New Direction, Photos for thought

My IP presentation did not go the way in which I had planned, and honestly was actually pretty hard to sit through... having said that, it has made me think about a lot, and I've decided to go into a different direction. I just read through my summary, and looked at all the artists that was suggested for me to look at and they have really started inspiring me. I do not want to make my art about some deep inner workings of my life, or try and contrive it into something that it's not, but I do agree that aesthetically my recent works are a bit boring. I want to try a lot more studies when I get back to school and find something that works for me and create very purposeful work. I do want to stick to the oval shapes though because there is just something about them that I can't seem to shake, the way in presenting them though needs to change and become more engaging. We'll see where this all goes but here are some images that I am really started to love by Ross Bleckner. I really like the way the color vibrates and the movement of it throughout.

Work

I've started placing the texture on the green piece and things are going pretty well. I've decided to make it very vertical in direction and have a bit of a swoop to create a sort of movement. I am going to go back into the brown piece this weekend and try and figure out what it is that I am not liking with it.
Meirav and I were talking and she came up with the idea of giving it more luminosity and direction by having the two ends that have luminosity coming together through the middle and also having all of the textured pieces work together to go in one direction. We'll see if it helps, if not, I'm still pleased with the color of the piece itself, not necessarily the texture. We'll see.
Hopefully I can get all three of these pieces done by my presentation (I will get them done!) and I'm excited to show my work and get feedback. I also feel like I need to write out some more of my thoughts and create a more cohesive way of speaking about my work rather than winging it and hoping for the best. I'm going to give a mock review to my housemates this weekend and see what someone who does not know much about art has to say about my approach and my aesthetics.

New Ideas, New Photos

I've been struggling with deciding when enough is enough. Basically, I have decided I want to make each of these paintings individualized in the way in which the texture lays on the surface. My first piece was basically almost completely covered with the textural bits, and after stepping away from it for a while, I do think it works (I was having second thoughts for awhile, but I think I may have just been staring at it for too long). Here is a photograph to give you a better idea of what I am talking about:



I enjoy the color and luminosity of this piece, along with the uplifting effect it has. My second piece I have been working on I've given a few shots of already but here is a more recent photo to keep you posted on how it has developed.



I think I like the direction this is going with adding pieces that are larger is sort of working, but part of me still feels a disconnect. Colin gave me the idea to try a new technique of just adding the liquin original onto to the canvas and see how that results. The effect is kind of intriguing but on one of the studies I tried it on, it bled on the canvas. I'm going to try and do it again on a study but this time have the canvas lay flat and see if that stops the bleeding.
I also have been experimenting with direction of the textured pieces. The next piece that I'm working on is green, and I've decided to try and have a cascading effect by having the textured pieces fall in the same direction in the dark parts and then spontaneous in the luminous area's. I've drawn it out on paper and it looks pretty interesting, I just have to execute it.

New work and SOLD WORK!

I worked on that new burnt sienna, crimsonish piece for about 4 hours yesterday. I'm having trouble with this work because I'm not sure I want to fill the entire canvas with the speckled bits like I have been doing in the past works. I will put up a new photo sometime this weekend but so far I've made sure to have the entire canvas have the same amount of activity, and not completely fill the darkened areas. I'm not sure I enjoy it aesthetically yet, and there is some improvement to be made, but I am trying to find a balance currently with the layers that's just not there yet.
On a better note, I sold my first oil painting!! I have a piece in a show back home in St. Louis, at the Art Saint Louis Gallery off of Washington Avenue. The show opened halloween weekend and will be up until the end of December. I have sold work before but never an oil painting since I just started oil painting about 2 years ago so I'm very excited. I have a picture of the piece already on the Blog, but I'll post it again so as not to go back and blah blah blah. This is also very good because I contact the buyer and create connections which is ultimately what I'm trying to do. It also is a boost because I was beginning to feel like my work was not reaching people and the enjoyment was only mine. There's apparently hope out there :)


30X40

Photos of recent work!

These photos honestly do not to the work justice, and the site I think alters the color a bit. Some of the pieces look a lot lighter or darker than they actually are... Sorry for that :( But enjoy.

This is the first piece (show-and-tell type work) 12X24, study.

This is a close up of that work

First layer done summer 2011

Finished product, 24X24

First layer of 16X24 brown study

Still a work in progress, colors need work, two much differentiation between the darks and the lights, but this is also just a study so I can learn from my mistakes before working on a larger piece. This was study for this next piece:

This piece is 36X48, working on bringing in variations of a color and really focusing on lights and darks and the way they intermix. I also have been working on my luminosity and conveying it in a striking way. I feel that the orientation might change, not sure if I like horizontal or vertical yet. I figure I'll wait till the end and figure out the presentation for each piece and how they all come together.

This is a close of up part of this new painting. Hopefully I'll finish this painting this week and have a photo to post. :) So far things are going well and in the right direction I think. We'll see!

