Eclosion...

We Are So Fragile   watercolor/mixed   12.5 x 20

Tom is retired from his responsible job.  Now he paints.  And he goes at it with an unequivocal energy and work ethic.  He plays with different responses to each week's assignment and often comes up with more than one painting which he compares.  He is struggling to release the "Tom Within".  And, I might add, he hopes that this self-definition will happen soon.  This struggle for self-definition has continued for me throughout the years.  There is no formula.  No secret for success.  Just lots of work.  Tom was elated with his work "Luna Moth" and, for him, describes the way he wishes to paint....the Tom.  It has become the yardstick.  I can see why.  It is a beautiful  contrast of the seen and the unseen.  The solid and the ephemeral.  The organic and the straight. A beautiful play of color temperatures, shapes and values.  We all need a measure for success....the painting that magically comes together.  And if it happens once, it can happen again.  The emerging moth.  Eclosion.

We Are So Fragile...

We Are So Fragile   watercolor/mixed   12.5 x 20

My own response to the big bug assignment is a zebra butterfly seen in the Florida Everglades.  Dangerously, I had a preconceived notion as to the outcome of the work and could actually see it in my brain.  Vibrant silky blue.  And I followed suite, only to realize that from a distance, the work did not read at all.  I know so many butterflies....fragile people on whom the workings of the world are very very hard.  Sensitive feelings.  Thin skin.  And so I proceeded with this idea in mind, first by painting a "hole" in the wing and by printing a leafy band.  The artists in my class evaluated the work at that point and offered various suggestions.  Most liked the feel of the work but validated the readability problem.  My solution became the opacity of the printing medium done on top of the vibrant silky blue.  I like the way that this application implies foliage which was Marian's solution.  It added a bit of decoration on the right side to balance the leafy band which was Mo's solution.  Carl noticed the "face" on the top of the butterfly head....as nature intended in order to ward off predators.  Push and pull.  Transparency and opacity once again.  Fragility.

Strawberries...

Strawberry Jam.... little watercolor

provide me with the "petite madeleine" experience described by Marcel Proust in In Search of Lost Time....a cascading of involuntary memories.  In between my larger, more laborious, well-thought-out canvasses, I try to pepper my painting experience with smaller works of fruits and vegetables which define my kitchen work.  Tasting one of the large genetically-engineered berries sold in today's marketplace brings back memories of:  berry picking (the small ones)  with my family and the scratches and rashes that ensued; my first attempt at making jam when the paraffin caught on fire and my grandmother came to the rescue; my friend Leta's extraordinary freezer jam; young boys wolfing down berries with stickiness left on small fingers and chins;  and my mom's homemade shortcake.  These memories are small yet significant.  Who is to say that these small works relay a message of lesser importance.  To whom?  For what? 

The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.                                                                                                                                  Henry Miller
(this quote brought to me by my friend Angie whose 3 young boys delight in berries)

play...

Crux   watercolor   21.5 x 28

and the importance thereof........anyone who is seriously creative understands the true value of play.  Too often we approach our work as warriors.....with the express purpose of the conquering, the control.  Now that summer is here, just the feeling of cold splashing water recalls the years we spent at the shore with our friends the McGarveys.  We had 6 boys altogether.  Evenings after dinner were spent at the beach, of course, with each boy given a turn at playing in the surf in a kayak.  The response of the kayaker is a yin response....the ocean leads.  To stay afloat is like a dance...instantaneous decisions, not well thought out at all, are a matter of responding to a rhythm and a force outside of the rider's control.  YAHOO.  Sometimes the boat inverts.  Sometimes the rider is able to right it again using a move called the Eskimo Roll.  Sometimes not.  Sometimes the rider emerges from the ocean sopping wet with the boat in tow.  Play.  Out-or-control control.These are the moves that help one to respond to all kinds of kayaking scenarios when faced with white-water and rocks.  Staying on the edge.  Facing a crux.  Continually.  What a rush.  Like painting. YAHOO.

Crux in on display at Akron-Canton airport.

Unexpected Pleasures...

