That was then... Acrylic on canvas. 40 x 30.
Fractals and factions...
Deep in the corner of a Christmas box, I found a kaleidoscope, an inexpensive trinket bought on a whim to remind me of childhood. The magic is in smoke and mirrors, creating fractals. As I turned the barrel, I had a fleeting thought of how the planet and people on it resemble the toy. We are each a beautiful color, part of the world design. Yet, we divide into factions, each group believing their cause is the one to "fight" for the right to be right for. We classify and categorize and specialize each other and our alliances. We scramble to compete for cash to fund our pet project. The Big Bad Other isn't destroying us, they don't have to. They are using the divisiveness between us to their advantage. What if we took the word fight entirely from our vocabulary? What if we channeled the same level of energy to respect each other, rotate our opinions a few degrees, and coalesce into a bigger picture of cooperation, consensus and unified whole? Technically fractals go on forever and don't end at the edge of our myopia.
Wyeth's at the PAM
Three generations of Wyeth's at the Portland Art Museum. Newell Converse is hands down my favorite of the work represented in this exhibit. He apprenticed with Howard Pyle. His illustrations join many artists of that era - Maxfield Parrish who influenced Fred Machetanz, Minerva Teichert who studied with Robert Henri - in the pursuit of narrating history and their social/cultural experience.
Reflections before dinner...
Almost finished...
Almost finished is not the same as completed. The stage where I can find any distraction to avoid making a commitment to the ending. The shapes and shadows of the reflections and buoy need refining. While the values are more accurate the colors need minor adjustments. Enjoying the new muted palette.
Buoy...
Working the River: Buoy ~ first block. Oil. 36 x 18."
About this time every year, I feel as if I'm being dashed against the creative rocks. I'm beginning to realize I have a yearly artistic cycle and summer is my Kali time to clean out the studio, cogitate, regroup ~ especially when it's hot weather. Rain, cool and a little Elvis later, here's a block-in for a painting continuing my "Working The River" series. Of course, there will be a few more sessions of push - pull adjusting the paint and values with brushes or knives. I'm happy to have something on a canvas and understand creativity is never permanently broken.