Drumstick
2009 - 24"x26"x1.75" Acrylic, gesso, oil pastel, newspaper, on wood.
Finished with one coat brush on Liquitex Matte Varnish #5232
(Private Collection - New York)

Date, February 6, 2009

This painting was completely accidental. There was an unfinished painting underneath that looked like this.

I wasn't happy with it, so I added another layer of newspaper collage then started adding black gesso. The image of the caveman with drumstick was there, but I hadn't recognized it until I had rotated the painting several times. Once I saw the image, I took a white oil pastel and drew in the eye and mouth. Then I added some white paint. That was it.

I have always been drawn to the large black and white paintings from Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell. I had recently seen some of their work at the Museum of Modern Art, so that was the likely inspiration for this painting.

Here is a larger photo: