Into the Wilderness

One needs uninterrupted time in order to create. One of my favorite places is 27.5 acres of land that I own that is only 40 minutes from home. This paradise might as well be on the other side of the world for the amount of privacy and peace that it allows me. Yesterday I just got back from spending two nights in a small little log cabin that I call home. I have three other structures that are nearby that contain my easels and art materials so that I can hone my craft. There's no electricity or running water yet that's what makes it endearing. After two days my total production was one large 4 x 5' painting, complete, 368 photographs taken, one smaller one by 2 1/2 foot painting on a wooden board, complete. One poem written and many entries into a journal were made. During this time I took two kayak trips where I came across several mallards and geese. I had two small fires at night to ward off the mosquitoes, and my little get away adventure was considered a success.

 The result of this trip was therapeutic, for help to relieve the many pains that I have during the day. I come back exhausted yet refreshed. I have never gone into the woods where I have not come back a wiser man. 

My wisdom this time was that every day needs to be used to create, if you are to be called a creator. Our time is brief, no matter what the pain, work through it. Create a body of work; it will be a huge part of your legacy.

"ART WORKS"

David Eric :-)

a little friend

My prayer, meditation area that is shaped like a cathedral. It is so inspiring and peaceful.  

Photography and Painting

Photography and Painting. 

We talk today of artists that specialize in different mediums. It doesn't appear to be that common, that various practitioners of the visual arts adopt a multi disciplinary approach. I have found that two of the most integrative mediums are that of photography and painting. What can be accomplished with both of these methodologies is enormous in both the evolution of art in and the multiplicity of different art pieces. 

Photography is an expert at capturing a moment in time. What few realize though, especially those who are painters, is that as they are producing their particular piece of work, all along that journey are moments where the cessation of effort could yield a distinct piece of Art. The artist can look back at the different frames that led up to the decision to stop and call a piece finished. These individual frames can be useful sources of inspiration for works that could have gone in a different direction. Furthermore they stand as a testament to the chronological advancement of paint manipulation to its final end. Many purchasers of art would love to have a collection of these chronological advancements of time to the culmination of a masterpiece. What cannot be discounted is the possibility that the real masterpiece laid many frames before the discontinuance of the brush work. If this uneventful or unfortunate happening occurred at least a person would have a high-quality image of which to preserve their hidden masterpiece. These photographs can be done in raw format making sure that no nuances are lost to the desire to save data.

Disparate Image Collage

I had to acquire a taste for  photo collages with clearly defined borders. I always thought that that the mattes with 12 different cut out shapes to place family photos was practical in purpose, yet the combination did not do any particular photo justice.  I am still  a little reticent to choose pre cut templates as a first choice in presentation, yet it did lead me to an area of photographic expression that deserves a little more attention. The technique and theory behind disparate image collage is self developed and one that is growing.

I always have said that best art technique is like the best camera. It is the one that you have with you most of the time. Notice I am not saying best camera equals best photograph, it merely is stating that best equals availability. Disparate Image Collage is like that, there are numerous tools ( programs and apps) that allow a person to create boxes within a box that can be be done quickly and with a certain aesthetic appeal.

What I am most intrigued by is the relationship of unlike images and how the mind kicks into gear and works hard at making sense out of images that have no connection. I believe deeply in the irreverent and abstract tradition that is in art yet I feel that like a Rorschach test the human mind desires to make sense out of ambiguity. The spiders legs have an uncanny resemblance to the stems off shooting from the flower. As for the American flag and the Tarpon, what could be more patriotic than fishing!  A crab has armor like a tank and tanks have engines like the top of a 1926 Henderson Motorcycle. They all relate is some way. The teeth of a predator fish look in many respects like the jagged precipices of a Clyfford Still painting. In this same collage,  black and blue creates it own unmistakable symmetry. 

Things, images, constructs begin to take on traits of those visual entities that share a geographic proximity. It is easy to create this art and based on random statistical analysis  the possibility of another artist creating a combination close to yours is slim to none. It is like being a artist, a curator, and art critic all in one, especially when you are critiquing your own anonymous work.  Disparate Image collage,  you heard it here first! Have a wonderful week folks, see you next Thursday.  

