Art Spirit

#171 December 31, 2008

A warm center.

Judith beheading Holofernes by Carvaggio

Talking about  detachment  of the humanness of knowing absolutely what to do and the internal struggle and how  this is expressed within our own humanness as well as through art. This painting by Caravaggio  of Judith beheading Holofernes came to mind . Judith completely focused on the task as her handmaid is waiting with a cloth to catch the head of Holofernes. None of them except of course Holofernes is surprised in this activity. This painting resonates in how the figures are all bending and moving toward the center focal point--- Holofernes' head.

#170 December 30, 2008

Arms raised.

#169 December 29, 2008

Reaching, crawling, leaning over.

#168 December 28, 2008

A red flower.

December 27 , 2008

Growing up I'd always imagined that our house in the suburbs  was really just a place to stay while we went to school --- where I thought we were from --- where our family really lived was my Grandfather's ranch  in New Mexico.  We, my parents,brothers and sisters, spent so much time on  my Grandfather's ranch that it  formed my as well as my siblings sense of creativity , play , work ethic --- it is the fabric of our  identity.   We would  work and play in days that ran into the next only breaked by meals and sleep. My Grandfather had a  very prized gentle  bull ---  named Silver-tone --- we  would put a halter on, lead to the fence and take turns riding around the corral--- our version of a carnival pony ride.  We loved riding horses. Not just meandering around or bouncing in a docile trot---- the horses we rode were gentle --- and they were cattle horses so running and stopping short and turning quickly was what they were meant to do --- and they played right along with us readily. And,when they were ready to be done with us riding them through the scrub oak and around the fields  they would stop ... just stand there--- the power struggle was short lived ---- we would turn them around and head home. Back down  the canyon through the scrub oak , through the field and  back into the yard. The sound of  the wind mill , the calling of the cattle, the smell of the yard -- a mixture of animal and gasoline , hay and  a kind of sweet wetness from the corral , the chickens constantly busy , and broadcasting the completion of their latest project. 

#167 December 27, 2008

Things stacking upon one another held together by their own weight and likeness of shape.

#166 December 26, 2008

Trees growing together with a warm space between.

#165 December 25, 2008

Christmas tree with big red  ornaments.

#164 December 24, 2008

painting with orange and red.

#163 December 23, 2008

plaid

#162 December 22, 2008

A something.

#161 December 21, 2008

Flying. Watching over.

#160 December 20, 2008

Fish eyes.

#159 December 19, 2008

A bee and his stinger.

December 18 , 2008

We are still working in the world of art education--- It is at such a frenetic pace that each day I bring my camera  and carry it around in my apron --- only to forget and think to myself -- why is this apron so bulky?

The students have been, despite all of the media input and wish lists and  white sugar very focused. We've studied the Principles of Design in  most classes in these past 3 weeks. The  learning is continual with design and to engender a common dialog around design  is imperative  at all levels.   The students learned the words through the interactive media of the SMART Board  then created a sculpture or painting then applied the words through writing --- very good retention check for them when required to tell where for example --- emphasis  and movement are in their work.

As we were writing and working yesterday  one very cool young man  was  writing  and doing and singing to himself  ".... dress the halls with lots of jolly...mmmmmmm..."  So great.

#158 December 18, 2008

An octopus.

#157 December 17, 2008

Bumblebees.

#156 December 16, 2008

One of those ginormous moths  that cling to brick on the side outside  of  the building.
This one needs to up its creepy factor  --- those moths are  cool -- for lack of a better descriptor--- they are huge -- have always loved looking closely at them and how they allow this up close investigation.

Birds #1-103

When  working I try to think about the paint. How it moves, how the color looks when mixed. The process  still feels  so new , so different.  I've been painting for awhile but it is a tenuous and often insecure practice. Leaning closer to drawing here, perhaps. Did begin to forget myself, moving out of my own way. The necessary completion of 100-- really 103 birds ... and now this only seems to have just begun.

Color is so interesting. The mounds of opaque  and transparent color. Not the concrete cerebral approach that  inhabits  the practice of sculpture --- painting is akin to music , yes ... but sometimes a marching band and other times --- like this one maybe the sound of learning the recorder... slow truncated, but trying.

December 15,2008

So much work towards keeping things calm --- keeping things steady and moving in a "...nobody cried..." mode   with the children all day long ---  Peace becomes ambiguous -- a mirage that is neither attainable nor realistic--- peace is quiet -- yes but what sort of quiet? Not the "shhhhhhhhh... my voice only ..." kind of  quiet.

Peace---  instead maybe a quiet that is active, searching , that is moving -- thinking about ideas -- materials, physical attributes, interactions in a genuinely embracing way -- this maybe is peace.  The cultural thought about peace centers around a sort of passivity that isn't engaging--peace is maintained, sought after, cultivated. Whenever I think of peacefulness the  thought of a beehive comes to mind , rich ,humming , quiet in the roar of working , becoming and dissolving simultaneously.

#155 December 15, 2008

A woman with glasses on and big morning hair--- peaceful --- with bees buzzing in her thoughts.

#154 December 14, 2008

A kitchen window in a heart.

#153 December 13, 2008

A window in a heart.

December 12,2008

Sharkey's         George Bellows

Wait haven't we talked about this painting before? The metaphor of the boxer as the ego and the other boxer as the authentic intuitive maker  in a fight to the finish brawl?   Yes.  This painting merits many additional and closer looks...

The use of paint alone in what Bellows  composed is interesting. Large sweeping strokes ,modeling in areas -- quick open parcels of color in others.  The paint speaks to the yelling of the crowd, the athletes pushing themselves even in exhaustion. This painting is pregnant with  sound and energy.