I'm really enjoying these. During the workshop, it had felt very frustrating to create so many panels that ended up in that artistically nebulous place somewhere between just-begun and not-done. Loading them all up into my car, and then lugging them out from the car into my studio, propping them all up anywhere I could find space and then seeing so many ugly-duckling-phase paintings felt discouraging. But now I guess I'm reaping the benefits of all those partially-finished paintings, because three times in the last week or so I've been able to pick up one of these paintings and finish it in an evening.
I think with this style of painting, in particular, it's extremely important to have several around in different stages; when you get really frustrated with one and it just seems to keep getting uglier the more you work on it, you can put it aside knowing that everything you just did to it doesn't have to be removed but rather will serve as underlayers for whatever you next decide to put on top of it, whenever that may be. It's also really helpful that it's possible to work in this medium on a layer that may be wet, semi-wet, or dry. The reason this is so advantageous is that when you do get frustrated with a piece and put it aside, you can do so without needing to have a plan in mind, or timing, as to what you're going to do next with it.
...Which works well with my artistic temperament. I like spontaneity, intuition, and happy accidents when I do art. Which is odd, because in my house and life in general, I like order and calmness and predictability and neatness. But my art studio is a huge, chaotic, creative mess, and I like to work with a minimum of planning. I wonder why my artistic mode is so different from my normal way of being. Is your artistic mode in tune with your "normal" mode, or is it opposite, like mine?
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Jazzy waits for his dinner...
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2 comments:
Awww! Sweet sweet Jazzyman! He looks like the teddybear that he is. Really, people... this dog is one of the loviest spirits that was ever put in a body.
Your painting is, well, very thoughtful. I need to think about it.
It's really interesting to read about your post-workshop thoughts and insights. I can relate to them all.
Like you I have often wondered why I'm happy with a chaotic and very grungy studio (which I only clean up at all when having visitors)while I much prefer my house to be clean and orderly (not that it always is, but that's the ideal.)Seems so odd. But here you are saying the same thing...what is up do you think?
I like this blue painting with the red lines and also the one above it, the newest one you posted. I can see you searching out that minimalist idea that you brought up in class.
Best wishes for your trip...I have a beautiful book of India photos, My Dear India by Eduardo Recife--I'm not sure how available it is in this country (he is from Brazil and brought it to me when he came to my studio for a workshop.) Ever since then I have wanted to go. This is his flicker page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eduardorecife/4462706434/in/photostream/
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