The Fifth and Sixth Passes...

Banquet...fifth and sixth passes

were carried out with the intent of bringing the work up to my own personal sense of aesthetics.  Up to this point, I had been primarily concerned with reality....describing the individual elements as well as using hard and soft edges to initiate a flow.  The painting had been drying over the weekend.  Large transparent cad yellow pale and blue-violet strokes were added vertically and rhythmically, primarily to offset the horizontal nature of the work.  But also to bring the corners in....to stop the action somewhat at the ends of the canvas.  And, also to break up the tightened restraints of the reality painting.  I also decided that the background and foreground white cloth were too similar in value, so I stroked in a darker tint mix with terra rosa to the background, in a patchy way to emulate the look of plaster.  Now we are cooking, so to speak.

The Fourth Pass...

Banquet...fourth pass...one day...fine tuning

was spent in fine tuning that which had already been considered...only detail work.  More definition in places.  Reestablishing shapes that had run amuk.  This took one day.  I knew that bigger changes were in store down the road as larger more important concepts such as harmony, temperature, movement and overall feel had yet to be considered.  I was still playing it safe at this point....coloring in the lines, so to speak.

In looking at these last two small images, in fact, no changes are distinctly noticeable.

The Third Pass...

Banquet...third pass...five days...more description

took five days of work.  More description.  But not everywhere....by this point I had a fair idea of the horizontal flow and the rhythmic pattern that would, hopefully, lead the eye around the composition.  But we artists know that with every gain there is a loss.  Sometimes wonderful passages were edited, sacrificed, for the whole.  At this point, the loss for me was the dissipation into pieces-parts, almost too much reality for me.  Preparation for a bit of chaos, a bit of destruction that had to be done for the sake of simplicity.  Too many things.  Too much itty bitty.  Too many words in the story.

The Second Pass...

Banquet...second pass

required more description, more attention to values and more attention to color temperature.  The long horizontal format is a bit of a different animal.  In working from left to right, I found that I was losing energy toward the end.  Fatigue sets in.  Things must be harmonized.  After the first pass, there was an abundance of dark values on the left....much lighter on the right.  This must all be balanced, in addition to beginning to set up a rhythm between the forms.  At this point, I was also determining which edges needed to be hard, and which soft.  It is definitely more difficult to achieve an all-over harmony given this format.  Carry on.

The First Pass...

Banquet...first pass

was completed by striking in local color and getting a feel for just where forms are positioned as well as to begin to understand the complex relationships between the forms.  I decided to forgo the view from a particular vantage point, deciding, instead, to view all forms as if I were standing in front of each.  Perspective has lost its extreme influence.  I will have to use rhythm to move us around the picture plane.  The background was painted in a light tint of terra rosa to simulate textured plaster walls.  I did not cover it completely, choosing, instead, to let small patches of the cadmium yellow under-painting to shine through.  None of these decisions is resolute.  Some of my earlier choices will be negated as the work progresses.

The Block-In,

Banquet...block in

for me, consists of a minimum number of lines that form a rhythmic pattern across the canvas.  Some artists use vine charcoal.  I use a very small brush and a liquidy turpentine mixture of an earth tone.  Some artists spend a great deal of time on this step, being certain that each form is in the right place and that sizes and measurements are fairly correct.  I find that spending too much time on the block-in not only neutralizes my enthusiasm for the painting part, but also reduces the amount of freedom in painting that I have...which is optimum for me in the creative process.  And so, I forgo lots of measuring and exactitude which allows for the freedom I crave.  The bad news is that not everything is in the "right" place and not everything is the "right" size.  Adjustments will need to be made.  Things will stay more flexible, more fluid.  And that is all right by me.

Does it Match?

We artists work with color on a regular basis.  It spins our collective fan.  Color engages.  Color energizes.  Color soothes.  Tyrone Geter once said that the more one learns about color, the more he/she realizes how much more there is to know.  True.  True.  True.  In a college sociology class, I read of a native tribe somewhere that had only 2 color words.  Seeing simply.  Dividing the spectrum into only 2 categories.  I have thought often of this knowledge bite, and guess that the words had to do with color temperature.  Maybe.  I am a lover of pures paired with neutrals, those colors that can hardly be described with words, i.e. bluish-brownish-purpleish.  Seeing colors is a subjective skill....who can really tell what another eye is seeing?  Fascinating.

This color IQ test was forwarded by my son and is quite an endeavor.  If you choose to attempt it, please do it when your time is open-ended, perhaps a half hour.  When you click on the site, there is a block about color iq.  Click on the part underneath that says..."learn more".  Fun.

Creative Schemes...

