“Once the object has been constructed, I have a tendency to discover in it, transformed & displaced, images, impressions, facts which have deeply moved me” – Alberto Giacometti
I did a drawing from a studio set up in Scott Noel's class this morning. I was enjoying the beautiful morning light, and tried to approach the drawing as a record of visual attention alternatively skimming and bearing down through the space.
{Play slideshow below to see how the drawing progressed over time.}
Here's a pic of a recent oil painting in progress.
I am trying to be more attentive to the music of shape relationships that the eye collects through a scene. 'Loving'/resisting the naming of objects.
Current Inspiration: Gwen John, Giorgio Morandi, Bonnard, and Diebenkorn. Fascinating resonance of shapes and color notes in the painting below by Gwen John....
Gwen John, The Japanese Doll, oil on canvas, 1927
"The seen distortion is what the thought did to the sight" -Edwin Dickinson
Above is a 2 hour oil painting I did in class on Tuesday. Below is the scene I was painting, according to my phone camera. I was interested in recording the experienced relationships/intervals of distance and color. I did not get to the point of addressing smaller elements/details, but I am hesitant to work on this painting from the photo. I do not want to lose the sense of space & light taken from first-hand experience.
A thought to leave you with:
Massimiliano Gioni, who is curating this year’s Venice Biennale:
“Lately,” he says, “people just think that contemporary art is something there to pass the time of the wealthy, or because everybody else is doing it or because openings are cool and fashionable.” Gioni, by contrast, sees art not as the exclusive domain of the hip and the well-to-do, but as a kind of mental playground for the masses. “We need to remind ourselves that contemporary art is first of all a form of conceptual gymnastics, in which we learn to coexist with what we don’t understand."
I've started several new works over the last couple days, you can see two of them in their current state below. Stay tuned, I will update as they develop.
Powdered graphite and pencil, based on the numerous studies & paintings I did of the kitchen of my previous home.
I am re-visiting it partially because I was never fully satisfied with any of my previous attempts to capture it. More significantly, it has taken on more importance to me as I transition into a new city. There's a feeling of premature nostalgia that I want to capture. A place suddenly haunted by moments that soon forgotten and moments that I never committed to memory.
I have not decided if I will leave this one as a drawing or seal it in clear medium and flesh it out in oils.
Ad Markers and pencil, drawing based on memories.
My motivation behind this one is the same as the kitchen painting; this was very often my first view of the world outside when I woke up. It became part of a life's rhythm.
Already sealed this one in medium and will definitely proceed with oil paint tomorrow.
Slideshow below: started a new painting in the kitchen this afternoon.
Click images to enlarge:
Happiest with the first one. The lightbulb painting might have some potential. The kitchen paintings seem to be going through an awkward adolescent stage and are really testing my patience.
Updated progress slideshows of the kitchen paintings:
Click images below to enlarge:
Started another hallway painting Wednesday. Worked on it again yesterday. Looks like two sort of unrelated paintings. Going to put this one aside for now. At the moment this feels like one I would tortue rather than resolve.
Recent Inspiration: As always, latest greatness on the painting perceptions,
Sydney Licht.
Decided to change the bathroom painting from portrait to landscape. Like the bedroom painting, this has resulted in basically starting over.
Progression below shows the work I did on the painting today. Really want to finish this one before Wednesday.
A progression of the previous painting, still unfinished. I changed my position/vantage point/perspective slightly about half way through the day yesterday. This took me back to square one, more or less.
I do this with 99% of the paintings I make: I Get to a point where the painting could probably be resolved in a day's work. Then I decide it's just not working because ___.
Sometimes I see this habit as a weakness, and maybe it is. Maybe it's just me being afraid to finish the thing. Maybe I should develop the patience to do more thumbnail sketches beforehand and just commit to one.
Sometimes I see this habit as a strength, maybe it's good to push the painting further. It's hard to tell whether a composition will work in a thumbnail sketch. Maybe if I didn't start over so often I would have more finished paintings. But maybe they'd be crappy finished paintings.
Maybes aside, it's frustrating and invigorating at the same time to take a step back.
I will give it a rest and start a new painting today.
I am applying to MFA programs in painting at PAFA (due Feb 1), UNH, NYSS and BU (Feb 15).
So much work I want to finish before then.
Here is a painting I started of my bedroom at home.
Recent Inspiration:
Been looking at
Antonio Lopez Garcia and
Euan Uglow. I am absolutely blown away by their patience. The time and concentration evident in their work seems to suggest incredible fortitude against boredom.
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