Comments of some of the above, 1-17, starting at the top of this post.
1. Frame it. Its done. I love the surreal quality that goes back and forth between a lonely landscape and an interesting gold and blue graphic composition.
With all the acrylic landscapes and abstract compositions, were some painter to music and some responding to landscapes, or are they all imaginary?
If I had to guess I would say music inspired #2,4,6,8,11,and 12, and real or imaginary landscapes inspired #3,5,7,10,13,14
The ones I respond to the most have a kind of emotional content that appeals to me just as they are. They hint at real places but its the emotional content of the color and mark that makes them appeal to me. Those are 2,3, 4, 6, 8, and 14. They evoke different emotions, calm or chaotic. My very favorite is 14. That implied landscape is rich and engaging. I would frame it today.
#5 and #7 are almost there. Both of them have a spot that seems more symbolic than emotive, and take away from the whole. The sky is # 5 looks like a symbol of clouds rather than giving me the feeling of a the bright sunny day the rest of the painting expresses. In #7 the whole painting works except the dark blue edge of the path that seems like a solid shape instead of shadow. I would break that up with color and texture even if it id dark colors and textures to keep the perspective working.
All the other acrylics seem too limited in palette. I kept wanting some more orangey reds to counterbalance and enliven the alizarin reds you are already using, especially in #10, 11, 12. In #15 and 13 its the blues. That aqua blue needs to be tempered either with a whole range of different temperature blues (warm to cool, light to dark). If in 16 the blues closest to the grass horizon were darker and cooler there would be real depth in that very simple but engaging composition.
#15 almost feels underwater. I think it it we my painting, I might choose another contrasting color, either dark or bright and I would water it down and run it across the surface and scrub it into and off of the surface to highlight the texture. Keeping the colors that are there but making them engage with another color or colors subtly.
#9 is weirdly surreal and I like it just the way it is. Just let it be. Its done, but it may have a lot of other paintings after ti. Just let them happen and lets worry about what they are later.
17. More branches! Make it lacier and see what happens.
I have a couple of questions - what do you mean by "more symbolic than emotive"? (follow-up question - do you have a recommended reference for art terminology?)
In response to your question about real/imaginary vs. music inspired - I didn't paint any of these to music, but many (most) of them started out without any conscious inspiration except for which paint color I felt like playing with. Those would be: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15. Inspired by real landscapes: 1,2.
It's so interesting that you feel an emotional content in some of them. I wish I could take responsibility for that, or at least figure out how to duplicate that! I'm not much of an art critic - all I can say is that I like it or I don't, but I don't have the knowledge or vocabulary to say what makes something work or not.
Number 11 was inspired by a concept - that I feel that I have two very distinct components of my personality - the heart/emotion/gut driven intuitive part, and the structured/logical/linear/mind and goal-driven part. Many times those two parts peacefully co-exist within me - both of them feel fluid, but as if there's a clear plexiglass wall separating them. Sometimes, one side is definitely driving, and the other side is in the background. Sometimes the two sides are in conflict. What I was trying to explore in this painting was if it was possible for the two sides to co-mingle while retaining their very distinct characteristics.
By symbolic I mean using actual symbols to represent something, like a heart for love or a ring for marriage. By emotive, I mean using color, composition and marks to express an emotion all by themselves.
Regarding #11, what you describe is a classic right-brain, left-brain divide, that is right in keeping with your INFJ. (The right-brained/left-brained idea has been largely debunked because we all use both sides of out brain, and you can be analytical AND creative, but I still believe it can be hard to do both at the same time. I know when I demonstrate art techniques it can be VERY hard for me to find the words I need to speak. (Language tends to be on the left, attention to looking more on the right.) So we all use all of it but not necessarily at the same time. Anyway, its interesting you have this clarity of the two parts of you divided. This would be interesting to explore.
On another note, the hardest way to paint abstractly is from scratch with nothing to respond to and no intention. Consider getting some inexpensive color chalk or pastels or oil markers and paper and put on 'The Lark Ascending' or 'Pictures at an Exhibition' and go to town. This will give you insight into Kandinsky who was trying to express music in mark. Just have fun. Make it BIG paper.
Comments of some of the above, 1-17, starting at the top of this post.