Olivia  walnut ink on paper   12 x 9

Life is full of them if we are aware enough to see and feel them.  Last evening our model was a lovely 20-year-old college student in finance named Olivia.  She is a well-seasoned model, having grown up with artists in the family.  I so do appreciate a great model who respects the clock and is able to settle in to a pose without the fidgets....something that I would have a difficult time doing myself.  The first time that I drew Olivia was in 2000.  She was 10.  The work is done in walnut ink.  Time marches on.

Critiques...

Rock Stah   oil/canvas   30 x 24 x .75

are part of the artist scenario.  Works are evaluated and commented upon by others with a like-minded and honed visual aesthetic.  Seeing is subjective.  And because it is so, we will never quite know if anyone else at all will see a work in exactly the same way in which the artist does.  And so, we put our creations up for other eyes to see and experience.  I always come home with some new ideas.....sometimes I utilize the suggestions.  Sometimes not.

First off, I really need to believe in the qualified "eye" of the beholder.  I need to feel that her critique is viable and honest.  Secondly, human nature being what it is, I need to feel that the critical offering is coming from a good honest place.  I need to trust the offering.  I need to trust the offerer.

I took "Rock Stah" to the last critique.  My work thrives on spontaneity and so I accept smaller indiscretions in order for stroke-making to remain supreme.  It is therefore very difficult to approach the work in a like manner at another session, which is true for many works created with larger brushes in a shorter timer period.  Among other suggestions that are not do-able, our able leader felt that the face needed more description.  Her work is extremely solid, extremely realistic.  I deliberately left the face under-described in my attempt to leave out the unnecessary.  She felt that as is, the face inhibited her enjoyment of the work.  I considered her opinion this past week and went into the face again for a bit more description.  I also took the advice of another respected artist and put some highlights on the guitar-playing fingers.  And, while I was at it, I decided that the flesh-like-pastel-orange background color just wouldn't do.  Most of the surface area was glazed with a transparent yellow, creating some wonderful greens on top of the blues, and making for a more electric feeling overall.

Critiques need to be considered in my opinion...follow up those suggestions that seem correct to you and let the others fall to the wayside.  No one else fully understands your intent.

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.

Do the Georgia...

O'Keefe.  Another painting exercise that is wonderfully exciting is what I call "Blown Up Blooms".  Georgia said that she painted large blooms to produce more impact, as people don't really SEE flowers...they pass them by.  True.....big is good....big can be seen.  Another by product is the fact that we can't rely on reality as much. Each part of the bloom, the petal or the leaf for example, is so much larger that we have to rely on our creativity with the paint.  It also, to me, has a more modern look.  Perhaps the little vases of posies have been overdone so much that, even if beautifully done, they have become visual chloroform to me.  So.....blown up blooms.  

Sunflower Head   watercolor   8 x 8

Fresh Art...

What Appears Simple   watercolor/mixed   27.5 x 21

On any given weekend, there is a wide variety of art events from which to select.  So much to see.  So little time. This is my weekend pick:

     Fresh  Art

     Summit Artspace, 140 E. Market Street, Akron Ohio 44308

     Call 330.376.8480 or e:  info@akronareaarts.org  for further information

     Juried by:  John T. Adams and Clare Murray Adams

My work " What Appears Simple..." has been included.

We at Akron Society of Artists will also be painting on Saturday night from 5-9 pm at the ASA studio.

Come on along....it'll be fun.

Reliance on Photographs...

Julie   conte crayon on paper   17.5 x 10

Photographs are the life preservers of painting and drawing.....they don't really teach you to swim, but they keep you buoyant.  It is very difficult for some folks to give them up as part of the work (?) is already done - the subject has been flattened into 2 dimensions.....the artist's job then is to pump 3-dimensional reality back into the work.  Photos are portable.  Photos save time. Photos freeze the subject in time. Photos are like reading Cliff Notes to try to understand a great American novel.  In a pinch, I have used both. Photos lie. So do Cliff Notes.  Everything is on the same plane.  Darks and lights are polarized.   Working from reality teaches the true nature of things, the to's and the fro's.  Models get tired, flowers wilt, and the sun changes.  But I believe that an artist can learn way way more and achieve more freshness and energy by working from life.  "Julie" is a portrait started from life at my drawing workshop in Warren where most of the attendees are portrait artists.  I will say that I could probably have worked another hour on it, but, being a workshop, we needed to move on.  The natives were growing restless.  I remember, though, that it felt good, I felt as if I had a handle on the subject.  It felt simple and right.  I snapped a photo so that I could finish the work at home.  A week later, I relied on my photograph to finish the portrait.  I was let down.....I felt that there was so much I had missed....how could I have been so wrong?  All those details.  Too many details.  The photo caused me to doubt my observations.  Although I finished the work to my satisfaction, I have to wonder what the work would have looked like had I been able to finish it on the spot....

