Tumult
Title
Tumult
Creator
Smale-Murillo, Scott
Abstract
The title of this painting, Tumult, refers to the jostling of the forms against one another. The various, competing shapes create a cascade in which every part vies for attention. Despite the volume of visual information within the work, there exist relationships and groupings amongst the forms. These relationships often originate in the drawing that the painting was based on. A purpose of this piece, perhaps, is to be a vessel for these varied forms and their interactions.
This painting, as with many of my paintings, began as a drawing. Though the drawing was a simple set of black outlines, I could see within it the various jostling forms that would ultimately comprise the finished piece. Transferring the drawing to the painting surface, I began to notice specific shapes that stood out to me from amongst the lines, which I would then build up using paint. As I continued to work on the painting, my next step was often decided by the visual relationships that began to emerge between the different forms. It was my duty to augment, alter, or lessen these relationships. This task entailed outlining, delineating, coloring, darkening, lightening, markmaking, or any other such painterly action available to me with my brush and my paint. It was towards the end of my painting process that I began to add the varied lines and hatches that define the surface of the finished work.
This painting, as with many of my paintings, began as a drawing. Though the drawing was a simple set of black outlines, I could see within it the various jostling forms that would ultimately comprise the finished piece. Transferring the drawing to the painting surface, I began to notice specific shapes that stood out to me from amongst the lines, which I would then build up using paint. As I continued to work on the painting, my next step was often decided by the visual relationships that began to emerge between the different forms. It was my duty to augment, alter, or lessen these relationships. This task entailed outlining, delineating, coloring, darkening, lightening, markmaking, or any other such painterly action available to me with my brush and my paint. It was towards the end of my painting process that I began to add the varied lines and hatches that define the surface of the finished work.
Date
2026
Citation
Smale-Murillo, Scott, “Tumult,” MU Libraries Digital Exhibits and Online Forums, accessed March 31, 2026, https://library.missouri.edu/exhibits/items/show/298.
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