My True Love ❤️ Abstract Figurative Painting

This painting is a tribute to My True Love. 12 -14 hours everyday. This painting is tries to capture the light, love, support, strength, faith, intimacy of kindness that Tanja generously offered me during my health crisis.
In 2020, I was diagnosed with two forms of cancer: melanoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. After surgery and four months of chemotherapy, my health was incredibly fragile. I battled pneumonia, contracted COVID-19, and spent months in and out of the hospital. I was admitted for 99 days, lost 86 pounds, spent 62 days on life support, and 52 days in a coma. Love is what carried me through.
Letter from Carl... It was a result of the conversation between Carl and I that motivated me to start a series of paintings inspired by My Love Tanja.
G’day,
I’m a largely unknown artist from Melbourne (as a younger man I had some commercial success but only one type of picture sold, so I fucked all that off to paint what I want, just semi abstract flowers for many years but portraits right now but anyway along the way life happened and now I’m caring for a profoundly autistic lad largely on my own) and wanted to send my thoughts, particularly about these two bodies of work. You seem pretty open to dialogue if my instincts serve me correct, and left your email on KZbin.
Fuck man, where to begin?
I guess Malignant, because these are my favourites. I mean superficially one would point to Auerbach and the London school as a point of departure, but his (their) stuff is about gesture, I think, your self portraits are sculptures, literally. I don’t really have words, genius springs to mind, I mean you’re making viscera and bone out of the oils, it’s a beserk idea and just works. Really brilliant mate, genuinely, I’m in awe. Original. Imagine that! They’re horrifying and beautiful and have hit me harder than I know how to say, and I’m generally a pretty articulate kind of cat. I guess my own interest in portraiture and love of Auerbach’s charcoals especially (and the work of that old wastrel, Francis) makes me more partial to the work than most, or at least not to reel away from them cause they ain’t ‘pretty’ (they’re so lush though!) but still, they’re among the most genuine pictures of the human condition I think I’ve ever seen, and I ain’t really seen them, and a one way ticket to London ain’t on the menu for me, yet anyway!
As for the Beautiful ones while they’re not as precisely my jam they still blew me away in their technical virtuosity. You handle the material with such tenderness and strength and aplomb, they’re muscular and yet as fields so open and full of light. Your understanding of colour also shines in these, especially the ‘lighter’ pieces (though I imagine these canvases weigh a tonne). I’ve never seen impasto so nuanced! Soulful is the word I think I am looking for. Almost religious experiences, transubstantiated, though I should admit God and I ain’t been on speaking terms for an age.
And right on cue my nine year old daughter bought in an amazing little scribble of her own! I will attach it, I don’t know why, it seems apt.
Anyway, I think you’re one of the most important living artists I’ve never heard of, so thank you for sharing your work and thoughts so fearlessly, and I hope you find my thoughts at least somewhat pertinent, if not encouraging, to what is clearly an obsession! Seeing work like yours has encouraged me regardless. This daubing business matters!
I hope this finds you in good health and spirits,
Carl
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How to Oil Paint Abstract Paintings: composition, painting tips, painting techniques, color theory.
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Patrick John Mills