Doodling...

Domino...a doodle drawing

Wordless Expression.  This is the title for the workshop I did at Cleveland State last Friday as part of the "Create a Life" seminar.  The participants in the workshop were therapists (art and occupational), social workers, nurses and psychologists.  We doodlers recognize each other.  We also recognize our first cousins the fidgeters.  We are people that need to be engaged on  more than one level.  Doodling can be expansive and enlightening.  Our tools are all marks that can be made:  dots, triple dots, variegated dots, slashes, swirls, swoopies and lines of all kinds.  We find patterns all over the place and take inspiration from:  fabrics, nature, braids, ribbons and picnic baskets.  Most of us have been doodling, and feeling a bit guilty about it, for most of our lives.  We are looked at as if we are not paying attention.  But a new study discussed in Time Magazine tested doodlers versus non-doodlers attending a lecture full of detail.  The doodlers actually recalled more information from the lecture.  It was surmised that somehow doodling kept the attendee from day dreaming, and more on focus.  Wow.  Good News.  Dissolve that guilt.  Arm yourselves with pen and paper for that next bored meeting.  (or is that board?)

Varietal...

potatoes, varietal beans and varietal line, the mix of which is ever so exciting!  Mixing it up can give us artists a totally fresh perspective.  Sometimes, in the drone of making, we use the same the same the same and approach things the same the same the same.  In our workshop, we used charcoal sticks to experiment with the many ways that simple stick can be used:  pouncing, on its side, on an angle, on its end.  This, to me, is poetry.  Why use a multitude of small strokes when a big one will do?  And pair it up with some small ones to give it more power.  Yes.  We also used our erasers to make smudgy marks and shapes.  In the sample shown, those beautiful wavering lines were created with an eraser.  As are the large half-toned circular shapes.  It is, in my opinion, through these simple lessons in playful abstraction that we are able to play, to experiment because reality doesn't get in the way.  Hopefully, we are able to cross over these lessons with a fresh eye when approaching reality drawing.

Express Yourself...

Paintbrush(Labor Series)   watercolor  8.5 x 14

I spent Saturday last doing an expressive drawing workshop at The Trumbull County Art Center in Warren, Ohio.  Enthusiastic artists were there to open up and possibly stretch themselves in a new way as far as drawing goes.  Drawing, like anything else, can be experienced in ways that are quite polar......and everything in between.  Too often we find ourselves sitting down and working with finely sharpened pencils slaving over accuracy.  We tighten up and make small marks that come from the wrist....a bit like handwriting. As we sharpen and resharpen in order to find the reality of the subject, the freshness and enthusiasm give way to overworking and perfection.  Too much control. Using fatter tools, standing up, and moving from the shoulder allow for more expressive mark making, bolder mark making, and more happy accidents.  We began with a series of calligraphic exercises designed to aid in larger movements from the shoulder, and natural curves that begin to find their way into a natural rhythm.  Practice aids in muscle memory and we eventually gain a bit more control.  Out-of-control control.  Cool.  These artists were hard working and sincere...it was a delight sharing these exercises with them.

Your challenge should you choose to accept it is...

Bit of Orange   watercolor   8.25 x 6.5

whatever you need work on.  I have heard it said that it is our responsibility to work with both our talents and weaknesses in our quest for success in anything.  Challenges are good.  And challenges are many.  I try to add at least one challenge to any project in the works.  Not enough challenges to interfere with the enjoyment of the painting, but enough to take me from just painting what I see into learning just a bit more.  Increased ability to problem-solve is the goal.  Each artist in class was given an orange and instructions to cut it whichever way they wanted.  In addition:

* our papers were divided horizontally into three equal zones, either horizontal or vertical format   for the paper

* the orange was to be located in the central zone to the left, to the right, mid center, all of the artist's choosing

* half of the artists were to put hard edges on the top of the orange, shifting attention to the top of the work

*  half of the artists were to put hard edges on the bottom of the orange, shifting attention to the bottom

* we were to use a limited palette, using only one blue.  we were to create a neutral background using that      blue, with an orange.

