Invention, surprise, resurrection, Stanley Kubrick, Leo Tolstoy, Abbott and Costello. They all have given meaning to my life. Rumination and self-analysis has been a result. How do I get all of them in my art? There is no easy means or method, so I continue to plug away. Who's on first? The title of yesterday's blog post said, "This is What!", but Abbott said, "What is on second." The play of ins, outs, and betweens of my synapses must be leading me to comprehensive knowing, or not. The drawings shown today are me searching. This is not unusual, but I note it just the same. FYI: The complete dialogue of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" is transcribed at the end this post. Drawings from 11/11/2015, both pencil on paper, 16X20 inches Who's on First? by Abbott and Costello All I can do is watch and learn. Research, explore, be here and now, i.e. all the phrases indicating mindfulness apply. Drawings from 09/17/2015, all pencil on paper, 16X20 inches
Drawings from 9/13/2015, both pencil on paper, 20X16 inches It is true. I have discovered that the playful wanderlust of the line, the invention of form, and the feel of atmosphere, appeal to my aesthetic sensibilities. Yesterday's drawings exhibit nascent possibilities. I am excited by the potential, the range of choices, of this action plan.
The problem I now have is my desire to explore has exploded. I do not want to take the time to manufacture stretched canvases. So today, taking a cue from my mentor, Philip Guston, I will manufacture a painting wall designed to tack up canvas straight off the roll. My current painting wall is designed to hang stretched canvases. I have never worked this way before. But, if the plan works, I will be able to place canvas on the wall and begin to paint within seconds. New problems will arise, e.g. how do I store the very pliable, newly painted, canvases, as they come off the wall? I'm going to stop now, as pre-planning never solves a real problem in the best possible manner. Drawings from 8/13/2015, both pencil on paper, 20X16 inches A few days ago I discussed my problem with figurative work. I wondered, was I abandoning it for the abstract? Imagine my surprise when yesterday's first drawing appeared. Then came the second, which seems to have abstracted figures. There is obvious stress between my intuition and my exo-consciousness. Metaphysically, I am observing knowledge in a battle for supremacy: A priori knowledge versus A posteriori knowledge. Does this matter? Not so much. It is who we are. It must be allowed. Will it work itself through? Will it come to conclusion? Can it be resolved? It does not matter where it goes. The questions I ask will produce a lot of possible answers. Such is art.
It can be a problem to be too serious in an existence that has its mystery of reason. Giving up being "serious" equates to making sense of "Why am I here?". This is important if clarity in personal vision is important. Since I believe clarity of personal vision is important, I will follow this formula: questions succeeded by possible answers. I am able to extract a sense that it is reasonable to exist because I am examining my questions by manufacturing possible answers. Drawings from 06/24/2015, both are pencil on paper, 16X20 inches
My idea was to grab visual interest from a distance. I was looking for a large form that would attract the viewer from across the room, perhaps 20 feet away. Initially I was not concerned that this form would be recognizable, I just wanted it to invite interest. After hours of getting into the minutia of its form, I am not sure I accomplished my inceptive compulsion.
This drawing took me nearly four hours to complete. It is filled with normalcy and abnormality. Nobody has a nose like the man's, but the breast of the woman looks familiar. And so it goes — I am testing the waters of abstraction versus traditional figuration. For me, this is becoming a forever problem. Besides my addressing this issue of abstract forms versus more naturally derivative forms, I would like to point out the complexity of this drawing's space. The drawing, after all, is on a two dimensional piece of paper. Wandering through its space is a deceit, driven by form, perspective, light and shadow, and line. In this drawing, and in the drawing reproduced in my previous blog post, I have used lines to create surface values which simultaneously drive and animate space. The easiest place to see this occur is on the top of the box on which the woman sits.
It is important to me that you look carefully at one minor element: the woman's left hand. I drew that over and over, till it felt right, at least five times. Suffice to say, "times they are a-changing." Peter Saul helps; he gives me courage for my own direction. Drawings from 5/26/2015, pencil on paper, 16X20 inches
There ain't nothing like a hound dog. There ain't nothing like discovery of making sense. It is the distinguishing between making sense versus nonsense that is the game worth playing. This is not simple, nor easy, but it is the only way to being meaningfully worthwhile. There is constantly the effect of being slightly alien that comes with this activity. I recognize my work as real, but not as comfortable true. As example, why is it necessary that the man's eye in drawing #2 is vertical and poppy out of its socket? I do not know, but it is right. Drawings from 04/26/2015, each are 11X14 inches, pencil on paper
So I am not posting every day now because I am getting to the studio early and don't always have the time or energy to post after the studio. But... the work is better! The energy in the studio is better! And, guess what!? A surprise! After viewing the reproduction of "Asparagus" (state 11) I realized the contrast between the central figure and the orange background was causing reproduction problems, which were indicative of actual painting problems. This is another reversal of fortune: The reproduction leads to change rather than the other way around! You can see the discussed reproduction (state 11) below. To its right is the reaction that enhanced the visual contrast (state 12). Yesterday's version is state 13 (above). Asparagus, States 11 & 12 During the same three days, represented by the three reproductions of Asparagus, I made the following three drawings. Drawings: 03·20·2015, 03·21·2015, 03·22·2015, pencil on paper, 11X14 inches 😃☞ Please remember, TO ENLARGE any reproduction CLICK on the reproduction!
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April 2024
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