About this Artwork

In a process closely akin to relief printmaking, Maine uses textured surfaces to apply fluid acrylic paint indirectly to prepared canvas. He makes these surfaces or “plates,” some of which are quite large, out of common materials such as plywood, extruded foam, plastic and glue.
Integral to the process is the idea that the entire surface is treated with paint at the same moment. For Maine that means compositional phenomena are allowed to occur with minimal interference from his ego.

Usually Maine starts with a glaze for the ground color, but in this case he opted for opacity—the ground is a dense, somewhat maudlin orange. He worked from darker to lighter colors, which is the opposite of the usual printmaking procedure.

Often, he likes to do things the wrong way.