Thought for The Day - Maybe You Need Word with Your Pictures?

Phoenix 18 x 24 pastels

Abstract images get a bad rep from the uninformed. Yes I know, calling someone uninformed is the equivalent of using the biblical analogy where Jesus said you shouldn't cast your pearls before swine. People don't hear their "name" called until they perceive an insult. But the "uninformed," those who won't look into the multiple abstract images floating in their head and perceive the message; for those people, an image on a canvas is best represented by faces, torsos and bowls of fruit! To those people, that's art! Expand your mind, friend!

I don't like seeming insulting, but honestly it's just as insulting to be told: "I don't get it!" Or the worse "my five year old niece/nephew/grandchild could do that!" Honestly, they couldn't! Unless they reached into that place where souls are willing to go, first of all. And then they would have to allow that "source" to flow through them. Not many go there; and quite honestly, not many should. Every person has their unique expression and gifts. 

Admittedly, our "message" isn't readily received. I've long thought to add words, maybe a little story to make things clearer. Not sure if I'm getting the desired result, but until I hear differently, I will continue to do so. The image above is one of those images. It's entitled Phoenix and is named after the mythical bird that regenerates itself. But the story is more important how my image came to be.

Sitting down one evening, pastels and a sheet of paper, I started with a simple stroke of green. I've always liked building layers of colors and moving them about the surface. Equally pleasurable is mimicking contour, depth and form. These are objects we see every day: the surface of a car, your arm, a child in motion. With all of that flowing through my mind, but not necessarily the goal, I went at it!

I can't begin to explain the many thoughts going through my head while rendering, I can only tell you about the "middle place." At some point, I begin to make more concrete decisions as opposed to simply flowing. Judgement, correction and intention play into how an image develops. With "Phoenix," at some point I saw there was a wing to the left and this ghost-like, energetic bird in the middle. My sense was this image represented life, or the progression of life. I didn't "intentionally" place an egg in the lower right hand corner, but when I realized it was there, it made perfect sense. The images were coming together as one and as a result you have a representative of life: how it comes to be, how we find ourselves (the bird's wing) and our eventual transition into another. 

Words and Images; not sure where else I can take the idea, but for now, we will leave it at that. 

Thought for The Day - Universal Elements

Fire and Ice 8 x 11 Colored Pencils

"There's a story there! I just know it is!"

Yeah, there is a concept, an idea; some message hidden in that image, your design, in your DNA. History lies there, old traditions and quite possibly, spanning cultures. One thing I have found to be true is no one person, people, nation or ethnicity has a corner on truth and beliefs. It is amazing, when I spend time with people of different cultures, once we get past the 'niceties' - "where are you from, what region is that, how long have you lived in this area" - you find out many of the same human characteristics exist from society to society. Certainly there are varied customs and not every tradition crosses the cultural barriers. But in so many ways, we are the same.

The image above, I rendered some years ago. It started as my trying out colored pencils, something I used extensively in college. As I "scratched" the pencils across the paper, I noticed there seemed to be an image of fire forming. I thought "it would be interesting if there were a contrast of ice against it." And as I rendered, trying to catch the 'designs' of both fire and ice, I wondered who wins in this epic battle? Will the fire melt the ice or will the ice, melting into water, douse the flames? At some point, it became clear, the story would not be resolved by this rendering. Like a reporter, my role is to capture the moment, not define the story - at least not in this picture.

It is a struggle for many; the conflict between warmth and cool, passion or logic, emotions versus cold reasoning. In truth, both are necessary, though we all struggle with expressions of the two elements. But look further, dig deeper; there is more to the image, more stories and concepts.

Thought for The Day - A Good Story

Sleeping Beauty 8 x 11 pencil

Shaken Up! 8 x 11 pencil

Everyone loves a good story; perhaps you love good poetry or great music or a great dance...we love the story, the human drama and seeing our lives reflected. It isn't a matter of vanity or pride, but the fact:

1. We're not alone - others feel, think, act and say the same things. It gives validity to our struggle and desire for greater; better.
2. Someone else feels our pain and hopes for the same thing.

 With visual art, the message isn't as clear, at least to those who always need their story or thoughts spelled out, but even a child can look at an image and see "something." I've read poetry where the "message" isn't immediately obvious; the words almost run together, but a story is being told. Currently, I'm listening to a song by Tony Remy & Bluey (the group, Incognito's leader), called "Between My Finger and My Thumb;" it is by far, one of my favorite songs of ALL TIME!!! Actually, the entire CD is one of my favorites, but for very personal reasons. I found it around the time when I begin painting and drawing again and the songs "speak to me," in the sense, it reminds me of my own creative flow. Songs that seem to come out of nowhere with so much depth and volume, you have to marvel at the power of God to use us fallible beings! It isn't power for the sake of manipulation or control; it's power to love, to heal, make whole and celebrate the gift of life.

But here's the thing, outside the room where I'm sitting, I can here my wife's feet on the wood floors. Outside the window, I hear the occasional car going by on the wet street and every sound tells a story! every sound, color, smell and sensation has a message for me and for you. Are you listening? Tune your "ears" to hear what is being said.

Be.

Thought for The Day - Contemplating

I love a good story! I love when the author takes time to present at least his primary character with relationships across several layers of complexity. An example is a man who is married (relationship 1), has a best friend (relationship 2) and regularly talks with the waitress in his favorite diner (relationship 3). Actually, that isn't that complex, but the idea I'm 'trying' to get at, is our lives have multiple connections; some intersect, others seem to exist in a vacuum that are separate from everything else.

I love staring at a painting. Whether abstract, portrait or something expressionist, there is a story behind it. Oh, it may not be a story where man meets woman, falls in love and they end in divorce, but there is a story. I find myself, whether it's my work or someone else, sitting and looking for a length of time, trying to determine what direction the piece is going.

Now, even with my work, the 'path' isn't always clear. Sometimes it takes some time to determine where a piece or series is headed and where it should go. Even with portraits, I am usually inspired by a facial expression or a part of someone's body that sticks in my mind. Simply concentrating on the position of neck and shoulders, the curve as the neck connects into the shoulder...simply taking time to see the story lines running beneath that connection...

Contemplating; simply staring, wondering, imagining, surmising.