Beauty and Loss; BFF

Critical Theory Paper 3, Spring 2010

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Acx_78ZgJoWXZGc4NDZnN2pfMGZydjgyNmRn&hl=en

Embrace the Process

Embrace
oil and cold wax on paper
48" x 19"
in process

Running through the woods this morning, thinking about process, feeling the warm embrace of air, trees, sky...

Breathe into each step - recognize and embrace the process.

Full

Moon
43" x 30"
oil and cold wax on canvas

Inside Outside

Cave (working title)
26"x29"
Oil, cold was, BC Pigment
in progress

It is so difficult to photograph a wet, textural painting - this is the best I can do. Real life is much more interesting! The depth and texture that I am excited about is not reading in this photo, but I want to recognize this happy place before I move on. I particularly like the glimmers of the red ochre pigment that sparkle through. I am thinking of a recent candle-lit cave experience, among other things.

F L I G H T

Through the Trees
Details

Carol and I met last week and she suggested that I create small collages from the large diptych as a way of furthering my dialogue with it. What came out of this process for me, which involved lots of staring at the diptych, was flight. No surprise to those of you that know me and my work, I know, but because one of these pieces began with collage elements, and the work is inspired by "flying" through trees, adding collage back into them seemed perfect. I have been experimenting today with two different ideas where this is concerned. The first is simply ripping apart my woodblock prints and adding them in to the composition. The second step I am trying is to coat the pieces with a heavy varnish that will isolate the image where it is now, so that I can freely work on top of a non-porous surface in a linear fashion. This idea came from an article I read recently in the New Yorker about Julie Mehretu where she describes her process. Interesting...

SO chatty...

The most incredible thing about graduate school so far, is that I am actually working on paintings for so very long. My conversation with this painting has been continuing, in some form or another, for longer than I have been in the program - so over one year. That is amazing to me, because it is not something I could have ever predicted of myself, having always self-identified as a very fast and prolific painter. I am going to be quiet with it, one way or the other, by the end of this semester. If it tries to engage me any longer than that, I think it will just have to be in another form - collage? Compost?

Earth, Sea, Sky, Earth.

A friend of mine brought me some pigment back from British Columbia. He dug it out of the Earth himself - complete with roots, pebbles and miscellaneous organic debris. Red Ochre that looks just like the Mars Yellow that I recentlly purchased, only way more interesting! I used it today for the first time - mixed with a little walnut oil and cold wax. SO FUN! Makes me feel all Anselm Kieferish... I really love working with materials that are less refined. Beautiful feeling of connectivity.

Tea, tissue, and terrain.

You are here.
oil on canvas
oh about so big
in progress

I have a cold. I was hoping it was allergies, but then a friend reminded me that "allergies are forever", and well, guess I am lucky to have a cold.

I did some pouring today. Searching for that magic ratio of oil to paint to get the perfect drip/splash/puddle. Carol sent me some very Carolish directives for the diptych and I have been working on that for the greater part of today. Can't photograph it just now as it is laying flat under a table - puddles puddling, and hopefully drying.

Just had a short fling with this piece, and wanted to share because I found it oh so satisfying. Fast. More thoughts about the body as landscape, the landscape as witness, and the traces of memories - what they feel like/look like. Everything fits together like a big beautiful puzzle. I am so happy that I am an artist. How else could I ever explain my life to myself?

For now.

Running steps...

Through the trees
oil and cold wax on paper
36" x 96"
getting there...

Serious glare on the right, but I wanted to post this stage because I am starting to feel better about this piece. I see one more step ahead to play with the edges and make the whole thing feel more atmospheric and pull it together a bit more. All this as I imagine running through weather, light and color. We shall see!

The Internal Landscape: Paper 2, Spring 2010

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/38282582/Paper-2-Spring-2010-AIB

...there yet?

Trees
oil and cold wax on paper
still going...
36" x 96"

Still going on this half of the diptych, especially. Happier with it today - still not "there" yet - wherever there is...

More.

Sea Sky
oil and cold wax on canvas
30" x 44"












Clouds
oil and cold wax on canvas
30" x 44"

These are the two larger pieces from the funnel series that I am continuing to re-work. I have stopped thinking of them in a series because I don't have a space large enough to look at the whole series together comfortably. It is ok - they may still work together in the end somehow - it will be fun to see! I am enjoying my continuing experimentation with a primary pallete with no white, and using masking with some glazing to contrast the more organic waxy surface that began the funnel series. The orange shape at the top of "Sea Sky" is going to have to go, because it distracts me, but it also reminds of a bird, so I am letting it sit (fly!) for now.

To be continued...

A friend of mine recorded like, uh, 80 million hours of "Indian Chill" music for me, and the combination of its continual dreamy rhythmic soundtrack, and suddenly having almost three whole days to simply paint and take walks to think about painting, has left me feeling very fortunate, and a tiny bit other-worldly.
Ok, more than a tiny bit...

Here are two small weather studies (8" x 12") using earth with the addition of phthalo blue, and an itty-bitty, I don't think this is cheating, portion of unbleached titanium white. Its great how posting these studies helps me to see them differently and gives me ideas. For instance, I saw the study below cropped accidentally by this preview box that I am typing in, and got an idea for it. How does technology influence your work? In unexpected ways.

Saturation

...just a quick diptych sketch to share my excitement over the "earth" palette. I really like this beginning vertically too.


The new slide show at the top of my blog is from an "art walk" that I took last night - what I see, and want to see.

Fitting life around painting

Funnel Study 1
oil and cold wax on canvas
16" x 10"
in process

It has been really hard to get a good photo of this wet little painting, but I wanted to show this stage. I had a fabulous meeting with Carol yesterday, and one of the zillion things that she suggested is that I push the pigment more, and repaint the lights in several of my studies and studio exercises without white. Although this picture has some glare, it gives an idea of what is happening. It is super hard not to use white, but I am discovering and using colors I would never have approached before, and feel good about the struggle.

I think you will find that the difference is that before you were fitting in the painting around your life and now you will be fitting in your life around your painting. You will love it once you get your head and body around it. - Carol

Wind

Funnel Study 1
oil and cold wax on canvas
10" x 16"

Carol asked me to do these little color study experiments and I am basing them on the large polytych that I have going on. This one is simply the primaries + white.
















Funnel Study 2
oil and cold wax on canvas
10" x 16"

This one is the primaries + yellow ochre with no white. Ugh. Not a great photo - got some glare going on - but still not my fave. I used cad yellow, cad red, ult blue. May try again with different versions of those primaries.