May 2, 2008

The other day I received notification that I had three pieces accepted into a local show. This is a show that is short and sweet (one weekend) and only about 30 minutes away, At this show I usually either sell a piece or win a small award and get to see some "artist" friends at the opening reception or during drop off and pick up times. Juried shows are probably the bane of many artist's experience as you never get any merit points for being in "good" shows with "good" curators and "good" locations. Every time you enter a piece it's a crap shoot as to whether or not you'll be in. I am chosen more often to be in a show if the juror is an artist or in education. Curators of museums both small and large generally skip over my work. Because there is no feedback as to the reason for your rejection one can only guess as to the reasons. In addition jurors with liberal tastes will be more likely to jury my piece in a show than a conservative judge. One time I drove to Providence, Rhode Island from central Pennsylvania to enter a small show that was co-sponsored by Yoko Ono. Being a major John Lennon fan I couldn't pass this opportunity up and drove the seven and 1/2 hours to the coast, dropped off my painting and hunkered down in a hotel for three days until it was time to pick up the piece if it did not make the show. I loved the piece I made which was to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of a Russian-Japanese treaty. Even though the show was in a small tourist type gallery I knew there would be lots of applicants because of the connection with Yoko Ono so I chose to paint a bold graphic with strong colors that could stand out in a room of contenders. When I returned three days later to pick up my work I saw the show and was struck by the lack of color of all the artwork in the room. Oh wells.

May 1, 2008

It would be wrong not to mention the inspiration that spring brings to the artist. Over time artists have used nature as inspiration. Think Monet, Kahlo or O'Keeffe and you won't have any doubt of that statement having validity. Today though I did not paint, I was full of inspirational ideas. A doggie playdate with a friend got me designing a t-shirt, a walk in the woods inspired a children's book and a beautiful though chilly and cloudy day gave me opportunity to grab my camera and record some of my day. As an artist it is important not to be an artist just when I'm in my studio in front of my easel. As the spring unfolds I wonder how many wonderful art will be created.

April 30, 2008

Because I was not formally trained as a painter, I used my training as a graphic designer to teach myself to paint. One of my favorite classes was with Jane Sterrit who had us spend hours drawing negative space and pasting colored paper in the negative spaces. This was an important lesson and one that I have used in painting extensively. Once the gesture is drawn (painted) on the canvas I then fill in the negative spaces. This is when I begin to formulate the color palette for the painting. I will work on filling in these negative spaces layer upon layer until I feel the color is correct and can then move on to painting positive spaces and then finally adding details and type. While painting in this manner is unusual it gives my painting a more "Graphic-stylized" look which suits my painting style better.

April 29, 2008

Once the canvas is stretched tight but not too tight I put on the first of acrylic primer. After the first coat is dry (a few hours) I put on a second coat of primer. Now I can assess how taut the canvas is. If the stretchers are bending or there is too much give in the canvas I will take apart and restapple until it has a nice tight bounce to it without torque the stretchers. The next step I do is to do a gesture drawing from the pencil thumbnail that I have created. I can use any color but mostly I choose black, blues or browns, occasionally greens or reds. Once the gesture drawing is dried I start to fill in the solid areas starting with the background spaces then filling in the inside.

Next post I will discuss how I work the negative space and why I chose to work on it first.

April 28, 2008

Before I explain the second two parts of the painting untitled i wanted to see if I could sensibly describe the painting process. When I'm ready to start a new painting I leave my mind to the possibility of an idea. I don't try to force it and as soon as I understand what the idea will be I can start visualize things in a way. Now I've met painters who were able to see a painting in its completion the moment they locked it in. This in no way the case for me. First I lock in the thought and then dissect it a bit to see if it is
1)Truth
2) A universal issue-Not meaning that everybody will have experienced this issue but at least a fair amount
3) How do I translate this thought into a drawing, or painting, or sculpture

I WILL CONTINUE THIS THREAD TOMORROW.,

April 27, 2008

It seems I missed a couple of days posting-must blame it on this spring cold I have. I would like to go back the "Untitled" piece, this time talking about the upper right quadrant. This was the first section I painted before I had almost a year break in finishing the rest of the painting. I painting the right top during the Thanksgiving season. I am usually stuck with all the preparation and clean-up for the Thanksgiving meal so I painted this to express how I felt about the daunting task of holiday meal preparation. The 3 women floating over me are women of the past. The one with the pants is my grandmother, one is the grandmother of one of the guest who was coming to eat with us and the third is my deceased mother-in-law. I feel that when you cook a traditional meal you don't cook alone but carry the influence of those who have done this task before. I also like to believe that the women of our past are still with us especially when we are doing something that is about the family. The colors in this quadrant are noticeable different from the others which is because my palette had changed slightly from one year to the next.

April 24, 2008

Well today's post is going to be short and sweet as I am battling a cold and do not have much energy for thinking and writing any thoughts. There are many days of the year that I am unable to paint (today being one of those days). Usually after finishing two or three paintings I take a small break to catch up on life responsibilities, try to earn some non-art income and move some dust around the house. Right before I start a new painting after such a break, I'll do a thorough cleaning of my studio. Two days ago it rained all day and I decided it was a perfect day to set the studio right. Besides the usual empty paint jars and hardened brushes I found gold paint from Japan, silk screen ink and some old rough drawings. It was interesting to uncover these items as it caused me to wonder where my mind was at when I used these supplies and/or drew these drawings and how I have evolved or changed since them.