undercoats and I was ready. My approach was similar to painting a sign. I painted the background then blocked-in some geometric shapes. I didn’t want these paintings to be sharp with crisp colours and edges, that would look too commercial. I went over the rectangles and squares with a dry brush technique to give the artwork a rustic appeal. Then I went to town with some ‘off the brush’ fonts.

I love this painting. Overall I believe it encapsulates the thoughts of a nation, our nation.