I believe that children are the worlds greatest painters and adult abstract painters strive to emulate the inocence of children. The ability of a abstract painter to produce anything of substance is based on their ability to capture a unbiased view of the world, a painting not influenced by societies needs to catagorize everthing in to recognizable buckets of things thus creating a certain life.
Young children are less influenced by societies insecurities and therefore paint from the spirit, or their essential being. They don't feel the need for acceptance and definition because their environment is safe from criticism. Whatever they produce is accepted.
An great artist lives in a world free of the need of certainty, free of a world that defines everything it sees. We look at the world differently. Our visual experience of the world is more mysterious, our life is an exploration into uncertianty. When we look at the sky we don't see clouds, we see beauty. We are free from this definition of what we are looking at.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
My children (part 1)
I am often asked about the process that I undertake to produce my paintings. How long does it take? What is your inspiration?
One way that I describe the process is through the maturity of children because to me, my paintings are my children, they are part of me. As with children my paintings go through a maturity process. At first there is the excitement of the white blank canvas with infinite possibilities. Then when I begin to paint they are given birth to a new different painting. As with infants the possibilities and directions that they life will take are endless.
When I am asked by someone if they could watch me paint, I say to them, you’d probably come and see me sit looking at the painting for hours on end while I contemplate my next move. Similar to children, mother watch their children as they explore their new life. I watch as the painting matures in my mind.
But as with children, there is a need to move beyond self discovery and a more formal learning process begins. In many ways by teaching children, you are influencing or creating a value system that is similar to you. So in most case this directing on or sharing of your value system to the child you are producing a derivative of yourself. In the same way, I am directing the life of my paintings by choosing the next layer of paint that I put on the canvas. It is this application of paint or the application of my subconscious mind that makes my paintings different from other.
Just like children, there are times when I feel like “ringing their neck” as my mom would say. That frustration with the child is similar to the experience that I feel when the painting take a direction that I don’t like. But like a mother, I don’t act on the feeling, I let the paint sit, I let the paint “sit” in my mind as I contemplate my next move.
End of part 1
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
How I feel
“..coming in to sync with this art thing you are carrying around with you, is an extraordinary experience. When I connect with my art I am free of myself”
Richard Tuttle
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
"Recount" Movie
Important Announcement - “Recount” Movie
Recount website
I’m pleased to announce that the painting shown above has been selected to be in a scene in the upcoming movie “Recount” staring among others Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Dennis Leary and John Hurt. The painting “Number 23” (5ft 4in x 8ft), will be part of a scene replicating the law offices of Warren Christopher. Click on the image above to see a detail view of the painting.
The movie is based on the events surrounding the Florida recount during the 2000 Presidential election. The film is expected to be released in early 2008.
Article from Variety - Sep. 24, 2007
Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Denis Leary, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Ed Begley Jr. and Bob Balaban will star in HBO Films' "Recount," the drama about the Florida results in the 2000 presidential election. "Recount," which will begin shooting next month in Florida, will air during the heat of the presidential campaign in 2008.
Spacey stars as Ron Klain, former chief of staff to vice president Al Gore and one of the lead attorneys who challenged the voting results in Florida.
Dern plays Katherine Harris, the secretary of state of Florida who became the center of controversy when she certified that George W. Bush had won the state.
Begley plays David Boies, the lawyer who appealed the results and argued for the Democrats in court. Leary plays Michael Whouley, a pollster on the Democrat side, and Hurt plays Warren Christopher, a key player in the Gore camp.
Wilkinson plays James Baker, brought in by the Republicans to see that the disputed results held up. Balaban plays Ben Ginsberg, the lead attorney for Bush and Dick Cheney.
While Harris' ruling was overturned by Florida's Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled narrowly in Bush's favor, giving him the presidency five weeks after Election Day. The film shows the legal and political maneuvering from the point of view of both the Bush and Gore camps.
Movie is produced by Spring Creek and Mirage, in association with Spacey's Trigger Street Prods. and Roach's Everyman Pictures. Paula Weinstein, Sydney Pollack, Len Amato and Roach are exec producers. Roach recently replaced Pollack as the director when Pollack stepped down
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Becoming an Artist
" You don't choose to be an Artist and you don't learn to be an Artist"
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Wassily Kandinsky thoughts on revitializing past forms of art
This is from Wassily Kandinsky's, Concerning the Spiritual in Art and support's my reasoning for using a technique similar to Pollock as a form of expression and the re-emergence of abstract expressionism. The support comes in the second paragraph.
