Memorial...

In Their Prime   oil/canvas   16 x 20

My grandma Daisy didn't have much as far as material wealth, but she had a most amazing flower garden, the pride of which were the peonies.  When I visited as a young adult, I would always return home with a bunch of the fragrant lovelies, carried in coffee cans until they could be put into a vase.  My own patio is edged with a peony row that were started from hers and each year, we comment on the timing of the blooming as it relates to the holiday.  My mother, now 84, still visits each family grave site during the weekend.  She brings her clippers and lovingly clips the grass around each one, sweeps it clean with a brush and fills the urns with these peonies which she, too, carries in a coffee can.  Time to remember.  Time to breathe in the beauty.

This year the peonies were early.

thesis + antithesis = synthesis

Cloaked in Tradition   Charcoal/Mixed on Paper   30 x 18

I am fascinated by word etymology.  These three words are just perfect to describe the process of becoming oneself, personally and as an artist.  We begin with the thesis...who we are at present.  I believe that at this stage we are influenced by many others and we go through many stages of "wannabe".  Gradually, over time, we begin to discover who we are not....our preferences.  We end up with a synthesis, our own small pinpoint on the continuum of artistic being.  Hopefully, our particular dot does not intersect with someone else's.  For me, that is the ideal...the notion that my work can only be done by me.  For example, I cannot tolerate many hard lines in my work....lines, to me, are fences that stop, boundaries put in place...boundaries that are confining.  This notion is totally autobiographical, totally me.  I adore organic line, an ephemeral feeling and a merging of the pieces/parts.  I have come to know that.

"Cloaked in Tradition" was begun as a drawing from life.  The model was a young Asian woman who arrived wearing a lacy corset-top and black lace leggings.  For the session, she was asked to wear a silky kimono of green and border-decorated with chrysanthemums.  I saw the conflict between who she is and the person she became while on the stand.  Working on a large piece of watercolor paper given to me by a friend, I used a combination of pastel and water from a very large brush.  Later at home, I used printers ink and an uncut linoleum block to print over the drawing.  A smaller block was cut with floral shapes and printed on a horizontal band.  The final pass was to merge all of these processes.  My tendency these days is to err on the side of underdone, as that pleases be more than going too far.  I also felt that the paper was slightly unforgiving.

This work was presented at last evening's critique.  The leader felt that the head needed more description, more solidity, and that the measurements were off a bit.  The fact that she appears to be sitting without a chair or support was also mentioned.  I realized at that time, that I prefer standing myself and don't spend a lot of time sitting down (fidgeting problem), so chairs don't seem to fit into my own scheme of things.....what with all of those hard lines and such.  I hoped that the kneecaps, protruding into the stretched lace leggings would preclude my need for a chair.  As always, these thoughts from my colleagues will be considered, but in the long run, it is my definition, my aesthetic, that must be played out.  I don't wish to collide with someone else's dot.  (more on "shadow tag" later)

Rock Stahs...

Rock Stah   oil/canvas   30 x 24 x .75

can be found in every endeavor.  (this fun pronunciation of star was stimulated by a recent trip to Boston....and every since then, my brain has been having fun by translating all kinds of words into "Bostonese")  These are the folks that shake things up, that rise to top, that refuse to settle into a comfort zone.  Yeah yeah yeah.  In our culture, rock stars rock....we know them and sometimes they are more recognizable to us than our lawmakers.  And we know the words to their songs.  I love discovering new musicians.  And I really love discovering new painters that feel like rock stahs to me.  Check out Nicholas Simmons.  He is a bold and fearless painter.  He savors all of the processes in the work of the painting.  The accidents become part of the work itself.  He reminds me to take the undiscovered road by actively painting standing up even in the difficult medium of watercolor.

Why?...

Dandelions...a watercolor sketch

is a dandelion considered to be less than a flower?  Is it only our perception?

Us:Them....

