Gregory Hayes | Tides of Time

Tides of Time concerns the interplay of two colors: black and white, as they appear atop the earth-toned artist fabrics of raw canvas, linen, hemp and jute. This new body of work is a part of the artist’s Duochrome series where black and white meet the additional binaries of geometric abstract painting: structure/disorder and control/chaos.

In these new paintings Hayes combines black and white pigments and then drips them directly onto the substrate allowing the paint to consolidate into small spheres and dry without dripping. Meticulously sequestered into grids, these dripped drops are organized along the picture plane in stunning patterns that emphasize the magic that can occur in the simple tints and shades of black and white. These competing tones oscillate within their boundaries creating a kaleidoscopic experience that references the optic art of modernism and the color palette of early American film.

The artist’s involved exploration of black and white grids pulse with his brand new use of unpainted or prepared raw artist fabrics and supports. Hayes’ masterful use of grid patterning and mixes of black and white drips create shimmering planes of sepia hues as new shades of silver and gray interplay with the natural tones of his substrates creating truly polychromatic color fields. Hayes states:

I have always liked the colors of raw artist fabrics and supports, but ultimately have gessoed over them before painting on them. Here, I wanted to use them in the practical way, but also to show the influence their natural colors have on the overall picture plane, and how it influences our perception of the colors that sit on top. The color of the stretched fabric sets the mood of each painting.