Haystacks...and furrows

Haystacks   oil on canvas   8 x 24 x .5

Push and pull.   (Thank you Hans Hoffman)  What is there::what is not.  Relationships.

The quest in this work was the relationship between the haystacks themselves...and the furrows...a play between the cool and the warm.

While a completed snow-covered scene can be beautiful, it can tend towards sweetness and become a bit Hallmark-y.  The rural Pennsylvania scenes that feature both dead grasses along with pockets and dustings of snow a la Andrew Wyeth convey great power and mystery to me.  As an Ohioan, I will attest to the fact that most of the winter scenes depict these two polar opposites.  One of my current reads is The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard, a French philosopher.  I am currently in my second go-through in order to absorb his thoughts that I have chosen to underline.  He speaks of the poet's mind which is

touched by the attraction of opposites, which lends dynamism to the great archetypes.

This canvas was toned with orange, which became the base for the furrow.  The process continued slowly, as I tippy-toed toward the amount of snow coverage that satisfied my visual.  In the earlier stages, the diagonal furrows were more dominant....which lead them into distraction.  I did not anticipate just how much energy this problem would require.  I am also reminded of a similar horizontal landscape by the late Jack Richard.....it remains in my mind to this day....it was spot on.

Most of the bales we see today are machine-made and coiled.  These stacks are the work of the Amish.

Polish Pottery

Polish Pottery   watercolor   9 x 19

is powerful, eye-catching and comforting in a folksy kind of way.  Each piece is individual, allowing the user to know which cup is his.  It is also full, full, full of detail.  What was I thinking?  A complete battle was waged within me as I worked.  For me, the overall shapes and rhythms are far more important than the detail.  But, isn't Polish pottery all about the detail?  To and Fro.  Push and Pull.  Again and Again.  This is my final answer.

I need some coffee.

Snow and Frost and Chill...oh my.............

The Birch Brothers   watercolor   20.25 x 13

No, really....just half.  Half a piece of pie.  Half 'n Half.  Half a slice....not the whole.  And, my favorite....half a cookie.  (Never mind that I will retrieve the other half in a relatively short period of time)  There are indeed times when a whole won't do....even a whole stroke.  Such was the case with "The Birch Brothers".  I knew that the counter-spaces between branches at the top would be important in its rendering.  Not being a fan of masking fluid and, I believe, the thick, chunky and clumsy shapes that it leaves behind (ask my students), I knew that this large area would have to be worked in a push and pull fashion.  Lay it in.  Take it away.  I like happenstance.  Surprises.  After a pass or two, the area was far too described....the strokes laid in told too much of the story...not enough ambiguity.  And so I headed for the basement laundry tub.  I used extreme water pressure on the top of the work.  The pigment came off unevenly much to my delight, leaving pocks of white paper.  Further application.  Further destruction ensued.  Back and forth.  More water pressure.  Some scraping.  Until I had achieved the feel that I wanted.  Andrews turquoise became my best friend. Nothing ventured.  Nothing gained.