Oranges and Grapefruit   watercolor   20 x 12

This past Wednesday evening our club program was a 2006 film entitled "Local Color", the story of painter John Gallo's summer of 1974 when he struggled to paint traditionally in an art culture steeped in modernism.  On the surface it was a cute entertaining movie.  The theme that surfaces, however, is yet another us versus them conflict, the traditionalists versus the moderns; the sharks versus the jets; the Capulets versus the Montagues; whatever -  each team reeking of righteousness, each team needing to be #1. Troublesome.   The traditionalist, of course, is the underdog and we find ourselves wishing him to triumph over the modernist enemy.  This polarized thinking definitely has its problems.  I have never enjoyed a group mentality which is just a widget away from a gang mentality.  Whatever happened to thinking for oneself?  ....painting and studying and evolving into the best painter one can be....doing what seems to be correct for oneself......label-free...pedigree-free.  Granted, as with all polar opposites, there is some stereotyping going on....the sappy sweet traditionalist who relies on pure sentiment and a nostalgia for the past (little cottages anyone?) or the modernist whose black canvas needs to be considered and reconsidered to understand all of its implications.

    Not all who wander are lost.  Take your life in your own hands and what happens?  A terrible thing:  no one to blame

        .     Erica Jong

An orange can be painted in many ways and I believe that there will be an audience to enjoy each and every one.  I am afraid that I am a mutt, a dappled soul.   I enjoy many oranges besides the ones I paint.....even the real ones.

Chaos

Chaos is defined as:  a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack or organization or order; and  any confused, disorderly mass.  Sounds bad.  The opposite of chaos would then imply complete order and complete organization.  Sounds boring.  For me, the combination of the two states comes from soulfulness, a state where we strive for order, yet include and "deal with" the disorder that comes our way.  Sounds like life.  I would not like to live in an environment that was purely one pole or the other.  The combination provides a comfortable, lived-in, soulful place where we can breathe and put our feet up.  For me, this notion easily carries over into art-making.  Introducing a bit of chaos into a work can spice it up, enliven it, provide more interest.  Chaos can be introduced at any stage of a work....and, for me, it changes the nature of the problem to be solved and thereby, completely changes the nature of the work.  Ways to introduce chaos are:  splattering, splashing, scraping, wiping out and altering in some way the nature of that which we are describing.  The work is forever changed.  Adding chaos is scary.  But experimentation teaches one to trust the intuition and to trust that chaos introduced into the work.  It induces confidence.  It excites.  The chaos theory is really about finding the underlying order in apparently random data.  Ever watch "Numb3rs"?  Experimentation is life-affirming.  It is joyful.

The true purpose of art is to conceal art.  ars est celare artern (Ovid)

Got chaos?

Understudy/Underdog...could be a good thing

Understudy   oil/canvas   36 x 24 x 1.5

Painting from models is a reciprocal relationship.  I believe that they take away unspoken learned things from the painter.  And, if the painter is paying attention, she goes away with "things learned" as well.  The model for understudy is an extremely talented singer/dancer, from what I hear.  During the time she modeled, however, she was currently in the role of "understudy", the one who does all of the work yet receives no stage presence, no glory.  In our culture it seems that the silver medalist is not revered.  Neither the bronze.  Neither those who make herculean efforts without winning.  We want the gold.  We desire to be the only one on top.  Sometimes to the point of undermining the efforts of others in our selfish greed.  Too bad.  I think that we can all benefit from the role of understudy....learning the lines, dancing the dances and singing the songs just because we enjoy them so much.  I believe that life presents us with lessons that we have yet to learn.  Can it be here that we learn to value the process?  No jitters.  No stage anxiety.  Psychologically a very very good place to be.  I guess that I believe we can all use some wins.  And, likewise, some roles as understudies.  Genuine.  Human.  And our model?  I hear she is doing very very well.

Understanding the Nature of Things

...is essentially a drawing problem but it is encountered in painting class when that particular problem has not yet been addressed by the artist.  Things such as:  braids, chain link fences, brick work and rooftop shingles are perfect examples.  We must really understand how the fence is constructed, and how the brick is laid before we can accurately paint it.  The understanding of it is rhythmic.  If the rhythm is described well, and felt, then we need not portray each and every bend of the metal, or twist of the hair.  Sometimes it just takes an understanding of the counter-space, the space left behind, under and between.  If we over-describe these highly-complex rhythms, the power of the big picture is reduced as our attention is drawn to the each-and-every-brick.

Underdone rather than over.  Saying too little rather than too much.  Negative space left for contemplation.

