I really enjoyed doing these guys. They are giants.
Each panel is 1m x 2.4m
When we were in Osaka, Noi and I went to the aquarium. I took dozens of photos of these jellies floating around in their tank. I love their fluidity.
They are now mounted in the stairwell of The Black Pearl.
And there's a great history to the pieces:
While Baan Mahasajahn was being built, the workers used reclaimed billboard panels to construct their shanty bungalows. These panels still had the paint from the billboards on them. They were nailed over poles to create a very protective shelter from the Ocean's elements. The builders lived in their huts for over a year. When Baan Mahasajahn was complete enough, they moved in there and knocked down their huts.
I had always loved the colours on these panels, but as Noi complains that I'm always picking up rubbish from the beach to make into art that nobody would want in their homes, i was afraid to ask him if I could have these panels. I knew he'd think I was crazy. They are rusting pieces of junk.
But as the junk was being cleared away I saw my art slipping away. I had to have them, so I knew I needed Noi involved. I grabbed him and a pot of paint that was being used to paint the ceilings. There was already a manky, crusty broad brush in the paint pot. It had been there for days.
So at night, I dragged the panels into a clear space and together we splattered the jellyfish tentacles. It was fun. I had the bodies done in no-time. It was all over too soon. But they were finished. Once framed and hung on the 6m wall, they look fabulous.