Extremely MIA on Blogging!!

I have been extremely MIA on my blogging life, for which I am really sorry! Since I last blogged I've completed one of my new large scale paintings. This piece is 40X30 and is a pthalo blue exploration. I am currently working on an even larger canvas now. I've finished the first two smooth under layers, and am beginning to place down the swatches of color overtop. I've worked about 15 hours total on this piece thus far, and it will probably take about another 15 to complete. My goal has been to keep a steady pace on creating actual work by working on two pieces at once. This not only has allowed me to produce more work, but has also kept my mixing very steady since I have to mix twice as many colors. While I work on one, I let the other dry. This sort of methodical procedure is beginning to take shape in my work I feel.
My camera has been dead for about 2 weeks now, and I keep forgetting to bring a charger, BUT I finally brought one today, and plan to charge it up over night, and come back and take photos. I submitted my new piece to the all student show, so I won't have it back until that is over, but I plan on just taking a photo of in in the gallery. I also hope to start another new painting today, the color being a violet/crimson mixture. I think for these next few paintings I'm going to work on placement of material, and also blending of colors to make the barrier between the "blacks" and the luminous part not as noticeable. I also want to work on the conversation that happens between the two layers and weather it works with less overlay vs more (like what I have on the pthalo piece).
I also started looking a lot at American Abstract Artist, Ad Reinhardt's work these past few weeks. I'm really intrigued by his use of color, and this idea that nothing is really as it seems. I want to enforce this idea with my viewers as well, that the need to exploration is high with my work, and colors that may seem to be one color are actually another when examined. His use of subtle color change, placement and mixing in his work is just amazing. I want to go check out his book "Art as Art" Here is some of his work that inspires me:

New Obsessions

So I was looking up some artists while we were at the Tappan Library, and cam across a website that introduced me to Ad Reinhardt. Collin has mentioned him to me before but I never looked him up. I just looked him up and found this amazing video and am super intrigued by his use of black as not pure black but as colors that emerge upon closer examination, which is something I'm working towards with my paintings. I kind of enjoy the matte material of his work, but probably can never stray away from my glossy aesthetic in my paintings (too much love for it). I found this video that explains his process, and found it very interesting, something to possibly think about doing in my free time, or as a study one of these days.

Here's the URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSGGHmTXA3o

Mark Rothko has really started intriguing me as well because of his use of layering, and vibration due to color relationships. I also love his soft way in which he treats the paint. I also watched a video about him from the MOMA that explained how much Rothko wanted his viewers to experience his work and have an emotional attachment almost break down at his work. He wanted them to experience what he experienced as he was painting the works. I want my work to express the way in which I work close up to it, then pull back, and repeat this movement through out my process.

Here's the URL to look back on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSiu8qzHV6c&feature=relmfu

Here is the Larry Poons URL that shows the painting changing and allowing the ovals to go from one color to disappearing: http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/poons.html

Large paintings have begun!!

So yesterday I began two new larger paintings (30x40, and 36X48). I started a blue pthalo one, and a larger version of the brown small scale one I worked on last week. I'm pretty excited to work on them. They dried over night, so I'm off to the studios this evening to put down the second layer. I also had coupons for Michael's, and got two more canvas's that are 36X48 for 15 dollars each!! Pretty pumped to start those as well. I mixed up some crimson-violet and will be painting one of these in those tones. I'm really working on pushing luminosity into these works from here on out. Megan O'Neil came into my studio today and checked out what I had been working on and suggested trying to place the glossy like forms that were darker hues on the bright areas and vise versa. I'm going to try that on a study and see how I feel about it. I've never tried it before, but I'm up for anything. I also talked to Peter this week about my resume and about what I am thinking about doing after school which I've decided to look into working for Admissions. I ideally would love to do this back home in Missouri, but would not be apposed what so ever in working here in Michigan. I also would love to work for an Art and Design School, rather than general education, but it all depends where the job can take me. I thought about becoming a teacher for a while, but decided that I would much rather work at the University level, and am not sure how I feel about going back and getting my MFA, not to mention I think I would be pretty good at talking to prospective students as a career because I already do it as a Student Ambassador for the school now. Well that's all I have so far, I really need to start posting some more photographs of work in progress, so I'll TRY and do that this evening.

People for thought

So this week I have really been focusing on finding new people for inspiration. I found a few new influences and think that their ideas are not only amazing, but sort of seeking in what I am looking for. I spent about 4 hours this week researching and about 3 hours of actual painting time. I hope in the future to get much more painting time in, but I was out of town this weekend up in Northern Michigan (mackinaw and harbor springs area). I also felt extremely influenced by the colors of the trees up in this area. Fall has always been my favorite season, and I think has a lot if not all to do with the color transformation the trees take. I have grown up in about 6 different states, but the one that has always stuck out the most for me was New Hampshire. I never understood why until this weekend when I was pulled back to memories of my childhood due to the colors of the trees and the land itself. The beautiful yellows, oranges, and vibrant reds were spectacular. I guess I've always known I enjoy color, but it took on a new meaning this weekend, it actually took my breath away, and made everything go silent in it's awe. I will post pictures on here as soon as I upload them from my camera. Here is one of my new influences: Charles Clay:


I enjoy his use of not only color, but creation of depth due to cutting out these topographical like forms in the canvas and creating layers. His other work also intrigues me because of his use of space on the wall, and creation of multifaceted layers not just in his work, but created by the light creating shadows on the wall.

