Electric Phyre Church (2018)
It was recently the anniversary of the passing of one of the most innovative artists to ever pick up an inanimate object and create a sound that transported you to galaxies and dimensions that haven't even been discovered yet.
From his earliest moments of his learning to play guitar on a one string 'instrument' that his father brought home one day, to playing left handed on a right handed guitar with the strings he'd reworked himself, everything about Jimi Hendrix was about not letting anything stop him.
His work was layers deep in new sounds, techniques, colours and aspirations. These are the elements I wanted to harness and reconfigure into a piece rippling with texture, colours, contrasts, mediums and psychedelia.
Created with the Phyre Etching process where wood is scorched with a blowtorch and then etching into the surface, slowly unearthing the form within. In this instance the process has been enhanced, expanded with multiple layers of paint being built up, scorched, rebuilt and scorched again, in a continuing process that builds a hugely textured surface, a fabric of colours that is reminiscent of what I call black rainbow paisley, created under chrome sunshine.
Real gold leaf was added, providing a purity, whilst still maintaining the texture of the shredded wood. The gold also resides in the atmosphere around him, where he channels it through his own creative tool of choice, his guitar.
Recently upgrade the piece to have remote control LED lighting (battery operated) that's hidden within the moat around the work. When turned on, it creates an actual Purple Haze. There are many other colours that can be chosen too, with strobe effects etc.
Artwork 29.5cm (w) x 29cm (h), purple haze floating (galaxy) oak frame of 32.5cm (w) x 32cm (h), plywood, acrylic paint, real gold leaf.