Wow, we ended up with an amazing variety of wonderful works.  I had hoped to show some here, and perhaps will be able to next week.  I photographed them all only to realize that my significant other, a photographer, had removed the camera card from my camera.  No images.   ergh.....................

"Bit of Orange" is my solution.  My hard edges are, of course, at the bottom.  The painting was cropped to support the interest toward the bottom third of the paper.

Mix it Up...

An Accommodating Curve   watercolor/gouache   27 x 14

These days, I am quite drawn to mixed media paintings....they offer more surprises than works that are more pure.  When I first joined my local art organization many years ago, those who painted with watercolor were teased with, "When are you gonna use REAL paint?", jokingly (?) meant to acknowledge the supposed superiority of oils.  This whole notion, in fact, smacks of a REAL MAN society....and I really don't wanna go there.  I would like to think that mixed media works are now mirroring the multicultural aspect of our society and our world.  We taste and sample foods and products from all over the world. I, for one, find this to be very stimulating.  I did a turn at gallery sitting last week at Summit Artspace gallery and found that I am quite taken with the work of Sean O'Donnell, a young painting student at the University of Akron.  His use of pencil and small bits of folded paper affixed to the canvas are novel and offer interest and novelty.  Why then, do we hesitate to add another medium, as if we are tainting the pure?  I am not sure.

Many years ago, I did lots of watercolor work on top of a gouache under-painting.  It changed the quality of the strokes and added a milky quality to the paint.  "An Accommodating Curve" is an example.  When I took this painting to critique, the leader was visually confused as to the medium.  It looked a bit like oil, a bit like pastel.  Whatever.  His comment made me happy.  

I look forward to the day that we don't have to check-mark our supposedly "pure" race on applications of all sorts.  I really don't like purity all that much.

Directionality of Line...

Moroccan Man...a sketch

I am a big fan of using the direction of line to support my intent.  In this case, of course,  my "hand" is always visible to the viewer.  For me, this is refreshing and supports the collaboration between artist and sitter.  There are those whose lines are so very fine and so very smudged that prefer to let the sitter shine and for them, the artist, to remain invisible.  Although line can be used in painting, one can take advantage of this useful design element more easily in drawing.  In the case of "Moroccan Man" I used the line to support the direction of the form, or that part of the form that I was trying to describe.  Most of the texture is in the face.  I chose to leave the head wrap smooth and plain, thereby using texture/no texture as another design feature.  This stuff spins my fan.  

In the beginning, I believed that there was only one correct line - the one that more accurately described the contour of the form.  Hallelujah..........there are infinite ways to use line, and endless possibilities.  Sign me up.

I wanna triple.....time as a healer...

Wait   mixed on paper   20 x 13.5

Well then, would that be a triple base run, a triple lutz, or three great paintings in a row?  Sometimes, the ideas expressed by other artists resonate within me.  Not immediately, but will rise to the surface of my thoughts in time.  I am grateful for this.  Last week an artist in my class lamented the fact that he felt he needed to progress more, and the measure for that would be three or four great paintings in a row.  Those of us who have been painting a long while just looked at each other and simultaneously declared, "That ain't gonna happen".  

Like it or not, we have a lot in common with athletes and I believe that we need to incorporate some of their experiences into our own.  While the desire to conquer, to win, to claim the prize is decidedly a left-brain notion, the actual playing of the sport, the moment-to-moment maneuvering of one's body in response to another's is an in-the-present notion that is shared with us artists.....from the R-brain.  One needs only to take in the sports news for a week or so to realize that even the best of the best athletes have their share of disappointments and setbacks.  To attain peak performance at all times is an oddity.  What matters, of course, is the long run, the continued playing of the thing, the continued painting of the thing over time that allows for more success, whatever that might entail for any given individual.  The process is the thing. The love of the thing.  The playing.  The triple-lutzing.  The capturing of light in early morning.  A peak performance at any given event does not guarantee a peak performance at the next.  You are only as good as the current game, the current painting.

