Beyond Eyesight

Often we see an image of artwork and, as an artist, invest thought into how long it took the artist to come to the final production.
In a quick glance, one may say "that looks simple."
But minimalism is not always simple.
After a great conversation with a friend, I started looking into Frank Stella's work.

He always sketched before he painted, the white lights being bare canvas he painted around.
That means he drew the whole thing out, precisely, and then followed the pencil lines with his paint brush just as precisely.
The fact that your eye can glaze and skim over the painting ultimately means he painted it so perfectly, there are no flaws. A crooked line or missing white section would draw your eye immediately. I can't imagine how much concentration and patience these paintings took him!
He wanted to emphasize the picture-as-object instead of the picture being a representation of something. The flatter, the better. He even cut his canvas to great more variation in shape.

This is my favorite. Color choice, shape, size.
There must be something about painting stripes that becomes so appealing to the artist.
Perhaps I am like Frank Stella.
I would consider that smile-worthy.

Reflection

Sometimes, we get obsessed with things.
We have phases.
I had a big nutella phase.
But often we don't realize it's become such a big part of our life, until we look back and reflect on it.
Accompanied by that "oh yeaaa" feeling or that "oh shit" feeling.

Today, I reflected.
And I discovered.
That I'm going through a striped phase.

It soothes me.
Which I need.
The holiday season is a tricky time.
Best to keep busy and keep optimistic.

The Hump

Most people give up way before the hump.
They look ahead, see the hill, and assume they won't be able to make it over.
Most people
Are missing out.
The hump is there to challenge us.
To push us to our limits
And test our faith.
Most people are cowards.
And settle for "good."
When we only have such a little amount of time to reach that "great."
But being able to touch that "great"
No matter how brief a moment
Will trump over all things that only reached to "good."

These last couple of weeks I got offered two, count 'em, two art show opportunities.
Both seemed positive.
Both seemed sure.
Both lacked communication and bailed,
Either by ignoring the situation they created
Or by closing off the conversation with a "Good luck" goodbye.
I asked myself "Why."
I asked the heavens "Why."

Then I reminded myself that I do this FOR ME.
And I kept painting.


This is Rudy.
And he's almost complete.

A New Approach

A lot has been going on in my life lately.
My home life.
My work life.
My relationships.
Every aspect has been hit by an obstacle.
At the same. Time.
But last week I took a new outlook.
Tried things differently.
Kept. Going.
And today, I painted. For the first time in over a month.
I thought my life was too hectic, too busy, too chaotic to paint.
But, I think, in reality, my life Became chaotic and busy and hectic BECAUSE I wasn't painting.
So cheers. Cheers to a fresh start. And a different approach.

Preparation.

Progress.

I Love This

Lines

Rushed

I hate that I have to stop my creative flow to go work retail.
Here's to hoping one day I won't have to.

Darks

Me and My Inks

It's been awhile since I painted.
I've been itching for a day off to just be in my studio.
Today, with the rain, is a great opportunity.
I sit on the smooth, wooden floor, comfortable being indian style, and gather some supplies off my shelf.
Today is not an oil painting day, not even acrylics.
Today is about watercolor, or more specifically, my inks.
I miss my ink drawings on mylar. I miss the flow of the water, how the color spreads and pools.
Perhaps today is more about me and my inks.