Queen Ann   watercolor   13 x 10

have been part of my m.o. for as long as I can remember.  The other day while walking along the roadside, I had a Marcel Proust moment when I spotted Queen Ann's Lace, a prolific wildflower often deemed a weed.  My childhood friend Tina and I spent a lovely summer afternoon clipping these beauties and putting them into jars with food coloring.  Within hours, they were infused with amazing colors.  We set up our roadside stand, prepared to rake in the cash.  Why wouldn't passers-by be drawn to these amazing flowers?  Needless to say, it was a very long afternoon.  No sales.  No cash.  No competition for the lemonade-makers.

Just an amazing memory of an afternoon well spent.

Farmers Markets...

Tomato Basket   oil/canvas  16 x 20 x 1.5

are in full swing now and need our support.  Since the 1950's, chemical farming has altered the way food is grown in our country.  High-tech farming has lessened the quality of the foods and depleted the soil causing lower nutrient crops as well as increasing erosion.  The yield per acre has tripled.  Labor has been cut by 2/3.  But energy use has quadrupled.  Not a good thing....all sponsored by the petrochemical industry.  According to Moore Lappe and Joseph Collins of the Institute for Food and Development Policy in San Francisco, the myth of world hunger has also been propagated by this same industrial outlook.  Rather, hunger is not the result of poor production, but the result of social and political policies that cause farmers to plant commercial one-crop products that are exported for monetary gain, leaving the local and regional communities with little to nothing.

I have spent the past three weeks painting fruits, vegetables and other food items.  I cannot paint without thinking of the subject and what this particular experience has to teach.

Water, water.....

West End (NC)   watercolor   25.5 x 15

is not really everywhere....we take it so for granted.  West End, North Carolina is a sleepy little town that we pass through often.  It is the kind of place where old guys in red caps hang around garages.  Antique shops line the street....the one street.  I love this town and I don't know why.  Last year for our "look up" painting challenge in class, I chose to paint the town water tower.  It was a hot, humid and cloudy day....very moody.   This painting is right on with its feel....my feel.  Gets one to thinking...

Wings...

Butterfly Wallpaper   watercolor

of butterflies, dragonflies and insects of all kinds are so very beautiful....patterny, colorful and sometimes iridescent.  On a day when painting something large is out of the question due to time restraints, small insect paintings can keep your brushes wet and in practice.  For me, even a day without painting seems to increase painting trepidation...the fear of white canvas or paper.  For these small works, I buy thrift store frames and design the paintings around the frame size.  Granted, this way of working is not really natural, due to size restrictions.  I liken it to illustration, where the size and dimensions of the work are predetermined.  Nevertheless, it is a fun and freeing exercise.....

take flight.

Preparation...

setting the mood with a toned canvas for the Loretta Paganini painting project

is a good thing and helps to propel us toward success no matter what the endeavor.  Sure, I enjoy the spontaneous painting that I often do, but in more complex projects, I like to ease my way into the project with planning and sketches.  Today I begin a large canvas of bountiful fruits and vegetables that is being done in collaboration with the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking and Culinary Arts.  The canvas was toned with a rich warm and buttery yellow that, hopefully, will peek through other layers.  I purchased all of my ingredients and combined them with items from my own kitchen to create a very long still life set up on my patio last week.  I photographed and re-photographed all of the items.  Painting from a live set up will not be possible due to the immensity of the painting as well as the organic nature of the items.  Here I go!

Now....all I need are some lemons.

I need more lemons!

Lemony   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.25

Things are heating up here in northeast Ohio.....temperature predicted in the 90's all week with high humidity.  Our home is not air-conditioned.  Whew!  I find lemons to be a refreshing remedy to cool, to hydrate and to enjoy.....lemons in water, lemonade mixed with beer, lemon desserts and lemons to look at.  Beautiful!  It would make for good writing if I said that I am cooler already just thinking about lemons.  It's not true.

But it's the thought that counts.

Barbara Krans Jenkins

Barbara Krans Jenkins   charcoal and pastel on paper   12 x 17.5

is an amazing artist who does forest floor images beyond compare.  Her cut and decorated gourds appear to be fine ceramic objets d'art.  And her community spirit benefits all of our community artists.  She has established the gallery at her church, St. Paul's Episcopal, boasting an elaborate and high-tech hanging system as well as committees of folks to help unload and hang.  Not a small feat.  And she is often seen volunteering and demonstrating at Summit Artspace alongside her vast collection of prismacolor pencils.  And so, it is to her credit  that I will be showing paintings and drawings at St. Paul's from July 4 through August 26.

Chef Roger will be there.  Come on along.

Delight...

