Sunday, June 12, 2016

New Work: Whatever!

Whatever!
collage
approx size 15" x 18"

This piece is hard to photograph-all three colors are difficult by themselves and in combination, forget about it!

At this point it is safe to assume that these collages are fairly accidental. I haven't been setting out with a specific subject in mind. The last one didn't even have a subject! Meaning seems to unfold as I add shapes. One shape suggests another shape and pretty soon I have some sort of a little story going. The little story is often related to something that has happened recently or something that I had stored away in my data bank of a brain (such as it is these days). The results are often unexpected.

What is behind this piece? My husband says it is just random stuff from my mind and he is almost correct! Different things occur to me as I work over a period of several days. Many times these disjointed thoughts begin to come together and to suggest a larger whole. The story for this piece began with the kitchen junk drawer and was prompted by those "XYZ" letters. That drawer is often a catchall for miscellaneous items. The idea of miscellaneous items lead me to people's speech patterns. Conversations are often peppered with "filler" words which are a kind of shortcut used when people can't quite put their mental finger on what it is they want to say. And lastly, I happened to hear a Madonna song as I was driving. Something about a heart and a lock and a key. Everything sort of coalesced into this idea of unlocking things that appear to be a puzzle (such as the meaning of people's sentences sometimes). It's just random but hopefully the design itself is cohesive enough and people can ascribe their own meaning. Oh, and the secondary color scheme was selected for one reason in the beginning but came to mean something else to me. My impression is that people speak on several levels. There is the primary thing they are saying but then there is the idea of what is just underneath their words. The secondary meaning, if you will and hence my own significance of those secondary colors. Crazy but true.

The last thing to mention is that this is an experimental piece. I sanded paper and paint, over painted those letters, re sanded and added more pieces until I felt things were balanced. It's a mix of clean and rough areas which I am not sure about. The whole thing, including the colors, tests my tolerance level. Damn thing is growing on me though so it's hard to say. I don't feel like a "mixed media", let-it-fly kind of person. I am not "gritty" but I really needed to branch off from these clean shapes that can't be touched once they are down. It's a fine way of working but I know that I can add to that. I just need to be careful about what direction I head in. So, we will see.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Libby

PS-I am in love! And it isn't my husband this time! If I wasn't married I'd hop on a plane to go see this guy. His work delights me (which is a phrase I almost never use) and I would like to crack open his mind to see what makes him tick. Take a look at his work and you will see why I am a smitten kitten!

5 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed looking at the sanded surface. It
    added some variation - especially in the blue
    I laughed at the title. Good one! Then my eye dropped down to ETC - followed by XYZ and I started to get the drift of your concept. I like the way you got me thinking about our unfinished
    "Filler" thoughts. Love the little black square
    dotting the I in MISC. Those are the little things that keep me exploring your work with pleasure.
    The other man in your art life has interesting and fun imagery. Have a great week, Libby.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie,

      It was all the little details that finally convinced me about the piece!

      I am glad too that you sort of got what I was thinking about when I made the piece. Since I am not an illustrator and don't really make art with a "Message", I always worry that people will think that I am trying to convey a specific meaning. I am always worried about not being clear enough, if that makes sense. It's nice that you sort of put your own meaning on things.

      Hey, I hope your workshop went well. I bet you are going to talk about it!

      Thanks for the visit and comments. I appreciate it.
      Libby

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  2. Dear Libby the sanding does give this work wonderful texture. Love the lettering addition. It adds so much to this work. What caught my eye was the small squiggles running through out this piece. For me it keeps my eye moving. Whatever is a great title. I use that particular word often when I am feeling a bit off. :)! Hope you are having a wonderful and creative day. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Debbie!

      The sanding was certainly interesting. It roughs up and frays the paper so I had to get comfortable with that idea. And I really like the use of the squiggles. It seemed like a good way to keep things moving.

      "Whatever" is a word that is said often! It suits when things just aren't coming together or when something just doesn't make sense. A good catchall word:)

      Hope your week is going well. Thank you for your visit.
      Libby

      Delete
  3. Dear Libby the sanding does give this work wonderful texture. Love the lettering addition. It adds so much to this work. What caught my eye was the small squiggles running through out this piece. For me it keeps my eye moving. Whatever is a great title. I use that particular word often when I am feeling a bit off. :)! Hope you are having a wonderful and creative day. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete

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