David Maisel

I've begun to think about different artists and why I enjoy their work. I was looking through Katie Barrie's blog (I spent about 2 hours today looking through old blogs) and found David Maisel's work. I remember his stamps lecture from last year and how much I enjoyed it. The repetition of shapes and the magnificent color relations are what I find most appealing.



The saturation is something that I really try to accomplish in my paintings and what I find so amazing about these photographs because the feel like paintings. When I saw the stamps lecture I even thought these were paintings then realized they were photographs from an ariel view.

New Painting

I'm sticking with the theme of working with old paintings, and painting over them though this new painting has a different under painting. It is a board that was covered with cut up square pieces of canvas about 1 inch by 1 inch covering the canvas. It was a self-portrait from high school that I really ended up not liking and have had tucked away back at my house in St. Louis. I really enjoy the texture that is created, but the content really isn't working. So I've taken it to explore different textures juxtaposed and how they create a new way of thinking. These new smaller pieces are more of preliminary sketches in a way for me, getting myself caught back up to mixing colors and also trying out new colors. Here is a photo of the piece before I have painted on it. I came in on Sunday at worked on it for about 2 hours. It is a green piece now, I'll put up pictures soon.


These are also works that start to explore texture. These are more that were done during this past summer and were painted over original pieces as well.

Photographs of work from Summer 2011

GOOD DAY!

So, I finally got more studio space supplied to me aka the studio across from me for painting purposes! I'm really excited to get working, and start producing as much work as possible. I added the texture to my first project. It's still not done, but it's in the process. I'll be putting picture up soon. I worked on this for about 2 hours yesterday, but I want to spend more time mixing to my next piece. I felt a little rushed and overwhelmed since I didn't have a legit space yet to be getting work done. It's easier for me to really get into a piece if I'm able to spread out, and really pull away to see what it looks like from all angles along with distances. I feel fully confident that I will be able to produce a lot of work in this space. I also brought up a few more canvases from my storage unit so I'll be able to start cranking some more out. I'd like to go get some lumber soon and being to make some larger frames. I believe the smaller pieces might be studies depending on orientation and size of the work to come. We'll see, it's all becoming a learning experience. I'm so excited though to have this space! You have no idea!!!

I also have a meeting on sunday with the owner of this coffeehouse called the Common Cup to discuss possible space to display works next summer or possibly now on sunday. I'm pretty excited. I also got one of my pieces in a show back in a gallery called Art Saint Louis located in downtown St. Louis back home. I'll be returning home to bring the work to the gallery over fall break so I'm pretty excited. Here is that piece. (It is 30X40)



This is also the type of work that I have been trying to explain during IP discussions. I'm not sure I have articulated myself very well to people in class, but hopefully this will give people a real idea of what I am thinking of doing for my thesis. I'm hoping to be able to express myself better through out the year and be able to understand my fascination with these oblong shapes.

9/20/11 Thoughts

So, I've already begun my process and this first piece is in it's beginning stages. I believe I am going to make this into a triptych. The underpainting of this new piece was a triptych to begin with, arranged in a non-traditional way. Using vertical and horizontal orientation. I think so this piece I'm going to use the same canvas's and arrange them in a sequence of vertical's. I'm not sure if this idea will stick because I'm still debating. I have been learning a lot in my color class about the way hues change when placed overtop of ground's with different intensities which I believe will help me in my painting. I brought some more paintings in from storage yesterday and will be going through those to see which ones I would like to use or keep. I still need to get my bigger canvas's out of storage but they are sort of buried at the moment. :)
Here is a photo of the piece I am currently working on painting over:

The Beginning

This is the beginning of what I hope to be a fulfilling process of my senior thesis. I am thrilled to finally get to do work that really resonates with me, and allows me to be as creative and in control as I can be. I have been waiting for this opportunity for three years now and am so excited to embark on the journey. I will be starting a painting this week and will be posting updates, both visual and writing material within the next few days. Well... Here we go!!

Also, for my first inspiration name drop, I want to say that this artist, Liz Wolfe, really fascinates me. I love her use of color in her photography, along with the whimsical aspect of her subject matter. Some of the work is a bit bizarre and at some points scary, but it really intrigues me for some reason. The way in which she combines materials, or elements that would otherwise never be put together is what I think draws my attention. I really like her use of octopus with other materials. The texture and color is just amazing!!


www.lizwolfe.com/index.html