"Wait" is about exactly that.  A feeling of failure.  A loss.  Not living up to what one believes is his or her potential.  The only healer is time....waiting.....painful waiting....until the next painting when all goes as planned and one's self-imposed definition of success is met.  Sometimes it happens.

drawer? painter?

Many artists proclaim, "I am a painter".  The word painter connotes a degree of mastery, an elevation.  Not many declare, "I am a drawer".  That connotes part of a chest of drawers, a bureau.  But, rest assured, all good painters spend a great deal of time being good drawers.  Discipline before freedom.

I love stroke-making and all of the freedom that comes along with it...strokes that are bold, strokes that support my intent, and strokes that hold their own independent beauty, regardless of the subject matter.  In order to feel surface-freedom, that freedom occurring on the plane of the canvas or paper, it is necessary to be as comfortable as possible with the draftsmanship of the subject, the skeletal construction that lies beneath  those beautiful strokes.

Most new to painting desire to be proficient at painting without a solid knowledge of drawing....painting classes fill up before drawing classes.  I think that it is in our nature to go for the gold.  Perhaps painting is more tenable, more quantifiable.  What occurs, unfortunately, is that most errors in painting are actually drawing errors.  So, it stands to reason that the more we draw, the more comfortable we will be when we take brush in hand.

So....Stand up.  Be counted.  Declare your passion.  I am a drawer.

Bunch of Daffodils...

Daffodil Bunch   watercolor   18 x 10.5

Nothing signals spring to me more than daffodils....luscious horns of bright yellow to warm our hearts!  I have painted daffodils every spring for more years than I can remember...in vases, lying down, tied with string, in the flower bed, blush background, brown background, turquoise background.....they are always difficult to paint and always a thrill.  We are in the process of naturalizing our front yard for many reasons, the most important being to block off increasing noise from the county road out front.  I planted a variety of 50 just last fall and most have come up.  This year the Granville Garden Club is using one of my daffodil paintings on their advertising materials.....again, a thrill.

Granville, Ohio 65th Annual Garden Club Daffodil Show and Sale featuring over 300 varieties of these pest and deer-resistant bulbs!

When:  Saturday, April 17, 1-7 pm; Sunday, April 18, 11-6 pm

Where:  College Town House, 334 East Broadway, Granville, Ohio 43203

Contact:  Call 740.522.6914 or granvillegardenclub@gmail.com  for further information

              

              

It's Raining Cats and Dogs...

Happy   oil/canvas   10 x 20 x .5

We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals....Immanuel Kant

Opening:  Friday, April 9, 5:30-8:30 pm, wine and cheese reception

                 Hudson Fine Art & Framing, 9 Aurora Street, Hudson, Ohio

                 Percentage of proceeds to benefit PAWSibilities, the Humane Society of Greater Akron

                 photos by Neil Evans, watercolors by Sinclair Stratton, sculptures by Gail Chavenelle 

                     (some of my work as well)

When a man has pity on all living creatures then only is he noble....Buddha Siddhartha Gautama

Under the Weather...

Under the Weather...a sketch

From time to time we all get hit with the flu bug.  Unanticipated down time.  Low Energy......inability to work on paintings.  What could be worse?  That is where I have been for the past few days.  When others in my household have been ill, or even taken to afternoon naps or sleeping in, I have regarded the circumstance as the most wonderful  way to sketch an inert model.  Sketching people while sleeping is somewhat invasive but it gives us a completely different view of the human head as it twists and melds into a pillow.  I have surprised more than one family member when their eyes open to face the morning....oh well.  When my boys were smaller, I used to pay them to sit still while watching television.  This sleeping/sick scenario offers complete relaxation for all.  I can't wait to get back to work.

Spring Equinox...