Asparagus, Peaches and Cherry Tomatoes   watercolor   12.5 x 14

is a matter of personal preference, of course.  I feel lucky that my my delight threshold is so low....my brain is stimulated by marks on the sidewalk, stacks of books.....and going to the market.  Marketing has always been a pleasure for me even when in a hurry....which is just about always.  Summer's produce is a wave of textures and colors to spin my creative fan.  Who doesn't love the collection of peppers....all yellow, orange, red and green....stacked in baskets and boxes?  Pity the person who does not notice.

Delight in the seeing, the touching, the smelling and the eating.

And, I will confess to buying things I don't need just because they are beautiful.

To-tone-or-not-to-tone...

Quick Draw Painting - Hudson, Ohio dentist   8 x 8

is really a matter of individual preference.  But, despite the foresight and planning that is apparent, it is usually a good thing.  Toned canvasses provide a slicker surface, providing an ideal surface for the gliding of brushwork.  Untoned drags.  Think skating on ice versus trudging through snow.  For me, the surface dance is most important.

In addition, a particular color of toning can enliven a work from the get-go if pieces/parts of that preliminary color peek through.  Another fun thing to try is to tone with with the opposing color temperature of the anticipated temperature of the work.....i.e. cool underlying warm.  This is particularly effective in watercolor where the transparent layers are visible from beneath. (and, with watercolor, this preliminary toning can be done right on the spot when work is begun, rather than ahead of time)

Most often, however, my foresight is dim, and so I just use leftover paint from my palette all mixed together to tone random canvasses for future paintings.  One time I used the sludge from my turp jar to tone.....bad idea.....those canvasses took months to dry.

For plein-air work, toning is a real plus, as it provides color already there when speed is of the essence.  It is also terrific for vignetting.  Also for scratching through to a previous layer.

So, I guess, the answer for me is yes.  Think ahead.  Tone.  My small painting from the quick draw in Hudson of the dentist's office was toned well ahead of the event.

In retrospect....

Melon Sill   watercolor   6.75 x 12

things often appear differently.  Sometimes paintings that we adore don't seem so noteworthy.  And, just as often, the reverse is true...paintings that we feel ho-hum about take on a fresh look.  We may even say to ourselves, "hey, that isn't so bad after all".  It's true.  In viewing "Melon Sill", I feel that I really like this painting after all.  And I think I know why.  In most of my work, I strive for strong value contrasts....these provide drama and the ability to read a painting from a distance.  But what about those often understated and underused mid-values?  In the ever-present light of summer, aren't lighter values appropriate and appealing?  And....shouldn't we consider the use of value to be an important ingredient in the story we are telling?

Note to myself:  Always consider value to be maneuverable.....adjustable....to support the visual story.  And, don't neglect the mid-tones....they are beautiful in a different way.

Tis the season for plein air!

Breezeway   oil/canvas   14 x 11

where plein-air painters abound.  Lots of competitions and lots of outdoor painters.  I just received word that one of the artists in my watercolor class, Marian Steiner, took an honorable mention at The Cuyahoga Valley Art Center Plein-Air paint-out this past weekend.  Congratulations, Marian!

My own process for painting outdoors has become more solid over the years as I realize what will make for speedier and more productive work.

1) always, if possible, start with a toned canvas.  This allows the brushes to glide.  In addition, the entire canvas is already covered, which makes minimal painting in non-important areas more do-able

2) try to locate a scene that interests me personally, so that I will be invested in its success....perhaps an area of interest as far as gardening, or one that incorporates both organic and straight line.  I really like combining parts of buildings with the gardens.

3) hone in on a color temperature dominance...this will help determine the color of the frame, as well as keep me on track.  cool painting?  warm painting?  one or the other

4) determine a mother-color that will be dominant and help me to determine the colors on my limited palette......I like to tweak the palette in order to avoid the static that occurs by using an exclusively local palette

5) use my viewfinder to help compose the scene

6) paint!  Some outdoor painters seem to enjoy conversation with others.  Unfortunately, I am not one of them,  as I find the interruptions in my painting process to be confusing and disorienting.  I am still working on how to solve this problem.

7) one stroke says it all....I try to rely on the each stroke for power and try not to alter them, as this leads to a mushy painting that has to be resolved after drying in the studio.  In plein-air work, this simply isn't possible.  What I see is what I get.

All in all, painting outdoors is invigorating and provides opportunities for thinking outside the box, for changing habits that inhibit creativity.

Inspiration...