It is impossible for us to live and feel,as did the ancient Greeks. In the same way those who strive tofollow the Greek methods in sculpture achieve only a similarityof form, the work remaining soulless for all time. Such imitationis mere aping. Externally the monkey completely resembles a human being; he will sit holding a book in front of his nose, and turn over the pages with a thoughtful aspect, but his actions have for him no real meaning.
There is, however, in art another kind of external similaritywhich is founded on a fundamental truth. When there is asimilarity of inner tendency in the whole moral and spiritualatmosphere, a similarity of ideals, at first closely pursued butlater lost to sight, a similarity in the inner feeling of any one period to that of another, the logical result will be a revivalof the external forms which served to express those innerfeelings in an earlier age.
It is impossible for us to live and feel,as did the ancient Greeks. In the same way those who strive tofollow the Greek methods in sculpture achieve only a similarityof form, the work remaining soulless for all time. Such imitationis mere aping. Externally the monkey completely resembles a human being; he will sit holding a book in front of his nose, and turn over the pages with a thoughtful aspect, but his actions have for him no real meaning.
There is, however, in art another kind of external similaritywhich is founded on a fundamental truth. When there is asimilarity of inner tendency in the whole moral and spiritualatmosphere, a similarity of ideals, at first closely pursued butlater lost to sight, a similarity in the inner feeling of any one period to that of another, the logical result will be a revivalof the external forms which served to express those innerfeelings in an earlier age.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Re-emergence of abstract expressionism
As is often discussed in academic articles, many point to the emergence of industrialization in the 40's as a leading impetus to the abstract expressionist movement. The founders of the movement discussed their focus on being the laborer of culture in contrast to the increased use of machines in all aspects of life. It was through their hands that paintings were produced and not through the repetitative cycles of machinery. It was in many way a rebellion of mass production or technology of the period.
Like the 40's, we have seen the emergence of technology but in a different form. In the 40's mass production with the use of machines replaced the skilled laborer, today computer technology is obsoleting many of the occupations in existence for the past 50 years. It is this rebellion against technology that is leading many artist toward a simiar form of abstract expressionism.
The abstract expressionist movement of the 21st century, which I am a part of, is becoming a way to rebell against the continued advancement of technology in the same way that it did in the 50's.
Like the 40's, we have seen the emergence of technology but in a different form. In the 40's mass production with the use of machines replaced the skilled laborer, today computer technology is obsoleting many of the occupations in existence for the past 50 years. It is this rebellion against technology that is leading many artist toward a simiar form of abstract expressionism.
The abstract expressionist movement of the 21st century, which I am a part of, is becoming a way to rebell against the continued advancement of technology in the same way that it did in the 50's.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Abstraction
Abstraction is a curious term for me. It suggests an alternative view, different from what we experience in the "real" world. It seems to indicate what the artist is painting is not “real”. To me, abstract paintings are not different from realistic paintings from the point of view being "real".
Abstract paintings have often been described as lacking recognizable objects. The important term in the previous sentence is; “recognizable”. This is the key to unlocking understanding abstract painting.
From the time we entire this world as a human being, we are taught to label the things we see. A mother show's her new born baby an object and calls it "daddy". She points to a beautiful colored thing and calls it a "flower". This labeling of objects teaches the child to define everything it sees. As a result, by the time we are an adult, we have ingrained in our nervous system a need to label objects. And why do we need to label things? It is because we need certainty due to fear that we create the word abstraction. Letting go of certainty is the key.
In reality, humans define what they see based on our experiences. We create objects in our minds. We gather all the molecules up and create object called a tree. Society defines this as an acceptable object and makes sure the newly born baby’s mind “works” on seeing it the way we do. But if you look at tree under a microscope, there is nothing that looks like a tree, it’s just molecules.
If we let go of this need for certainty, the need to define everything we see as an object, beauty in art reveals itself. All of my paintings are objects, they are real to me. When I paint, I let go of the need to paint something that society has defined as an object. I simply paint what I see in my subconscious mind. My objects reveal themselves as the painting progresses. I’ll discuss this more in another post.
Abstract paintings have often been described as lacking recognizable objects. The important term in the previous sentence is; “recognizable”. This is the key to unlocking understanding abstract painting.
From the time we entire this world as a human being, we are taught to label the things we see. A mother show's her new born baby an object and calls it "daddy". She points to a beautiful colored thing and calls it a "flower". This labeling of objects teaches the child to define everything it sees. As a result, by the time we are an adult, we have ingrained in our nervous system a need to label objects. And why do we need to label things? It is because we need certainty due to fear that we create the word abstraction. Letting go of certainty is the key.
