Culture

Art with gravity

Amy Shackleton shows how real artists paint without brushes. 

Photo of Sid Yadav

Sid Yadav

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Paintbrushes are passé for Toronto-based artist Amy Shackleton, who chooses to let gravity paint for her instead.

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In a 30-hour time-lapse video posted on YouTube, Shackleton can be seen working on a new urban landscape painting titled “Terrace City.” Using squeeze bottles, she has to rotate and maneuver her canvas to let the drips flow down in the way she desires.

The painting, priced at $7,500, used an estimated 1.5 to 2 gallons of paint.

https://www.youtube.com/v/6yVhTyPaaLQ

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The video was posted by her neighbor on social news website Reddit. Some commenters said they were in awe over her skill, while others called it an unnecessary gimmick.

“That is some absolutely amazing stuff and I’d love to own a piece,” wrote redditor Hello-Universe.

“Eh. It’s a gimmick. The process is more interesting than the final product. If you were to see these paintings hanging alone in a gallery, and you had no idea how they were produced, you’d probably walk right by,” noted another, nuthinbutt.

“The detail, when close up, is probably what sells it. Looking at the thick paint pooling around… there are probably some pretty interesting fluid effects going on. If you think this is a gimmick, and not art, you’re an elitist with a poor understanding of creativity,” responded neonshaun.

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Opinions aside, the artist has little reason to complain—thanks to her newfound fame on Reddit, the demand for her artwork is likely to shoot right up.

 
The Daily Dot