latest musings

Since I have lately been posting the progress of my paintings as I work on them, here is where the current one stands. It should be finished in a few days.

---

---

I have completed the revisions to my artist statement. The greatest difficulty I had here was in trying to write something general. I wanted the statement to broadly reflect all of my work, and as my work has changed over the years it was challenging to compose something that covered everything. The revised statement is shorter, but it talks more about the similar visual keys throughout my work.

I haven't posted it on my Web site yet, I wanted to get some feedback here first. So here it is:

Making art helps me make sense of the world around me. To me it is a mental exercise that promotes free thought and new ideas. It is a way of communicating without using words, and it is a way to promote understanding using visual cues.

The visual cues I rely on most are that of color and line. I like to use color to convey a sense of mood, and I like the energy created by using line to move the viewer through the picture plane. The combination of mood and movement create an image that is difficult to ignore. 

In a world flooded with visual information, I want my work to have an impact and to delight the senses of the viewer.

What do you think? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Please leave responses in the comments.

revisions

I'm not certain if I mentioned it or not, but I am planning on finishing at least two paintings every month.The latest image is posted above. I started this goal in February, and I have already posted my two paintings for that month here. In case you missed them, here is a recap:

 "Bowties are cool"

 "By the fire"

I decided that I needed to build up my portfolio, and by setting the goal of at least two paintings a month, I figure by the end of the year I should have a substantial amount of work.

---

---

In addition to building up my portfolio I am trying to revamp my artist statement. The current statement I have on my website is a bit old and no longer relevant. Especially as I move to paint more of these orange figures, which is what I am currently interested in.

To help me put together a revised artist statement I have consulted an article in the December/January issue of Professional Artist Magazine. In this issue, author Kathleen Caprio described her process of updating her artist statement and offered four tips to complete the revision. One of the best tips I found was to use fresh language. A friend and I often joke about artists and notions. It seems as if almost all artist statements or interviews with artists describe one notion or another that the artist has had. It has become a joke. Indeed the current statement of my work on the Web site includes the term "notion," so this is definitely one area that I need to change.

If you are struggling to come up with an artist statement, or have just decided it was time to revise your statement, what sorts of things are you thinking about? What do you think you absolutely need in your statement to articulate the nature of your work?  

expensive art

Here is the completed image from last time. I thought that it looked drastically different than the one I posted last time. But in going back I see the differences are very subtle. I'm not sure how I feel about that, other than to say it was mostly finished last time so it makes sense that the finished image would be similar. I finished it about two weeks ago.

---

---

I also recently came across an article in Slate describing, or at least attempting to describe, why art is so expensive. I'm not sure agree with the article. Basically it says art is expensive because it can be. People will pay for it. I suppose that answers the question of why it is so expensive, but to me it doesn't really get at the issue. Though, to be honest I'm not sure what the issue is exactly. Why is art so expensive? I can't figure it out. The link to the article is here.

Prospect 3

Not much to add since last weeks post. I have almost finished the image in progress from last week. Here is a sample of that image:

I hope to finish it today or tomorrow. I'll post the completed image here when it is done.

---

---

Recently, there have been some art happenings around here. Prospect 3 is an interactive exhibition that was happening in New Orleans. Some of it has spilled over here in Baton Rouge. I have enjoyed the opportunity to see some of these things. In order to get a proper feel for it, I'm sharing a video form The Art Project that describes it better than I ever could.

Art Happenings

Greetings!
I have been thinking a lot about texture and pattern lately, and how to incorporate it into my images. The above image was completed a few weeks ago, and is now featured at the faculty exhibition at my college. This image shows an example of how I am using texture and repeated shapes. Most of the time texture refers to something of a tactile quality. But for me, and my paintings, I'm using texture to break up space in the same way that pattern does. I suppose there could be a perceived tactile quality to the background of my images, but what I am more interested in, is how the space is broken up by the lines, shapes, etc. and how it relates to the rest of the image. In this instance the pattern takes precedence over the texture.

This next image is a painting I completed last week.

It also features a background broken up by textural shapes and pattern. This one might have more of a tactile feel to it, given that the circles have a defined edge. I really like what is happening with the backgrounds, and I plan to continue exploring these ideas. The image below is a painting that I started this week, and for the background here, I plan to go into my old sketchbooks and pull out some patterns from when I worked with clay.

