Friday, March 18, 2016

New Work: Can You Hear Me Now?

Can You Hear Me Now?
Image size 12" x 16" matted to 16" x 20"
painted acrylic paper on watercolor paper
I'll admit right away that this piece just makes me laugh. I laughed when I was making it, when I was finishing it and then photographing it. And I will further admit that I imagined a fisticuffs type of showdown between Hillary and The Donald. I am not that old but I don't remember such hatred, rudeness and downright meanness being on display on the political stage and elsewhere. People feel perfectly free to say the most outrageous things, to level accusations and point at others (forgetting about glass houses), and to forgo any sort of decorum in favor of complete rudeness. Honestly, civility has gotten trampled to death and left by the side of the road to die. I feel this way about a lot of stuff that I see and I suppose somehow it came out in this piece, only in a goofy kind of way. Coping I suppose.

The sketch started as those two shapes in the middle. I have been looking at a lot of pottery lately and I saw some similar shapes in my travels around the Internet. I took the two shapes and embellished on them to make a little story. If anyone reading makes any sort of associations with any of the shapes please let me know. I am genuinely interested. 

The stripes as well as the color combination are new for me. I printed the stripes from my computer onto painted paper then covered the paper with a matte clear varnish. The varnish ensures that I can wipe the paper free of glue while I am working. I was fascinated to see how the stripes added movement, direction and a wonderful pop of contrast. I used them in small amounts though, being the cautious person that I am. Is anyone familiar with the work of Sam Vanni or Stuart Davis? Vanni used a lot of lines in his work and Davis used a lot of black and lettering. The contrast provided by those elements is very appealing to me. There is a real crispness to the works that I like as well. I love being able to draw on the ideas of those artists that have come before me. Somehow, combining some of those ideas with my own creates a very fun sort of synthesis for me. And I will say that I really enjoy this new color combination. At first I was dismayed because it seemed like Coke and Pepsi were fighting! Once I added the green though I started to feel better. I make associations for every color, incidentally. So, the pieces are always infused with meaning for me from that standpoint.

OK, enough! Testing out a new substrate today, going for a walk, and enjoying some unseasonably warm weather. California. Gotta love it!
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Libby

8 comments:

  1. Love the piece, the stripes and your commentary!! Made me laugh too, but great design also. I agree - I'm much older than you and I've never seen such vitriol in an election. Sad, sad, sad.

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    1. Judy,

      That was really the exact word I was looking for-vitriol.

      Glad that you like the piece and that it made you laugh. Always a good thing isn't it?

      Thanks for the visit. I appreciate it!
      Libby

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  2. Yes, I laughed when I read the title and saw the piece! What really strikes me is how you manage to do just enough with colors, shapes and design. Not under or over done! A perfect balance, and that is never an easy task!

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    1. Karen,

      Glad that the whole thing made you laugh. I was laughing myself while making it. I was going to title it, "It Came To Fisticuffs" but decided against it. Too much!

      And thank you for the observation on what I guess amounts to editing. I try really hard to "balance" things as I like to think of it. I am always interested to see how people do this; how much is enough for them. Quite interesting.

      Thank you for the visit. I hope you are doing well. Almost time for some warmer weather for you I hope:)
      Libby

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  3. I love the pattern (stripes) you included. A clever addition, and this does make me smile. It's so fresh and crisp!

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    1. Carol,

      Glad that you found those stripes appealing. I was really unsure about them to start with but once they were on there in those small amounts it was really a quietly controlled bit of drama! Very fun. And you know I like fresh and crisp so thank you for that too.

      Hope that you are doing well. I appreciate the visit.
      Libby

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  4. Ah Libby - this piece is bubbling with movement and color. Just love it. I think the stripes add to it too. Have to agree with your comments regarding rudeness. It certainly appears to be alive and well in the political arena. Have a wonderful week friend. Hugs!

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    1. Thanks Debbie!

      I was really pleased once this was finished. The stripes really added something (in my mind) and I will be using them again. They certainly change things quite a bit!

      I really don't know what to say about behavior these days and not even sure how we got to this point. So, just trying to cope:)

      Thank you for the visit and comments!
      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