Giovanni Garcia-Fenech

I would like to bring painting back to ground zero, to have it be about its own process and not dependent on pop culture references or irony. The pieces are as basic as I can make them: black on white and entirely improvised.
My method is to start with a layer of pencil lines that follow the natural arc of my arm or my wrist. I use these as a guide for solid black shapes constructed on the white ground from the contours suggested by the interaction of all the lines. I cover that surface with a thin wash of gesso and draw another layer of pencil lines. The following series of shapes are formed through the interaction of the previous layers along with the new pencil lines. As the painting continues, the earlier layers become fainter and fainter, making the work’s progression apparent. I continue the process until I reach a layer that unifies the whole composition.