The combination of the figure with a patterned/textural background makes for a visually interesting image.
 

---

---

languishing too long

I will admit that I have not posted here as much as I had planned. I have not been painting in about four months either. I have been dealing with some issues and haven't really felt like painting, or talking about art, or really doing much of anything. I am beginning to come out of that though, and have returned to the works that I left partially finished four months ago.   

The image up top is one that I have started working on again. I was looking for images of it before I started on it again, to help show the progress I have made, but I didn't seem to take any photos. Too bad. The one on the bottom does not have any progress on it and hasn't changed since it was featured in an article here: http://theartistandthelibrarian.tumblr.com/post/88662020081/the-artist-and-the-librarian-peter-klubek . It is good that I have these. They stare at me daily and ask to be completed. I hope to share them here soon whenever I do get them done.

---

---

As I have been struggling to go on, I have read some things which I have found encouraging and have helped me move beyond my mood. One can be found in the most recent issue of Professional Artist.

Matthew Daub wrote an article about why one would study art and live as an artist. He discussed the very real issue of how there are millions of artists and not much of an opening for success. On the surface it seems pretty bleak. The main point of this article was that somebody has to succeed and to keep going, because the person who ultimately succeeds is the one that doesn't give up. That is good advice, but the thing that stuck out in my mind was his description of creativity and how it ebbs and flows. He said there will be times where you don't feel like working. Times where your personal life will creep in and drag you down. But, he added to be persistent, your drive will come back and you will start working again. He said not to fight these feelings, and don't feel guilty about them. 

And this is where I have been. I have not been motivated to work, and the guilt of not working has followed. His article explained that these emotions are part of the creative process, and I have found that reassuring. I have started again, and I hope to continue. So far his words have held true.  

Recent events

Ticket to Impressionist France at the St. Louis Art Museum

      Last week I attended the Impressionist France exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum. I grew up not too far from St. Louis and in my youth I frequented this museum. It was a great show, and it also gave me the opportunity to examine the new museum expansion that began shortly after I left the area. The expansion does not match the rest of the museum. It is modern and has a lot of glass and wooden beams. This seems to  clash with the classical marble and stone that make up the rest of the building. However, the exhibit itself was great.

      The show was put together around the idea of traveling to France in the 19th century. The concept and the presentation was good. The exhibition included much photography which I was pleased to see. Many people admire impressionist art and artists and go on about the colors and placid imagery, but forget that the roots of impressionism came from the invention of the photographic process and the idea of modernity that was developing during the industrial revolution. In fact, one of the first things viewers saw upon entering the show was a huge 19th Century camera and its associated equipment. This set the tone for the rest of the show.

     

Claude Monet 1874 Railroad Bridge

The exhibition included works by Pissaro, Monet, and other well known impressionists, but their work was presented against the developing world at the time and arranged under a theme. My favorite painting was a Monet of a railroad bridge with a train crossing. This painting was featured in the theme of factories and factory growth and details smoke from the locomotive as it puffs across the bridge.

I have spent some time investigating how the railroad has been interpreted in art, and this is a great example of some of the early ideas. In 1874, when this image was created, the railroad represented the penultimate in modernity. Locomotives were large, noisy contraptions that whisked people and equipment at speeds previously unthinkable, all while belching smoke and creating a sense of power. The railroad was doing incredible things like building bridges, and conquering the natural world. For example, when canals were iced up, and wagon trails were snowed in they were impassable. But the railroad chugged on unstoppable in almost blizzard conditions.

This image features the rail line slicing right through the natural world at an angle. Big strong pillars support a cast iron bridge, emphasizing power and strength. The train is elevated above the natural world displaying the wonder of human development. And beneath we have a placid image, composed horizontally, of a  river flowing idly by with a sail boat meandering through. The train with its elevation, smoke, and noise is almost proclaiming its dominance over the old ways of life in that of the sailboat. This image proudly claims that the modern era is here.

---

---

I have been busy painting. I have two ready to go, but right now I only have one image ready to be uploaded. Keep watching this space, and I will add the other one later. I have continued to work with the figure, and with faces, keeping the works of Modigliani in mind. I have also continued to work with the idea of books and libraries. I'm not sure where this idea is going, but I think its interesting.