This is a painting by Brooke Rothshank. This piece is FRAMED. The frame is 11” x 14”. This is an original, one of a kind, acrylic on panel painting.
this particular painting was shown at the Midwest Museum of American Art as part of a grouping of four paintings. The grouping was titled Portrait of the Viewer as a Blessing in 4 Parts.
These pulled paint panels are part of my Estuary series.
Estuaries are where fresh and salt water mingle. This feels similar to how life often blurs the line where grief and gratitude exist, making it complicated to hold those experiences together.
Once the initial painting is complete I add additional paint and use a print making squeegee to pull the paint down the board. This paint pulling has become my favorite part of these paintings. It reminds me of the wood firing that my husband has been doing for years. There is much that be can controlled before and during the wood firing process- the clay bodies and glazes used, the amount of wood fired, the temperature reached and the way the pots are loaded to name a few. After that, there is a component that is out of the artist's hands. You can not know exactly how the glazes will form from the ash so opening the kiln is a bit like opening a present. Doing the paint pulling is my version of this collaboration with the unknown. It is letting go of some of the control and finding the beauty in that unpredictable result. It is also a way of encouraging a different kind of looking. Allowing what could be considered a mess to become part of what is considered “good”. Merging beauty and discomfort.
It is a reminder that joy does not betray grief and the goal is not necessarily happiness but aliveness.
