This is another TEXTURED Earthy painting from the Beginning Again Series, especially created for a 3 artist show in Orlando, FL.
My friend, photographer Phillip Lacinak invited me to participate in a show with him and Jack Beals. Phillip was displaying his photography from Africa, taken while on assignment with Jack Hanna's Wild Kingdom.
I needed a few more pieces to flesh out the show and created this one as a simpler version of this style. The Japanese Text is there, more prominent on this piece than the others and done in Forest Green with Metallic Gold outline.
The Voynich Manuscript Text is there as well on the left of the painting.
This is one of my favorite paintings that I have created recently. I started with a 'repurposed' canvas. I had started a painting for some sort of an event, using a play on words - but I never finished it.
The background was painted with a starting coat of paint and there were some words written in pencil on the canvas.
Well, I began creating this piece - very TEXTURED. Elements come off the canvas at least 1 and half inches at the highest point. You can almost see the texture off the canvas in the first image above.
I really must learn how to take 3D photos
Upon completion, I noticed, that just barely, ever so faintly, the word "ONE" is still visible if you look closely in the 'glowiest' part of the painting.
I decided to leave it there and not paint over it.
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This painting is from a series called 'Begin Again' and it represents one of my favorite types of paintings to create. It has TEXTURE, It is EARTHY (but still glows). I once made a joke to someone looking at my art that my paintings look like something that was just dug up out of the ground. I could tell by the way they laughed suddenly that they were thinking the same thing.
This piece also has TEXT. I like to play with text in paintings, but avoid using English in America usually, because I feel once you put a word or phrase on a painting, you 'pigeon hole' it, by giving it a meaning of some kind, rather than leaving it open to interpretation for the viewer. So, I use text few Americans or English speaking people would be able to interpret, such as Japanese. Now, I don't know how to read Japanese (I won't pretend to, since I would be quickly busted by anyone who does, looking at my paintings) I just do a sort of alphabet practice - using an alphabet called Hiragana (the most recent and simple Japanese alphabet) What it represents to me is text as a beauty element - the use of brush strokes. Also, it speaks to the viewer on a 'symbolic' level. You know it means something, but you see it just as an embellishment.
Metallics are often used in these types of paintings to add an 'ancient' feel to it, as it is easy to make the metallic element look old, rusty or covered with patina.
I also like dripping paint. Yes, a lot of people use dripping. I once had someone tell me about my art that it looked 'alive' - as though it was bubbling up (like lava) I like to have paint dripping from cracks and crevices, as though it is like lava, or a life force from within the painting 'oozing' out. I also like to use the dripping like an outpouring of emotion.
Another favorite is to use text from a manuscript called the Voynich Manuscript, which has yet to be interpreted. I love the mystery of it. By including excerpts from it in my painting, it plants little 'surprises' for the viewer in the future, if the manuscript is ever interpreted :)
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I went to bed last night sort of depressed. I had carpal tunnel syndrome from being on the internet so much over the weekend, doing art related things. I worked a long time putting up a new "Lens" on "Squidoo" and when I was done and 'published' it, it was deemed still 'in progress' and from the sounds of it, it may take a long time before I could get put out to be searched. It was discouraging.
But when I got home today, I was approved and even FEATURED - (one of 5 on the page) I felt much better. I don't know if it will stick and I can't take a 'screen capture' from this computer (actually don't know how from this computer) but if you click the link soon, I'll be there - smiling back at you (so to speak)
6 Gallery Wrapped Canvases measuring 12" x 12" with a Painting Created from Recycled Paper. Textured. Texture is about 1/4" to 1/2" off the Canvas. Total piece measures 6 feet wide, 12" High.
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This was a true "Art House Film" but the jury is still out for me as to how I feel about it. It's certainly one movie I would love to watch with the 'Director's Commentary' running through it. Some parts were beautiful and visually stunning. Some parts seemed like he was piecing together footage from many nature films and discovery channel sources. Parts had great film making at play, and I hate the plant this thought if anyone hasn't seen it who will see it, but I felt a lot of it was like watching a long Calvin Klein commercial. However there were some poignant messages in it. It seems to touch upon the type of private dialogue that goes on in everyone's head that they don't talk about. There were also some lessons about human psychology and the act of creation.
A little while back, artists in Central Florida were contacted to apply to possibly be selected to create the artwork for the new Orange County building that houses the medical examiner's office, which happens to be the famous Dr. G Medical Examiner.
The project offered a tidy sum of money to the artist chosen to create the artwork for the building, so of course, it was a VERY attractive project to consider.
I made my application with samples of my work thus far, but also included my 'Vision Statement' for what my plan would be if I was awarded a prize to create the art. I think I remember that they hadn't decided if they would award to only one artist, one artistic or design group or both or left the door open to all possibilities. They wanted the submissions first.
Well, long story short--these are the images of artwork I submitted with my application. I had in mind a direction different than these examples and said so in my Vision Statement. I proposed to make 'sculptures' and paintings made from recycled paper medium that would provide for a lot of texture.
The concept that was put forth in the contest was that this would be artwork families who were coming to identify bodies of their now dead love ones would encounter.
I proposed soothing curving textures, no sharp edges (ala Niki De Saint Phalle), primary, bright colors and touchable textures. The idea was that the curves would be soothing. If touchable, people could even run their hands over the smooth curves for comfort and the bright colors would be uplifting (or maybe I would have used Earth Tones, who knows)
I tried to inquire in follow up what the outcome of the contest was and was told there was some 'problem', maybe they even mumbled something about a controversy over the prize money or something. I didn't get much of a straight answer and just sort of felt, well I tried. They probably were planning on giving it to an 'insider' anyway, but I had to make the effort. I set it all aside.
But I realized recently as I was looking at a slideshow I created for this blog, that I used the images from the application.
I decided to write a blog entry about this, figuring some would be familiar with the TV show and it might be mildly interesting. I did a search for an article that might have been written up about the contest or who was awarded the project, but couldn't get past all the Casey Anthony references to Dr. G Medical Examiner.
I purposely avoided getting sucked in to the Casey Anthony ordeal, so I hate to feel like an out of touch idiot---I had no idea that our Medical Examiner would have been THE Medical Examiner for this case.
So, if anyone knows or remembers anything about the contest or if anyone was ever awarded the project, I'd love to know. The trial has now over shadowed everything in the 'internet search' world, so I doubt I will be able to find a link about the art contest in any timely manner.
In the mean time, these are the images I submitted, although I was taking a gamble including the skeleton artwork....
Two 12" x 36" Gallery Wrapped Canvases together in a Diptych, finished Length is 72" or 6 Feet Wide. 12" Tall. Acrylic Accented with Acrylic Metallics (Copper and Gold) Fiery Colors such as Crimson, Vermilion Orange, and Permanent Rose (Dark Pink) Accented with Cerulean (Turquoise) Blue and Edged with an Earthy Burnt Umber. The Center Element is a raised 3D Texture about 1/2" off the Canvas. The Center Element is Black accented with Gold until you reach the center, then it is Fiery Colors and Metallic Accents.
The two Center elements come together, just barely touching, or implying the touch if hung slightly apart.
Sealed with Acrylic Finish. Signed and Dated by the Artist on the back of the Canvas, for more versatile hanging options. Clicking the images bring up larger images.
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