Morning Art

Art therapy is a topic that seems to be quite popular today. It is an area that I hold a great deal of interest in, yet from a formal text book understanding I know little about. There is scarce doubt that from  personal experience the act of creating art is an activity that is filled with healing and self renewal.

I have suffered from cervical and lumbar osteoarthritis for a great deal of time and  the symptoms are most severe mornings and evenings. This chronic condition demands a resolute desire to fight back with a multidisciplinary approach. Art is one of the tools in the shed that can and should be used on a daily basis. These moments of discomfort are excellent times to enter into the creative process.  Pain is in constant demand for ones attention and the act of focusing on any piece of creativity begins to lessen that grip.

It is not even that important that a person attempt to manufacture a masterpiece, rather that they continue along the most important aspect of their lives; to create. The piece I put together this morning is from a method I call disparate image collage. Next week I intend to speak of this self created method and my art theory that surrounds it. Suffice it for today that it is the end result of a hot cup of coffee and my desire to think outside of pain. It works, if only temporarily, and you as an artist add to your body of work. The precious little girl is Victoria, a huge joy in my life posing for one of my favorite portraits of her.               

Mother Mary and the two bomber jets.

This particular piece of work I produced several years back to be part of a local art show. The element that provides interest is the juxtaposing of these three visual elements. Collages that incorporate disparate  elements, compel the viewer to compose and analyse visual images in an effort to develop meaning. Subjective thought is king, for it weaves a tapestry of relevance with images that are mandated to be neighbors.

Some artists refuse to speak about what the meaning of their own work is, feeling that in some manner it will take away from the viewers experience. In many respects I sense that this is a fallacy. Based on this reasoning we could conclude that that we are better able to think, if we do not darken the door of a university or a library. Good quality thinking always comes about through the free expression of words and ideas. When we listen to the artists meaning of a particular piece of work we invite the creator to stimulate our cognition. We then decide what to discard and what to embrace and then formulate our own unique critique. Layer upon layer, with patient thought and reasoned articulation we begin to create life in a work of art that did not exist previously. All that is required is a trained eye, a desire for meaning, and a way in which to convey our thoughts. In short, what we need is a desire to give of ourselves to the artist much more than a cursory glace. This is a tall order in our fast paced digital world were freedom of speech is sought after yet rarely used in the aesthetic world. Even less used is the sacred right to express freedom of thought.

This piece, Mother Mary and the two bomber jets, obviously has some meaning to me, the artist, yet rather than be too specific I will make some generalizations that could inspire thoughts regarding meaning.  The fighter bombers are flying in downward position yet Mother Mary is elevating upward. Bomber jets are black and white, more black than white. Mary is colorful showing life power over death, hope over despair. The downward images are contained within the boarder frame, Mary on the other hand has broken the bonds of the frame in  her ascension. All three are flying in air yet in distinctly different directions. Has Mary caused the direction of the Jets or are they flying independently of her power? The Jets are images that are flat, dark and scanned images. Despite being scanned, Mary displays an image that utilizes colored thread to show her almost three dimensional aspects. What is the relationship of the sacred to the secular? 

It does not have to be good art to make us think, yet art that makes us think has value. Is it better to be good or of value?   

Why have a personal website?

This website has been a dream of mine for some time. What I really desired was a way in which I could present the visual  galleries of my artistic life. For me creativity and producing artistic works is as much substance to my mind and body as is food. My works are mine, and I have no strong conviction that they have to convey meaning. They perhaps may, yet I leave that to my audience and their subjective analysis. What is real is the fact that they exist and if this is so then they should have a means of presenting themselves before the world. This personal site is a means to that end.

I intend to be consistent with my approach to weblog entries and provide weekly content that has something of value to provide. In addition it is my strong conviction that the deep intellectual writing  about art when the reader has no visual data is of debatable value. My posts will come with photos, quotes, original content and quality links that will create an aesthetic, emotional, and cognitive experience. 

A worthy photo to start a discussion about my Art. 

Thank You for viewing and reading.......Till next week.