Thought I’d try to do a little series of pears. Because I really like (am obsessed with) pears and I thought it would be interesting to play with one colour plus black and white of the same subject over and over. My intention is to complete at least ten of these. But I have a fairly short attention span, so I’m not making any promises. Here are the first two.
Vermillion, Jun 6, 2014, Oil on Canvas Board, 6″ X 6″Torrit Grey, Jun 6, 2014, Oil on Canvas Board, 6″ X 6″
After the Scream, Mar 1995, Acrylic on Masonite, 24″ X 30″Venus Prep, Jan 1995, Oil on Masonite, 14″ X 24″Still Life III Coloured Light, Sep 1994, Oil on Masonite, 24″ X 24″Still Life II Coloured Light, Sep 1994, Oil on Masonite, 24″ X 24″Still Life I Coloured Light, Sep 1994, Oil on Masonite, 24″ X 24″
“Two and two do not make four. Only accountants think that. but that is not enough: a painting must make this clear; it must fertilize the imagination.”
– Miró, 1959
Figure I, May 3, 2014, Oil on Canvas, 14.5″ X 17.5″
Just back from Vancouver and Seattle for a family vacation. In Seattle we had the chance to visit the Seattle Art Museum and their current exhibition “Miró: The Experience of Seeing” as well as other great artwork. And this painting has absolutely nothing to do with that.
Nothing new today – just a bit of old artwork from a time when I seemed content with painting the same still life over and over again.
Still Life I, Mar 1995, Oil on Masonite, 12″ X 18″Still Life II, Mar 1995, Oil on Masonite, 12″ X 18″Still Life III, Mar 1995, Oil on Masonite, 18″ X 12″Blue Girl, Apr 1995, Acrylic on Masonite, 22″ X 16″
Maple Walnut Cream II, Apr 13, 2014, Oil on Canvas, 20″ X 16″
I don’t always love to paint. It’s like running. I don’t love running all the time, but I really love HAVING RUN. And I love HAVING PAINTED. Even if the result is really mediocre or even downright crappy and embarrassing. Like something Tim Kreider says about writing – and I translate into painting – having DONE it, I feel that I have somehow earned my keep for another day – or in my case, another week. Yes, it began only after three hours of procrastinating and doing everything BUT beginning… and having finally just started and then just continued and continued and attempted one simple step after another: add the darkest bits here and then all of the highlights in this area and then work a bit on the background and then refine the edges of this or that and then deal with the shadow and maybe a bit of blending in this area to see how it falls together and then a little more finessing over here and some more dark bits and more highlights and some detail and some more build up of colour or depth there and then maybe enjoy a few bits here and there – strokes and marks that are just asking to exist and finally, standing back and taking a look… and maybe hating it and maybe kind of liking it and maybe just saying enough is enough regardless of the outcome.
I don’t love the beginning. I rarely love the middle and I have never loved the end result – at least not after a good night’s sleep and a little distance. Fortunately, I often find little bits here and there that make me happy. And I feel that having put in another four or five hours I have moved a little closer to where I want to be. and perhaps next time I will do better.
I don’t mean to glorify the myth that a person needs to experience some sort of existential torture in order to create beauty (whatever ‘beauty’ may be) yet if it doesn’t cost anything, does it really have any value? Maybe it’s just about taking the first step, committing to something in the moment, following a trail to the end simply to see what happens next and if there is a price to pay, paying it and moving on with no attachment to the outcome, knowing that the value is in the time spent and that will always be intangible and important.
susanne semchuk 