Phil Darrah: Shifts In Focus

My work is abstract and driven by both conscious and intuitive
preoccupations.
I work on canvas stapled to indoor/outdoor carpet covered platforms, on
the floor. I have worked on vertical screens but since I like to work with
washes of color and the washes can be more easily developed when flat,
horizontal works best. The washes are for me a”given” and everything else
derives from and is in support of, or reaction to them.
I find the changing seasons affect my color choices considerably, but
random scraps of color on buildings, book covers, etc, can also become
a fascination.
Most recently I have felt the need for a rectangle of some sort to be
attached to an edge of the canvas.
Also, most recently, I have wanted to have a large scale drawn element,
a line included in the mix.
The movement of the line through the rest of the pictorial furniture has
come to interest me greatly.
Of late, the proportions of the rectangle altered so that the ratio of side
length to end dimension has become more extreme. This was a change
that that was prosaic in origin. I use a particular weight of canvas and
when ordering a new roll, I found my usual width was not in stock.
This meant a slightly wider width of roll and when I began to lay out the roll
it happened that the most economical division the platforms with this new
dimension lead to a more extreme proportion.
I have worked with this proportion before and it actually felt like coming
home.
So, a series of accidents can sometimes be very refreshing.