Thursday, October 19, 2017

New Work: Color Blocks 1,2 and 3

 






The above pieces were completed in September and early October. If anyone says that being creative comes naturally or is easy, I think you can safely assume that they are either fibbing, delusional or both!

Though I love the geometric collage that I have been doing, I secretly longed to not have to line up anymore squares. I love that the process is very contemplative and somehow soothing but when I viewed an entire wall of this kind of work, I wondered where I was headed. Was it going to be more and more squares or what? God help me but I thought I wanted to "loosen up!" 

Anyway, painting directly has been off the table for awhile now but I wondered about going back to it. I did several experiments, all of which ended up looking like crappy landscapes. I got that down OK? I can do crappy landscapes all day long, no need to revisit that much more. Then what? I searched around for inspiration, revisited some other artists whose work I had put aside, and generally tried to figure out through trial and error what I like. If making art isn't about your own tastes, more or less, then I don't know what else is. The grid is off real interest to me but how to break it apart? That was my question. What else could I do that was sort of grid like, that would allow me to learn about color, shape, line and proportion? I eventually turned out the above work which I feel allows me to do the things that I want to do without having to line up those squares. I may end up doing something like this with collage, who knows? For now though, God help me (again!), I have bought some canvasses (after using up my wood boards) and will be continuing to explore this new idea.

I guess, if anyone is left reading, let me know!
Libby

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8 comments:

  1. juliefordoliver.blogspot.comOctober 19, 2017 at 6:23 PM

    These put me in a happy mood, Libby.
    I admire your color choices and love the juxtaposition of all the shapes with the colors.
    I hope you do more.

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    1. Libby FifeOctober 21, 2017 at 8:53 AM

      Thanks Julie! That is some encouraging feedback. The pieces seem to be a good way to work out color and shape ideas. I have one in the works now that I hope to finish soon and show. We'll see:)

      Thanks as always for your visit. Hope it isn't too cold for you just yet. We are entering into a warming trend if you can believe that!
      Libby

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  2. UnknownOctober 20, 2017 at 9:02 AM

    It is so important to follow your instincts because that always turns out to be the art that people recognize as YOU. Like you, I could do crappy landscapes all day long, but have no interest in that pursuit. For you to evolve in this manner makes perfect sense to me...you recognized you wanted to paint directly and found your true to yourself way of doing that! Congratulations! I am very happy for you.

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    1. Libby FifeOctober 21, 2017 at 8:58 AM

      Thanks you so much for the kind comments, Carol. As usual you hit on the thing which I was after which was to work in a way that would be more me. Many of my friends and family seem to really love my past landscapes and architectural pieces which is of course great. But, what to do when you want to do something different? There is always a danger of people losing interest when you change or switch but it's hard to make art that doesn't mean something to you. Anyway, that is what has happened. So, we will see what continues to happen.

      Thank you for your visit and comments. I hope all is going well:)
      Libby

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  3. Debbie NolanOctober 25, 2017 at 5:57 AM

    Dear Libby been missing you. Thought you might be taking a break. Love your color blocks. They are happy pieces. The off center style adds a feeling of some spontaneity- which I enjoy seeing. Hope you have a great day. Hugs!

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    1. Libby FifeOctober 28, 2017 at 4:03 AM

      Thanks Debbie! I was taking a break I guess, in a way. I didn't really want to post any pieces that were part of that exploration. I like these pieces though and think they are a nice continuation of my grid pieces and I think they have more spontaneity as you suggested. We will just see what continues to happen:)

      Hope all is well with you. I will try to visit with you this weekend:)
      Take care and thank you,
      Libby

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  4. Debra DixonNovember 3, 2017 at 7:41 AM

    I'm back blogging and thought I'd be a good friend and come over and read your blog!!

    (Have you changed the blog style? Wasn't sure I was in the right place!)

    Love this work but of course, to me it feels like you've come back to your quilting side. You knew I'd say that! xoxox

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    1. Libby FifeNovember 5, 2017 at 9:58 AM

      Debra,

      Back to blogging! Good for you. Good way to reach even more people to reinforce your art!

      I did change the look of the blog in hopes of being a little more current.

      These pieces are like quilts to me. The thought processes have changed (design, color, etc.) but the idea of putting pieces together to get a whole is just like making a quilt. And it's how I think so why not go with it?

      Keep busy. It helps everything else!
      Libby

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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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