Fabulous abstract painting or photo taken while waiting in a parking lot?
Author Archives: jbart3916
About jbart3916
Frank Herbert Quote
I listen to audio books when I drive, and last week I was listening to DUNE by Frank Herbert, and heard this:
“There is in all things a pattern that is part of our universe. It has symmetry, elegance, and grace. Those qualities you find always in that which the true artist captures. You can find it in the turning of the seasons, in the way sand trails along a ridge, in the branch clusters of the creosote bush or the patterns of its leaves. We try to copy these patterns in our lives and our society, seeking the rhythms, the dances, the forms that comfort. ”
I pulled over and copied it down, and have been thinking about it ever since. It puts into words what I have come to realize is the content of my work, what I am constantly attempting to express. My work (and my life, for that matter) is a continuous search for order, for the underlying patterns of life.
Years ago a good friend and I discussed frequently a mutual “problem” we had…….disorganization. We were constantly coming up with new strategies for getting organized, for getting everything in our lives under control by discovering the perfect plan and structure for our lives. And the joke at the end of each of these discussions was that if we ever accomplished this goal it would probably mean the end of life……why go on once one’s goal was fully realized. What was there to strive for beyond perfection? So it was lucky that our goals had not been reached, as we felt that we each had a lot of living to do.
The Herbert quote goes on:
“Yet it is possible to see peril in the finding of ultimate perfection. It is clear that the ultimate pattern contains its own fixity. In such perfection, all things move toward death.”
My understanding of the full implications of the final part of the quote will require a great deal more consideration.
Evening Shadows
EVENING SHADOWS
30″X40″ acrylic/colored pencil on canvas
sold
The progress of this piece is documented on Paintings page EVOLUTION OF A PAINTING.
Sky Painting
This is an unretouched photo taken through the windshield as we drove through Wisconsin.
The Tyranny of Success
In an earlier post, a listing of Demons that plague all artists, I mentioned success as a frequent stumbling block. On the surface it seems strange to consider success to be a potential issue, but there are two particular aspects of success that can cause problems.
1. Falling in love with a part of your painting early on in the process. The danger is that the dynamic of the painting process can change from the successful completion of the piece as a whole to protecting that fabulous part of the piece. The first thing you need to do is be aware of this possibility so you can recognize when it is happening. Secondly, take a photo of that section so that you can store it for future consideration, thus freeing yourself from the fear of losing it. Then continue to work on the piece as a whole, retaining that section or not, as the painting requires. Take the time later to study the photograph to determine what it is that you liked so much about it and hopefully the answers to that question will become stored in the right side of your brain and come through again…….in an entire painting.
2. Winning an award/getting into a prestigious show/words of praise from someone you respect….. potential stumbling blocks if this leads you to limit your work to repeating the same “successful” pieces. I am not referring to working in series and exploring different aspects of a particular idea, I’m talking about becoming tied to what you perceive to be a successful “formula” and hesitating to step outside that proven formula for fear of not being successful.
“Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility.” Pablo Picasso
“Don’t carpet your rut.” Gerald Brommer
Evolution of a painting
Yesterday was a day of uninterrupted studio time, and I was able to work on this piece…..a 30″X40″ acrylic/colored pencil painting. I have been documenting (loosely) the evolution of this piece on one of my “PAINTINGS” pages. This is a “follow the painting” painting. I begin with a general idea, and then keep adding, subtracting, adjusting. My initial idea is now only a memory, as the painting has led me in a different direction. This is the exciting part of the process…..I really don’t know what the final result will be, or when it will be completed. (Hopefully before the show I am preparing it for, which is in November)
This is where I stopped yesterday (it was time to relax by the river and enjoy a glass of wine.)
Postcards
I have always loved mail (real mail). I love the idea of mail, I love stamps, I love the fact that you can drop something in a box and the Postal Service will see that it is delivered to its intended destination. As a way of indulging my own enjoyment of the process and concept of mail, and on the assumption that other people feel at least a little of that excitement when receiving personal mail, I began a Postcard Project a number of years ago. I like the idea that these small pieces of art are seen by not only the intended recipient, but also by everyone who handles it on the way, so, except for entries into official shows, I stamp and mail them. I consider the stamp, the cancellation marks, and the wear and tear they experience are all a part of the piece. They are not precious commodities, just little pieces of art that I send out into the world.
Judith Bergerson / JackPine Studio 