ReplyDelete1. Frame it. Its done. I love the surreal quality that goes back and forth between a lonely landscape and an interesting gold and blue graphic composition.
With all the acrylic landscapes and abstract compositions, were some painter to music and some responding to landscapes, or are they all imaginary?
If I had to guess I would say music inspired #2,4,6,8,11,and 12, and real or imaginary landscapes inspired #3,5,7,10,13,14
The ones I respond to the most have a kind of emotional content that appeals to me just as they are. They hint at real places but its the emotional content of the color and mark that makes them appeal to me. Those are 2,3, 4, 6, 8, and 14. They evoke different emotions, calm or chaotic. My very favorite is 14. That implied landscape is rich and engaging. I would frame it today.
#5 and #7 are almost there. Both of them have a spot that seems more symbolic than emotive, and take away from the whole. The sky is # 5 looks like a symbol of clouds rather than giving me the feeling of a the bright sunny day the rest of the painting expresses. In #7 the whole painting works except the dark blue edge of the path that seems like a solid shape instead of shadow. I would break that up with color and texture even if it id dark colors and textures to keep the perspective working.
All the other acrylics seem too limited in palette. I kept wanting some more orangey reds to counterbalance and enliven the alizarin reds you are already using, especially in #10, 11, 12. In #15 and 13 its the blues. That aqua blue needs to be tempered either with a whole range of different temperature blues (warm to cool, light to dark). If in 16 the blues closest to the grass horizon were darker and cooler there would be real depth in that very simple but engaging composition.
#15 almost feels underwater. I think it it we my painting, I might choose another contrasting color, either dark or bright and I would water it down and run it across the surface and scrub it into and off of the surface to highlight the texture. Keeping the colors that are there but making them engage with another color or colors subtly.
#9 is weirdly surreal and I like it just the way it is. Just let it be. Its done, but it may have a lot of other paintings after ti. Just let them happen and lets worry about what they are later.
17. More branches! Make it lacier and see what happens.
Does any of this make sense?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks for your thoughtful comments!
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of questions - what do you mean by "more symbolic than emotive"? (follow-up question - do you have a recommended reference for art terminology?)
In response to your question about real/imaginary vs. music inspired - I didn't paint any of these to music, but many (most) of them started out without any conscious inspiration except for which paint color I felt like playing with. Those would be: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15. Inspired by real landscapes: 1,2.
It's so interesting that you feel an emotional content in some of them. I wish I could take responsibility for that, or at least figure out how to duplicate that! I'm not much of an art critic - all I can say is that I like it or I don't, but I don't have the knowledge or vocabulary to say what makes something work or not.
Number 11 was inspired by a concept - that I feel that I have two very distinct components of my personality - the heart/emotion/gut driven intuitive part, and the structured/logical/linear/mind and goal-driven part. Many times those two parts peacefully co-exist within me - both of them feel fluid, but as if there's a clear plexiglass wall separating them. Sometimes, one side is definitely driving, and the other side is in the background. Sometimes the two sides are in conflict. What I was trying to explore in this painting was if it was possible for the two sides to co-mingle while retaining their very distinct characteristics.
By symbolic I mean using actual symbols to represent something, like a heart for love or a ring for marriage. By emotive, I mean using color, composition and marks to express an emotion all by themselves.
ReplyDeleteRegarding #11, what you describe is a classic right-brain, left-brain divide, that is right in keeping with your INFJ. (The right-brained/left-brained idea has been largely debunked because we all use both sides of out brain, and you can be analytical AND creative, but I still believe it can be hard to do both at the same time. I know when I demonstrate art techniques it can be VERY hard for me to find the words I need to speak. (Language tends to be on the left, attention to looking more on the right.) So we all use all of it but not necessarily at the same time. Anyway, its interesting you have this clarity of the two parts of you divided. This would be interesting to explore.
On another note, the hardest way to paint abstractly is from scratch with nothing to respond to and no intention. Consider getting some inexpensive color chalk or pastels or oil markers and paper and put on 'The Lark Ascending' or 'Pictures at an Exhibition' and go to town. This will give you insight into Kandinsky who was trying to express music in mark. Just have fun. Make it BIG paper.