Cracked   watercolor   9 x 13.5

The arrival of the Equinox brings many changes to our lives.  For most of us, these changes are welcome.  I confess to being a winter-lover as I seem to have more quiet creative time that I need.  Spring brings along yard work and changes in rhythm.  I am sure that I will benefit from this shift and new opportunities will present themselves.  Ah, yes, and the Easter dinner.  Eggs and more eggs.  Last evening while putting away the groceries, I tried to cram just one too many eggs into the egg holder....definitely my m.o.  The mess that resulted took even more time to clean up than the time it would have taken for me to be careful.  Again, my m.o.  "Cracked" sums up the experience.  Please tell me that it doesn't just happen to me.

Off I go to make red beet eggs....our Pennsylvania Dutch tradition.

the life so short, the craft so long to learn...

Kinyatta   oil/canvas   30 x 24 x .5

Hippocrates.  Yes.  The night of the critique is always a sleepless one for me....images twirling and swirling in my brain.  The creative subconscious at work.  And, in the morning, a bit of resolve, as I attempt to assimilate the lessons presented to me during the session.  (And this time, it cannot be attributed to Diet Coke)  I really do embrace the beautiful differences of my artists friends and colleagues...the wonderful composition by Judy Gaiser, the complex color behind Dan Lindner's vintage pencil sharpener, the abstracted and spontaneous boats of Kevin Hudik, the sparkling carousel painted from a mutated photograph by Manna Huang, and marvelously complex and patterned world of Tricia Kaman.  These are my inspirations.  My own deconstructed painting of Kinyatta registered some valid comments....the placement of the hand, the too-much-dominance of the thumb and the necessary/unnecessary white stroke mid-bottom....I take these comments seriously, especially from artists whose work I admire and enjoy.  I will think on these things...the face and hands seem sacrosanct in this process...for me the question is

what do I really need?

Nothing Beats Observation...

Eggs of a Different Color   watercolor/gouache   8.5 x 13

Observing objects through glass, and water in a glass, is always interesting, always a surprise.  Stems of flowers appear not to connect to the stems above the water level.  The same with anything else....such as a spoon.  Actually, I have found that the easiest way to paint what is under water is to simply paint what you see rather what you think you know.  What a fun exercise this time of year when we are coloring eggs anyways....I always have loved this process....it is somewhat magical....waiting for the color to intensify...transforming the whiteness into spectacular color.  In "Eggs of a Different Color" I kept the glasses and the eggs transparent and worked a bit of opacity into the background.  My goal in so doing, was to juxtapose the two elements, hopefully making the transparent appear to be even more so.  I'm not sure that part was all that successful, but I still enjoy the painting.  

Colored eggs are the best.

Fresh Produce...

Red Cabbage and Leeks   watercolor   8 x 8

Nothing is more visually stimulating to me than standing in front of the produce section of a good market.  All those colors and textures!  One of our painting challenges in class was "fresh produce".  I knew quite ahead of time that I wanted to pair up red cabbage and leeks....the combination suggested by Irish cuisine that is popular this month.  I thought about the color palette in advance.  Of course, red and green are complements, so that is a built-in power factor.  But those two primaries had to be altered....the red towards violet and the green towards yellow. I sketched and considered.  My goal was to create a watercolor painting that was equal in richness to the ones I had done in oils.  This painting practically painting itself.....and that is so rare.  I guess we artists deserve one like that now and again.  I am pleased with this painting....and how often does that happen?

Painting Companions...

Delores in Fendi   watercolor   11 x 8.25

Everyone needs a friend or two.  Painting companions are friends, indeed, but there are a few characteristics of such a friendship that make this relationship unique.  Painting friends base their relationship on the common love of art, of painting....and so they understand completely the goal of "getting into the zone", of being timeless and of staying on target.  We don't chat.  We don't do lunch.  Of course, there are some pleasantries when we begin, and a bit of conversation at the wrap-up, but we respect each other's needs for creative freedom, which is tough to find and even tougher to perpetuate.  Words come from the left brain and demand our immediate attention.  We wouldn't think of interrupting this process with words.  I have such a friend in Delores.  We have painted together off and on for many years.  She is definitely the most progressive older woman I have ever met(I am blessed each week by at least one of her nuggets of wisdom)....I appreciate her insights, her critiques and her never-failing enthusiasm and questioning.  During one of our recent sessions, she attacked her paper with a feverish ardor....off in completely separate part of the room.  At the end, we emerged fatiqued with work in hands.  She felt that she had never painted better or more loosely.  I agree. "Pot of Flowers" is the result.  We chatted and critiqued for a few minute.  We then went home.  Friends. Beautiful.