Where is Walda? (women in the arts)...

i tried to love her fiercely   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

In my community Walda works alongside Waldo in an effort to create awareness of our work as artists as well as the benefits of art in our daily lives.  Local exhibitions demonstrate thoughtfulness, attention and awareness of the world around us.  These exhibits are well attended and, I think, enlightening.  Walda sits on many committees. Quite frankly, she gets a lot done.  So does Waldo.  Sexism would be too evident to tolerate.  The art world at large is another story.  I recently checked the rosters of the first two galleries with ads in a slick art magazine, both in New York.  Gallery A had 19 artists on their roster, all men.  Gallery B listed 26 artists, only 3 of whom where women. Somewhere between 6-7%.  Subject matter varied, but demonstrated, in some cases, the yearnings of an adolescent boy. (I can easily predict that work in this genre would be met with "pa-leeze" if shown locally) Granted, this is no scientific study, but recent statistics of the number of women in art schools cite percentages between 60 and 80.  Representation in museums and galleries is quite the opposite, even worse.  How can this be?  How can this be tolerated?  The guerilla girls from the 60's got tired.  Women's salaries in all fields lag behind men's.  What gives?


New York Magazine


New York Magazine

Artopia


Art is a subjective field.  No government regulations.  Maybe this will be a grass roots effort.  Awareness is a beginning.  Akron....you're OK.

Play...

Blueberry Tip   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.5

Sometimes I get overwhelmed in problem-solving in my larger paintings....pushing will not help.  It is all a matter of consideration and time.  It is then that I need to play.  Smaller paintings are the answer.  These small works are often done of fruits and vegetables where I paint what I see.  Their forms are already complex enough and the problems are usually readily solved.  Most of these small works are color-driven and provide an opportunity to experiment with color that lies just outside of the reality, the local.  I enjoy pushing those color limits just a bit.  There are other notions to be practiced as well....the painting of a bunch of small berries as a mass, rather than each berry one-by-one.  This lesson can be transferred to painting hair, bushes and a host of other things that benefit from massing.  Play.  With the benefits of play, I am further prepared to tackle more complex problems. Taking a break to play keeps us lighter....emotionally and with brush in hand.

Model Night...

Amanda   charcoal/paper   16.5 x 11

is a cheap thrill for me.  $5.00 paints the model for 3 hours sponsored by Akron Society of Artists.  I love these nights, for it is then that I experiment and hone in on certain goals or techniques that I have been wishing to attempt.  It is also the time for experimenting with different mediums.  My friend Shirley was trying her hand at pen and ink this past week.  I always go with a goal in mind.....nothing general like finding a likeness.  My goals are more technique driven.  "Amanda" was done with various charcoal sticks....I think mostly vine.  I arrived at my goal which was the placement of lights and darks.  In my frenzy, I did not measure so much so the likeness is off.  Even though the human head has some basic formula measurements, everyone is different, so it is dangerous to go to default.  In this case, Amanda's head was shorter, I believe, that the norm.....I found that out afterwards.  Oh well.....next time.

Where will this lead?...

Barefoot in April   watercolor/mixed on paper   20.5 x 13.5

I don't know....but at least it will be a surprise.  I love this notion.  Not having preconceived notions about where a particular piece of work will go is so exciting.  Normally, I start out painting from life until I feel the need to veer off of the path.  It can be a color, a texture or just of feeling of "this is just too boring" that jump starts the leap into the unknown.  The idea of letting the work itself suggest transitions is yin and keeps me interested and flexible.  It also helps to deal with life...where nothing really turns out as we plan.  "Barefoot" started out life as a watercolor painting in the ASA studio during the April art walk.  It was the first really warm day of the season and the model willingly removed his shoes.  I painted what I saw.  Working later, I realized that I disliked the darkness in the lower right corner and also disliked the stool that had been painted in.  I wanted the energy shift to life upwards toward the bare foot....that was my story.  Printing on top of the work solved part of the problem and the resultant textures were much to my liking.  The work was finished off with fat pencils and a bit of charcoal.  This is indeed an oversimplified explanation, as I had no idea where I was headed and, in fact, felt several times that this work was headed for the trash.  After several wrong turns, and just one right turn in excess, I was rewarded.  This work spins my fan.  Barefoot.  In April.