Friday, July 31, 2009

Focus


Here's another piece (24 X 36") I started last week in Brockville. I'm now saying started as the finished label no longer applies. After a few days of looking at it in a new setting I can see colour changes I want to make. Stay tuned, I have 4 days with the whole house to myself so there are no excuses.
No distractions, just focus and paint paint paint.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Memories of Kandinsky

I'm back from another week away, this time a class at Brockville's St. Lawrence College. Jennifer Lawton's approach to large and lush representations of photographic close ups had me revisiting some of my earlier approaches to abstraction. The above piece in acrylic (30 X 30") is reminscent of Kandinsky's improvisations I think, though that was not my intent when I started on it. It needs some more work, something looks unresolved. Perhaps some music may help me complete this piece. As Kandinsky said:
Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano
with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or
another, to cause vibrations in the soul.


Sunday, July 12, 2009

Leonard please call

How the light gets in, Homage to Leonard Cohen 24 X 36

I frequently listen to Leonard Cohen as I paint, and while a friend says his work features music to slit your wrists by, I think he sings of hope, for the most part. Take his song Anthem. Despite the mess we may find ourselves in there is always some hope, a crack in the darkness, a crack in the universe where the light gets in. The painting above is in the current eee group show. It is called "How the light gets in, Homage to Leonard Cohen"
I recently saw Leonard perform and he was breathtakingly impressive. I want to have an art show, an homage to Leonard Cohen. Artists would respond visually to his music and prose. I've written to his management folks in NYC and I managed to get a flower and card to him on stage when he was here in Kingston. So far no reponse. Leonard, I'm waiting, you have my number!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Panic to Peace




Yesterday afternoon I was in a major panic, our show was opening and I thought no one would attend. Or maybe 4 or 5 people drifting around in the huge room. Many of my invitees were out of town or otherwise occupied. The show opened at 7 pm; at 10 to 7 we had one guest. Looked like a lot of food and wine would be going home and we would be pretty depressed about the turnout. BUT! By 7:15 the place was packed, you could no longer hear the music for the din of visitors. The crowd (yup, I call it a crowd) was steady and we all had lots of positive comments about our work. And a few sales as well! The eee show even got a bit of TV coverage as Ben and Terry appeared on the 6 o'clock news. A great show!
Whew, now some peace and relaxation......

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

56 inch centers


Yesterday I spent the whole day helping Ben Darrah mount the eee show. Ben is an artist and former gallery manager with lots of experience curating and hanging art. Needless to say I learned a lot. All the art is mounted so that the center of the painting is 56 inches from the floor. So, when one stands back the visual presentation is all paintings in line, the center of each at eye level. Sound easy? Well just where is the center of the painting and where does the center of the painting end up when it is hanging, stretched across two nails? Is the floor level? If not then the 56 inch rule will need to be adjusted. And if 2 paintings are stacked the center is in the space between them. No problem!

Kingston has no public art gallery space (a horrible situation) so we are happy to have the multi purpose room in the libary but of course there are lots of problems with the walls, projection niches, screens, switches, alarms etc. There goes the nice centering of the work.

Despite the challenges I think the show looks pretty good.
Join us : Thursday evening, 7-9 pm
.