Jay Rolfe - Creating
Creating Mixed Media 3-D Paintings
My signature style is creating huge mixed media 3-D paintings. Recently I’ve also created several sculptures. I use subjects from contemporary culture to create emotion as I explore contemporary issues such as the nature of existence, disorientation, alienation, loneliness, unrequited love, complex relationships, conflict, unrest, war, greed, unfulfilled dreams, yearning, and boredom. I try to show love, freedom, peace, and the universe as the answers to these explorations.
Creating a huge 3-D painting is an involved process. I start by imagining the finished product, which will be not only in 3-D, but also in the shape of an iconic cultural symbol. Then I sketch it and consider the technical issues. I've spent as much as 2 years repeatedly sketching and working out the technical details before starting work on a painting. Then I decide on the size and the major dimensions, including the depth of the painting.
I figure out a way to stretch canvas in the shape I want, and then I design an appropriate stretcher framework to hold the canvas. The stretcher framework has to be strong yet lightweight, with significant 3-D depth, and in a recognizable shape. I decide on the dimensions of every piece of the framework, then measure and cut the wood pieces. Then I build the 3-D stretcher framework.
Next I measure and cut the canvas to fit the stretcher framework, then stretch it over the framework and staple it securely on the back. I often add wood and Styrofoam to heighten the 3-D effect. I also use different kinds of paint aside from the acrylics which are my mainstay. I paint the front and sides of the 3-D painting. It typically takes many layers of paint for the effect I want.
Some paintings have more than one stretcher framework with canvas. There are different reasons for this, but it can be as simple as being too big to get through a door in one piece. In these cases, the final step is bolting the canvases together.
For example, the clean lines, vibrant fuchsia color, and iconic shape of my painting Girls Just Want To Have Fun give many viewers the illusion of simplicity. In actuality, behind the canvas, it's quite complicated. I spent more than 2 years sketching this work before I was satisfied with the proportions. After that I made a full scale pattern and didn't like the look of it. I made changes and another full scale pattern. Finally I was happy with the shape. I decided to create the painting in 4 sections, one of which, the stiletto heel, has less depth than the other sections, like an actual stiletto heel.
I created the stretcher framework out of 67 pieces of wood. I made 140 saw cuts, including 53 curves and angles other than right angles. I drilled 236 pilot holes for the screws to hold it together. I had 3 drills in front of me, 2 with different length drills for drilling and countersinking the holes, and one as a power driver for screwing in the screws. Then I used 236 screws to assemble the stretcher framework into the 4 sections.
I attached 4 large pieces of canvas to the stretcher framework with countless staples. The canvas was primed with 3 coats of gesso. I applied at least 3 layers of paint to the canvas. I drilled an additional 24 holes in the stretcher framework and used 12 bolts, 24 washers, and 12 nuts to assemble the 4 sections into the finished painting that gives the illusion of simplicity.
Photos of Creating
Scroll down to see different phases of creating 3-D mixed media shaped paintings and a sculpture.
Artist Jay Rolfe cutting canvas for his 3-D painting "Red Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder" (6 feet long version).
The artist stretching canvas over a stretcher framework for his 3DSSC painting "Red Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder."
Artist Jay Rolfe stapling canvas to a stretcher framework for his 3DSSC painting "Red Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder."
The artist painting "Red Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder" 3-D painting.
Artist Jay Rolfe assembling "Lightning Bolt" 3-D painting.
Artist Jay Rolfe with his 3-D painting "Black Hole" and his sculpture "Duchamp At The Middle East Peace Table."