Saturday, December 26, 2015

New Work: Stepping Out

Stepping Out
image size 12" x 16"
 painted acrylic papers on wc paper
Around here it doesn't pay to be too rigid in your thinking. This piece started out as a riff on the drawing of another artist. I took just one shape from her piece, morphed it and made it into a Libby shape, gave it some other shapes to play with, and the rest became this slightly goofy piece. My initial drawing was the basis for a paper mock up and then that mock up changed and became the basis for this final piece. Even the details that I added at the last minute weren't planned; I thought they would be something else entirely. As I said above, being flexible is the guide these days. And as I was making this piece, I was fairly sure it wasn't going to work. I went to bed thinking that I was working on a dud idea and that I would just need to finish it up to get to the next thing. When I woke up and looked at the piece again, some solutions came to me and then I thought I could complete things. I liken that process to having a ring of keys. Lots of keys that all look similar yet are all different. There is only one lock though and so I have to find the right key don't I? Or something like that.

I started out though with this one idea of a woman leaping or stepping out of a pot. Sort of like Botticelli's Birth of Venus only not as good and more food related than mythological or religious. It was a question of being frustrated about making dinner: what do I make? I envisioned stove burners and dials and ladles. As I was making the piece though I began thinking about the phrase "out of the frying pan and into the fire". Isn't that a truism? The truest true. Then I started to think about a quote from a character in a movie that we just watched. She said something about "stepping out of her life" and never looking back. (It was a good movie called Place of Execution.) Anyway that was it in the way of inspiration. It's all a sort of poor man's stream of consciousness approach to making art. Funny how the mind works isn't it? And I am loving the colors. To me they look nice and clean and crisp without screaming. Just right!

I sure hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We certainly did with the exception of a few minor hiccups. All is well. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Libby
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6 comments:

  1. Debra DixonDecember 26, 2015 at 4:05 PM

    Excellent!

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    1. Libby FifeDecember 27, 2015 at 3:45 AM

      Thanks Debra! I ended up being real surprised with the outcome and happy that I stuck with things:)

      Libby

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  2. juliefordoliver.blogspot.comDecember 26, 2015 at 6:03 PM

    I agree about the colors being just right, LIbby. They certainly are.
    I particularly love the half circle slightly angled in another half circle, at the bottom!

    I understand about what you mean about having to be flexible.
    It happens in painting too - it gets to a point where it takes on a life of its own.
    Lots of scraping off!

    Christmas was special and we are in the middle of a snow storm. Very unusual here.

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    1. Libby FifeDecember 27, 2015 at 3:42 AM

      Julie,

      Thanks Julie! The colors were a real surprise to me. I paint all of the papers that I think I'll need at one time. I lay them all out together to see if the values are varied enough and to see if the colors are balanced with regard to chroma. I have an idea that because I mix everything from the three primaries (a warm and cool set) it makes it easier for things to go together a little more naturally. They have base colors in common.

      And that half circle shape and position was a surprise too. Having the smaller shape fit perfectly within the larger shape seemed too regular. It wasn't until I started to envision something "falling out" of the ladle that I had the idea to turn the circle/wedge shape. Funny how the mind works:)

      Snow huh? That's unusual for your elevation there isn't it? Stay warm and toasty:) Thank you again for your comments.

      Libby

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    2. Libby FifeDecember 27, 2015 at 3:43 AM

      And I meant to say that I wasn't sure if the colors would totally work. They seemed fine once I got going though:)
      Libby

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  3. Celeste BerginDecember 28, 2015 at 6:44 PM

    Lovely imagery! I like how it seems to be questions and answers!

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Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it! I reply back in an email if you are signed in and I can see your address. Otherwise I will post the reply here under your comment. I tend to cut and paste my emails too so that others can experience the back and forth which I think is integral to blogging.
Libby

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