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| Conversion (tentative title) Image size 12" x 16" approx |
A kind of patience seems to be developing with doing these shaped base pieces. I have been trying to allow for an unfolding of ideas for starters which is quite different from how I normally work. In the past I have found a photo or scene and simply pared it down and went with a color idea/plan. The paintings didn't take that long, maybe 2-3 days. These shape based pieces seem to be more about gathering ideas and images from lots of different sources. For the above piece I used the imagery of those generators from the powerhouse visit. Originally I wanted to convey the idea of falling water. (That powerhouse was dependent on water being gravity fed into the system to create electricity.) As I worked the piece and used my initial sketch as the basis, I added and subtracted shapes and tried to remain open to what I saw happening on the paper rather than trying to impose a specific shape or idea onto the piece. The literal representation of falling water just wasn't working. As I played with the generator shapes I realized that I could re position their bases to suggest some movement, possibly some turning, and that would be satisfactory to me instead. I am not abandoning the image of falling water but just saving that idea for when I can make it work better. Some of the shapes added towards the end, such as the blue lines, are simple yet impromptu. I am particularly pleased with that sun shape and the use of the negative part of that cutting. There is a lot here that I like.
With that said though, this lining up of shapes and lines is causing me grief. I don't want to do it just as I didn't want to tape anymore to get straight lines. I love hard edged painting but honestly, you need the right brush, the right paint, the right surface and the tape. I don't see any way around it. My starting to use cut paper was my solution to the no taping issue but now I have the issue of getting everything straight which is nearly killing it for me. And my personal sense here is that what I want to say with these pieces has nothing to do with lining up horizontal and vertical lines on a grid like space. I love organizing the space but doing it on a grid isn't working for me. I don't think so anyway.
OK, here are some lovely things to peruse:
Anne Truitt Have you seen her work? Read the bio on her site, the third paragraph down I think. I love what she says about the relationship between shape and color and her thought process.
Stan Brodsky: Take a look at his work, the stuff from the mid 80's.
Read this short piece by Heather McRae-Woolf. She is a Quaker and writes simply about the miracle of silence and being together.
Hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Libby
Libby-amazing friend. Even before I read your thoughts my mind made me think of powerful machines. The touches of blue keep my eye circling. The white background represents water to me so in some fashion your plan for water was present. Hope you are having a super day. Checked out the links too. Anne's site- unable to access but the other two worked. Stan's work is very inspiring. Loved reading Heather' s thoughts on silence. Thanks for a great post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Debbie! Your vote of confidence is always appreciated.
DeleteI ended up really liking this piece. It took awhile though to get it to where I thought, "Yes, this is what I want." Do you ever have that happen? You know something isn't done and you are just waiting for that mental go ahead to know that you are finished.
Sorry about the dead link to Anne's site. I fixed it and here it is in case you are interested. Anne Truitt. She has written several books that I think compile her observations while in her studio. I am interested to see what she wrote about so I ordered one of the books from Amazon. Her comments about color and shape on her bio really resonated with me.
And I too loved the thoughts about sitting in silence. Silence can be very nerve wracking I find and so sitting in a room with others sort of waiting for something to happen would be a challenge. It's a marvel to me that there is a whole religion centered around this practice. My experience in synagogue and in church is that generally, people are busy chatting or whispering or down right talking! So, silence would be unusual.
Libby
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ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites, Libby. Excellent balance of color - pleasant neutrals and a wide range of values and temps...very pleasing to me. Also, a perfect combination of line vs. solid shape. I think you were successful in relaying your ideas although they varied from your original goal. That's creativity for you, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol!
DeleteI almost thought this one was toast! But, I think I like how it turned out. Using the colored papers during the layout helped with the values I think and keeping an open mind, which is hard to do of course, helped also.
I started a new one today and it is not coming together easily. Each one is different I guess and will be difficult at times. So, just keep plugging along:)
Hope you are well. Thank you as always for your observations and input. It helps a lot!
Libby
The class liked your new piece Libby and three of them thought it was perfect for Texas. Sunshine and skull shapes. That's the beauty about abstraction isn't it? The viewer can find their own interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI love the color harmony and great design also.
Julie,
DeleteHow funny! Skulls and Texas. Why not? I am just glad they were looking at the work. Hopefully they enjoyed it.
This piece made me pretty happy in the end. Funny how some things work and some don't. There's no telling sometimes I guess. I have a piece going right now that is giving me about twenty kinds of pain. Truly. I hope to come out of it alive!
Thank you as always for your visit. I hope you are doing well.
Libby