Julian Schnabel
An indirect review of the lack of understanding of the use and misuse of industrial materials as they relate to permanent works of art.
Eventually, they all contact me out of desperation or curiosity. It might take years, but it will happen sooner or later. Their ego gets in the way and anyone with an intuitive technical background is less of a factor not a valuable collaborator. That’s their problem, but I am the river.
I was first contacted by telephone in the spring of ’09 by Schnabel’s technical man who would only reveal himself as “Joe”, nothing more. He said he was Schnabel’s right-hand man concerning all his projects. When people want something special from you, they can be very condescending and affable. To start the ball rolling, Schnabel wanted four gallons of acrylic ink in the color of a blue ball point pen. No samples, no trial order, just do it fast!
It was paid for and I made it fast and it was picked up the next day. I was told whatever I did, he would like it, and that was that! Shortly afterward, he ordered six more gallons of various colored inks, so it must have been satisfactory. Meanwhile, “Joe” contacted me and made an appointment to come to my place to talk and purchase some products. When I meet with these people it can be a conversation, an involved brain-picking, or a grand jury interrogation. This was in the “brain-picking” category.
He seemed to be very down to earth and up front, spent a fair amount of money, total elapsed time about four hours and he picked my head clean! A couple of days later, he was back again for another go-round lasting two and a half hours, buying a little more, with a lot more questions that he was now writing down in a notebook. To describe what they were doing as far as the misuse of materials is not worth mentioning, except that it was all wrong.
Everything was haphazard without any concept of what is compatible and what isn’t. It took me a lifetime of persistent effort to grasp the principles of the interaction of materials. He got it in two days! Some works of art will have a life of their own, meaning up to 25 years, and some will deteriorate before they leave the studio. This was Schnabel’s problem, and that was why Joe was here working me over. The only thing to do was to quickly change things, like putting out a fire!
Don’t use epoxy bar top resin to protect canvas and then roll it up! Don’t paint over thick, soft paint that’s only skin dry, use an internal drier, not a surface one. Don’t use hardware store turps, which is low-grade, evil smelling, and discolored. Same with linseed oil. No epoxies, alkyds, latex, spray paints, sign paints, the list is endless. Don’t use supermarket safflower oil to clean brushes, it won’t work. Most artists will use anything if it’s cheap, like eating fast food. They say the restorers will fix it! Good Luck.
If you know what you are doing there are exceptions to the rule, but you have to know the rules before you can break them. Clear Krylon is a restoration product. There is a new synthetic varnish out that will out-perform natural resins in the trial tests. A good formula will improve a single based material, not to cheapen or adulterate it like most people think. You can take two inferior products and incorporate them together to make a superior one. This goes for oils, varnishes, solvents, pigments, glues, etc, but you have to know which ones and how much. If the proportions are not balanced properly, it won’t work. Without a proper understanding of the laws of physics and how it relates to what you are doing, you are in trouble.
In a correct approach to using materials, you have to understand how gravity functions in every stage of the painting process, start to finish. To get back to Schnabel’s man “Joe”, after two days of brain-picking, my interest was beginning to weaken from a one-sided conversation. He sensed that and said that Schnabel wants to speak to me on the phone. So, he supposedly calls him and after a brief conversation, he says to me that he would rather meet me in person, because I have so much knowledge, we should meet face to face in his studio! Ok, fine, let’s make an appointment!
Joe also asked if I would be open to doing a cable TV show about the technical information I know about and Schnabel would direct and produce it for PBS. Joe would be my assistant, and I would take the lead. Of course I would be interested! He said Schnabel was going out of town for two weeks, but when he returns, he’ll make an appointment to meet at his studio in lower Manhattan to discuss everything. Sounds great!
I waited four weeks, and when I called Joe, he didn’t even remember what I was talking about! He finally said the entire scenario was just an idea in his head and when the right time came, he would approach Schnabel about it. A year passed, and I’ve never heard from Joe again, or anyone else. It was a good setup that I went for and that’s why when Golden Paint approached me shortly afterward along the same lines, I was not receptive to a meeting.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to focus on the few people who appreciate and support what I do for them, rather than the abuse I have to endure from the majority.
--Robert Doak '10
