I thought this was finished twice and I photographed it twice. But
each time it looked dead to me. I had rendered it fairly well, the second
time better than the first but it still didn't have the life I hoped for it.
I had read a comment from someone online who had said that in looking at a
Stuart Shils' painting, he thought Shils' had painted it with a credit card.
I wasn't happy with what I'd done so I mixed a wad of paint and gathered
it up with a credit card and scraped it vertically down the surface. For a
split second it felt actually painful to do that, to obliterate the hard work in
rendering a complicated subject. In the next second, I was trying to assess
what to do with the mess I now had on my hands and feeling no regret at all.
My thought was to put in only what was needed to make the subject recognizable.
In the end, this painting is not "it." I don't see that I'm any closer to achieving
what I'd like to see myself do---as result. I do, however, see myself as braver
in the process.
I'm shrugging here . . . I don't know . . .
9 comments:
Lorraine, take another look after slumber. This is a beautiful piece. It has a delicacy. The other side, it's strength, is how you succeeded in painting only what was necessary to convey your idea. Just what you wanted, n'est-ce pas?
You are terribly demanding of yourself! That's because you're trying to find the right expression for what you want to paint. I love watching all your paintings that read your questions! Very nice day to you!
PS: Sorry for my English very rough!
I think you ended up with a very interesting effect. The scraping allowed some of the canvas texture to show through for added interest. Interesting idea having the mechanical object on the organic rock. Great colors!
Lorraine, this is amazing! You are far too critical. I just found Stuart Shils and LOVE his work. I'm going to try that credit card technique. It definitely works for you!
I just commented on the Some Texas Aritsts blog...beautiful and thanks for sharing Stuart Shils' paintings, Wow!
Wow Lorraine, this journey you're on sounds a bit painful! It's a lovely piece. I wonder if the opener had been placed in a more haphazard position, like it had fallen there, perhaps it would have been easier to achieve more abstraction? If you study your how you've painted the opener, it is beautifully done, and not too literal, I find. I'm sure the benefits will be enormous in terms of finding your direction and your painting chops. I waiver back and forth in my efforts to be more painterly. When I'm too literal, I just shrug and put it down to a busy day and too much control seeping in. One day we'll both get there.
belle peinture j'aime ces tons d'automne !
This one is great! Love the colors you've used here, and the loose brushstrokes. Excellent!
i'm obsessed with this one! all of your pieces have this simplicity but sophistication about them. this one is fun, a surprise full of energy and squigglies! absolutely love!
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