Framing...

Mina...a sketch

Last evening our Akron Society of Artists group had a program on framing led by Shirley Blake and Kim Moore, both of whom have had lots of experience.  All kinds of topics were discussed...constructing your own framing; hardware; various types of glass; kinds of tape; etc.  Very informative.  I guess my bottom line these days is that I never ever consider my framing job to be permanent....rather, just a way to protect the work for time being.  An art seller friend of mine believes that people are buying the work, not the frame.  And, very often, people like to put their own mark on their new purchase.  Like it or not, folks like the work to match their living room couch.  When finishing a watercolor, for example, I never know whether or not it will need to be shipped....so I use the neutral light-colored mat and plexiglass.  Very often a work will go in and out of framing several times.  I never use a dust cover on the back until the work has been sold.  I do, however, believe that we artists need to identify which types of frames are aesthetically pleasing to us....I prefer the more modern light woods with no ornamentation, hand-carved frames especially from Mexico; and some of the shabby chic frames with pealy paint.  Yes.  Picking up thrift frames is a bit hazardous.....as you can end up with too many.  And painting to fit a frame is always dangerous, as it inhibits the idea by size from the get-go.  Yet, I do it all the time, especially with works that are class projects.  With no disrespect meant to the presenters, I love to sketch during the program and appreciate the feeling I get from relaxing to draw and listening all the while.  Last night's sketch was of Mina, who was seated about 2 yards away from me.  She is a sketcher as well, so I knew she wouldn't mind.

Paradigm Shift

In 1962 scientist Thomas Kuhn developed his notion of a paradigm shift, which determined that progress, or knowledge, is not linear, not evolutionary, but, rather a series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions.  I don't think that this notion is strictly science-based.  Over the years, I have been obsessed, sometimes for years, about various art-related elements, all related to the way I see art-making and what I have decided to be visually stimulating and aesthetically pleasing TO ME.  We all know, that seeing is subjective.  And aesthetic differences vary from artist to artist.  That's what makes it all so fun.  My quest in all of this problem solving is to reduce an image to its essence, to say only what needs to be said.  The overall feel of the work is more important than the pieces parts.  My first obsession was the notion of transparency/opacity.  That lasted many years.  Then I moved on to complex color.....layering of colors to achieve a good feel.  I found that I much preferred color that was layered and truly considered, rather than the spontaneous local color expressed in most all prima works.  (I do, however, feel that alla prima painting offers so much in learning to make quick decisions and fresh stroke-making).  Hard and soft edges became another obsession, where my desire was to merge the subject and its ground in a kind of oneness.  Recently, I have experienced yet another shift in the way I wish to see my art....I simply cannot resist it.  The process tends to deconstruct the subject a bit, allowing for an even deeper merging into the ground, as well as further redefining that which is important.  The process is difficult, enduring and, frankly, requires a whole lot of paint.  But, for some reason, I believe that this is where I am supposed to be at present.....and I am enjoying the ride....when I am not tearing my hair out. It is stimulating.

Lost in the Freedom...

Rabbit Study   pencil and conte crayon   10 x 13

These days I spend most of my time considering painting the nothingness, the space that connects the subject to the background....that for which there are no plans save intuition and freedom of the moment.  It is very rewarding and exhilarating....breaking up the spaces and letting go of the reality in the places that seem to matter least.  I am not always successful.  I am always up for the challenge.  On those days where success seems shallow and uncertain, I come back to the more honest beginnings, where describing the reality of the subject was the goal.  "Rabbit Study" is such a work, done with finely sharpened pencils.  As I recall, this drawing took over a week to complete.  It was a study in order to get to familiarize myself with the sculptured form of a rabbit, so that I could paint it more freely further on down the road.  It is good to ground myself and my work now and then.  See Rabbit Study at Discovered Artists.

Embracing Our Differences...