In reality, humans define what they see based on our experiences. We create objects in our minds. We gather all the molecules up and create object called a tree. Society defines this as an acceptable object and makes sure the newly born baby’s mind “works” on seeing it the way we do. But if you look at tree under a microscope, there is nothing that looks like a tree, it’s just molecules.
If we let go of this need for certainty, the need to define everything we see as an object, beauty in art reveals itself. All of my paintings are objects, they are real to me. When I paint, I let go of the need to paint something that society has defined as an object. I simply paint what I see in my subconscious mind. My objects reveal themselves as the painting progresses. I’ll discuss this more in another post.
People say that you paint like Jackson Pollock
A painters passion in life is to express themselves through the use of paint and canvas. How this expression occurs, i.e. how to communicate your inner most feelings, is from my point of view less important and satisfying.
The answer to the question about painting like Jackson is, Yes I do. But rather than saying, "I paint like Pollock", I would suggest that at better assessment would be that I use the technique that he used later in his life as a way to express myself, a subtle but important difference.
In fact, Jackson wasn't the first to use this technique, Hans Hoffman used it before Jackson began his work. What set's Jackson and myself apart from others is our association to this technique. The technique provides the best way for us to access our subconscious.
It's not about the technique. Its our subconscious that dictates the use of the technique and in the end results in a good painting. Without this spiritual connection, our paintings would be the drop cloths of any house painter in the world. The reason that the technique isn't used by everyone with paint and a stick is that this method is not the most appropriate way to express themselves.
I have had experts in art indicated that they have never seen anyone able to capture the same quality as Jackson did. Some say that it appears that I am imitating Jackson but they ignore the intense spiritual connection to this technique that I have. They seem to think that I have a choice. But the choice is not really mine.
The answer to the question about painting like Jackson is, Yes I do. But rather than saying, "I paint like Pollock", I would suggest that at better assessment would be that I use the technique that he used later in his life as a way to express myself, a subtle but important difference.
In fact, Jackson wasn't the first to use this technique, Hans Hoffman used it before Jackson began his work. What set's Jackson and myself apart from others is our association to this technique. The technique provides the best way for us to access our subconscious.
It's not about the technique. Its our subconscious that dictates the use of the technique and in the end results in a good painting. Without this spiritual connection, our paintings would be the drop cloths of any house painter in the world. The reason that the technique isn't used by everyone with paint and a stick is that this method is not the most appropriate way to express themselves.
I have had experts in art indicated that they have never seen anyone able to capture the same quality as Jackson did. Some say that it appears that I am imitating Jackson but they ignore the intense spiritual connection to this technique that I have. They seem to think that I have a choice. But the choice is not really mine.
Monday, January 1, 2007
About the artist
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I am an abstract expressionist painter. My paintings lack familiar objects and as a result I invite the viewer to feel the painting emotionally. Rather than trying to interpret the painting, I would like you to simply enjoy the experience, feel the energy and see the beauty.
Many of you will notice that I have been significantly influenced by the style and technique of Jackson Pollock. Pollock along with de Kooning, Rothko and Kline began the abstract expressionist movement in New York City in the 50's. They often spoke about painting from the subconscious, rather than painting recognizable objects.
My attraction to these artists is the expressive style in which they painted. In my personal life, I have had been trained by Deepak Chopra to embrace the idea that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. That in our daily life we personally interpret what we see to define the experience we have. Each of us can look at the same object and see something different based on our level of consciousness. This is essence of my work!
Enjoy Linda
I am an abstract expressionist painter. My paintings lack familiar objects and as a result I invite the viewer to feel the painting emotionally. Rather than trying to interpret the painting, I would like you to simply enjoy the experience, feel the energy and see the beauty.
Many of you will notice that I have been significantly influenced by the style and technique of Jackson Pollock. Pollock along with de Kooning, Rothko and Kline began the abstract expressionist movement in New York City in the 50's. They often spoke about painting from the subconscious, rather than painting recognizable objects.
My attraction to these artists is the expressive style in which they painted. In my personal life, I have had been trained by Deepak Chopra to embrace the idea that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. That in our daily life we personally interpret what we see to define the experience we have. Each of us can look at the same object and see something different based on our level of consciousness. This is essence of my work!
Enjoy Linda
Initial Post
Hello,
This is my first entry into my blog. Over the coming months, I will be using this as a method of communicating what is going on in my studio, both through written word and photographs. I will also discuss my thoughts regarding the influences on my art.
Namaste
This is my first entry into my blog. Over the coming months, I will be using this as a method of communicating what is going on in my studio, both through written word and photographs. I will also discuss my thoughts regarding the influences on my art.
Namaste
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