Canned Beauty   watercolor/gouache   10 x 6.5

can come from anywhere, even the oft overlooked, especially the oft overlooked.  A recent glossy home decor magazine featured an article where an editor picked her 10 favorite things.  The one that caught my eye was a vase, I believe of mercury glass, that resembled an aluminum can.  And, of course, it was for that reason that it was deemed beautiful.  My brain wondered:  "And why not the aluminum can itself"?  Aluminum cans teach a variety of lessons:  the ever-difficult ellipse as well as reflective qualities that are not contiguous, but ridged.  Oh boy....what an assignment.  We had also been discussing the use of black.  Instead of using black from a tube, which is a dead dark that creates visual holes in paintings, we discussed the formula of red + green + blue = black.  Using the particular red, green and blue hues already determined for a particular work will produce a dark that harmonizes with the rest of the painting.  And......one of my favorites.....using one or two of those in dominance will produce a black with a particular cast...i.e. reddish-black, bluish-black, etc.  (this aspect is easily seen in black garments)

"Canned Beauty" was done that class period.  I slanted my dark hues to produce a purplish-black to, hopefully, play off of the vibrant yellow flowers.  Despite its darkness, I like it very much.

Ready for the Sun...

Carl Yoke   watercolor   13.5 x 9.5

One of our recent class assignments was portrait painting.  We drew numbers and sat  in pairs across from each other to paint.  We were to be prepared with summertime regalia, including hats, sunglasses, etc.  I find that these additions often fool our "afraid to do portraits" mentality by covering the eyes and the hair....those parts that are often difficult to render.  Granted, the lighting in our downstairs classroom at the art center is not optimal....it is fluorescent overhead lighting...which is not really advantageous for describing the beautiful form of the human head.  However, it is what we have and I believe that beautiful art can be made under any conditions.

Carl Yoke was my subject.

Uyahi...

Jailhouse Rick   oil/canvas   10 x 30 x .5

is the Cherokee word for husband.  And, so, this day I pay tribute to my dear one with whom I have shared my life.  Everyone knows that being an artist is difficult.....the folks, like me,  who, for the most part, have chosen a life of "being" over a life of "having".  Being the partner of an artist is just as difficult.....and just as rewarding.  In a life full of crazy-makers, my partner is my calm and my best audience.  As we are both visually oriented, our language is often unspoken, but felt strongly.  He is also my most willing model.  We have been blessed with three wonderful sons who have loving partners, a magnificent garden, and loyal friends whose values mesh with our own. 

Gvgeyui, both a noun and a verb, is the Cherokee word for all that encompasses love.

Sleep...

Dean Hoover's Place   oil/canvas board   10 x 20

is welcome...especially after the 3-day plein air paint-out in Hudson!  The small paintings, done by about a dozen artists, are all hung in the gallery waiting for buyers.  The styles, energies and subject matters are varied and captivating.  It is really not that simple painting outdoors and my sun hat goes off to those who do this on a regular basis.  For a studio painter like me, the chances for little disasters are multiplied.

On day one my leg fell off....of the easel, that is.   Luckily my art cart was just the right height to make up the difference and my easel was easily repaired for the next session.

On day two, I hit a terrible rut in the parking lot while dragging my art cart along....in trying to catch the spillover, the painting that was being held pizza-fashion landed in my hair.  No problem.  Washing my hair with hand-soap did the trick, as well as a trip to the hardware store to replenish the spilled turp.  And, really, most folks enjoyed the paint and liquid all over my business cards....they say it added character.

Wow....I thought I was home-free on day three and, I must say, feeling quite smug....until I got out of the car to find paint all over the cloth seat....also all over my legs.  Where did this come from?  No problem.....some turp and some soapy water did the trick.  Oh yeah....also a towel on the seat for a while to prevent unsightly spots on my clothes.

Soaking up the environment is one of the advantages....beauty, nature and the talents of the many gardeners whose hard work was showcased.

Today....the studio...the calm...and, hopefully accident-free.

I agree with Leon...

 ardo da Vinci who said:
    

The painter must be solitary...For if you are alone you are completely yourself, but if you are accompanied by a single companion you are half yourself.

And, so, I must apologize for wanting to be completely me....for avoiding conversation during the process, and for avoiding eye contact with those who wish to converse, to make a connection.  I love the extreme focus, the tunnel vision that painting provides.  And when artists in class need to take a break, I completely understand, but hope that their meanderings do not disrupt the creative time of others.  Painting, for me, is sacred.

Michelangeo said:

Painters are not in any way unsociable through pride, but either because they find few pursuits equal to painting, or in order not to corrupt themselves with conversation and so debase the imaginings in which they are absorbed.

Again Olivia   watercolor/mixed on paper   20.5 x 13

"Again Olivia" was painted from a model in two separate sessions with my earphones on.  I do enjoy listening to my own brand of music, but also enjoy being absorbed in my own imaginings.

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.