Spirits Conjoined   oil/canvas   40 x 30 x 1.5

One of my paintings "Spirits Conjoined" has been accepted into Embracing Our Differences, an outdoor billboard show......each of the 39 works selected will be made into a billboard!  These billboards will be on display in April at Island Park, Sarasota, Florida and in May in South Sarasota County.  I am so very pleased to have a work included in this exhibit, as, really, this whole issue of beautiful and loving differences is so very important to me.  Since we were children, both girls and boys, our culture through our families has spoon-fed the "ideal" to us....what we should be and how we should act and what we should do with our lives.  Those of us who varied from this path often felt guilty and suffered some consequences.....I was often told, "Your average person would never think that...."    I have never striven to be average. And I hope my readers will never either.  And what is average anyways?  I look to our children who are more accepting of deviation from this norm.....more accepting in general of differences.  Evolution cannot speed up enough for me.

For a look at the artwork selected and to read about the exhibit, visit:  embracing our differences.

Be Brave. Paint with Authority.

This is a quote from one of my favorite watercolor artists....and one of my mentors, Alvaro Castagnet, who was the juror at Watercolor Ohio 2008.  Alvaro has just received the top award at the Shanghai Zhujiajiao International Watercolour Biennial!  His winning painting "Overview" is a scene from downtown Montevideo and can be seen on his website.  He says:

     Art is totally insight.  Painting is based on intuition; it is a cosmic thing.

     Good Art goes beyond intelligence.  Be naive.

I guess that we are drawn to the working methods of those artists similar to our own, as it validates our own findings, our own problem-solving.  He relishes freedom of the brush, as well as being-a-bit-out-of-control.  He uses the hand-tied squirrel hair mop-shaped brushes that help to diminish control(thus allowing more freedom).....and.....he holds them at the end of the handle which furthers this experience.  Yeah, baby, yeah.

I couldn't agree more.....congratulations, Alvaro!!!!

Home..

Dussel Farm in February   watercolor   8.25 x 23.25

Sense of place is so important to our well being.  I am fortunate to be able to work in silence in my studio and to feel a part of the outside natural world through the large windows.  It took many years for me to feel comfortable in our rural community.....I think we were "newbies" for the first twenty years.  I believe that is why moving is often difficult, even traumatic.  I have known a few people whose constant childhood moves have impacted them negatively for the rest of their lives.  HOME.  The farms around us have gradually been selling off and becoming housing developments.....although I try to keep in mind how happy these new homeowners are to have their own part of the American Dream,  I know in my heart that I prefer looking at pastures.  Thomas Moore states in The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life:

     I would wish to be a member of a community that judged itself on the happiness of its children rather than on      the unhindered flow of its mechanical inventions.

Dussel Farm is one of the hearts of our community.  We pass it almost daily.  We buy corn, bird seed and pumpkins there.  Our children schooled with theirs.  "Dussel Farm in February" is heartfelt.  My last winter landscape of the season.

Zen Mind Beginner's Mind...Shunryu Suzuki-roshi

I love the teachings of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi.....that approaching all things as a beginner, as a child, is the way to go.  It follows, then, that we can learn from the experiences of a newbie, that artist who is completely unencumbered with rules and rituals.  It also follows that loads-full of knowledge is questionable....that "having" knowledge can sometimes be prohibitive.  And so, my painting and drawing classes are a mix of artists....it is more fun that way....we can all learn from each other.  It also follows, for me, that reaching certain levels of certain art organizations that grant the use of special initials when "more accomplished artists" deem your work worthy of theirs is a slippery slope.  Of course, goals and the reaching of those goals are worthy endeavors.  But resting on the laurels of a signature membership is not.  Approaching the work with the enthusiasm of a child and the freshness of a beginner is to be encouraged.  Solving new problems in new and personal ways.

Jackie has never before taken an art class.  She has a sense of fun and openness about her.  Although we experienced painters agreed that the composition could benefit from cropping in order to make either the foreground or the background dominant, this scene from her back yard in the snow is wonderful.....and the snow strokes done in blue with a flat brush are enviable. 


My right hand holds the hand of someone who knows less than me, and I am the teacher.
My left hand holds the hand of someone who knows more than me, and I am the student.


Thank you, Jackie.