The Thing

My artist friend Mike said when he is painting he is always thinking about making an object. Here are some painty objects.

Peter Gallo, Good taste, which is becoming prevalent throughout Europe, was born under the blue skies of Greece... , Horton Gallery

Peter Gallo, Paint Symptoms, Horton Gallery


Peter Gallo, I'm Not Dead Yet, Horton Gallery

Nina Else, Bread Loaf, Tercera Gallery

Nina Else, Tercera Gallery

studio shot

"rare and original idiosyncracies"

A hand-shaped spot: I'm having a flashback to high school English class, to that one titular blemish on the woman's face in Hawthorne's "The Birth-Mark." There is vitality in imperfection.

From the poet Emily Carr:
"In an online interview, Carole Maso says, 'I am much more interested in producing a flawed, mortal document than something that is just a nod to a certain set of conventions. I also tend to favor writing that is an event in some way, & not just the record of an event; it creates a more vulnerable, fluid space, where the unforeseen, or the errant, or something a little wild is allowed to enter. […] My work is dictated by passion & deep emotion—all that is necessary is to surrender to the text without a care for what it is.'”

Carr continues, "I believe form is a matter of temperment, of what Jorie Graham calls 'rare and original idiosyncrasies.'"

from An Interview with Emily Carr, Poet
http://www.robmclennan.blogspot.com/2012/01/12-or-20-questions-second-series-with.html

Harry Callahan

I really recommend the Harry Callahan exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. Looking at his work, I see a guy always attuned to the visual world, to whatever moments and phenomena and bits ands bobs that he might encounter. And also always willing to perform all sorts of experiments with his photography -- collaging, double-exposing, etc (see the photo above that is of a stationary flashlight in a dark room, with Callahan moving the camera).

A faith in intuition and experiment, and in always LOOKING. I have been painting a lot from imagination and photos lately, but I need to go back to painting from life, experiencing that intense kind of seeing that lets you observe the marvelous in the ordinary. Seeing Callahan's work made me think about this, and the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote about being "uplifted into infinite spaces, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all."

I'd like to know more about Callahan's life and his art-making and art-teaching. The exhibition text described him as a quiet, modest, doubt-full sort of teacher. He took so many shots but selected a very few for finished works.

Here are some quotes:

I think nearly every artist continually wants to reach the edge of nothingness - the point where you can't go any further.

The photographs that excite me are photographs that say something in a new manner; not for the sake of being different, but ones that are different because the individual is different and the individual expresses himself.

I photograph continuously, often without a good idea or strong feelings. During this time the photos are nearly all poor but I believe they develop my seeing and help later on in other photos. I do believe strongly in photography and hope by following it intuitively that when the photographs are looked at they will touch the spirit in people.

Quote

"With my students, I don’t even talk about abstraction and representation, because I think we’re beyond that. I think we’re at a time where everything is abstract and everything is representational. It’s more about how you find your own language with paint. It’s really just your body and its relationship to the world. Using the senses is not anti-intellectual."
Painter Josephine Halvorson in The Brooklyn Rail

Peto

John Frederick Peto

student work

Not too long ago, I taught a high school oil painting workshop -- students made their own bulletin board displays and painted 'em, inspired by John F. Peto. Glad I provided a lot of ribbon, string, and neon masking tape. We got even more into making the still life set ups than painting them.

classes

collab student drawing at Arlington Arts Center, after Copley

Hi friends! Wishing you a happy holiday season and best wishes for the new year. Starting late January, I'm teaching several evening classes in Arlington, VA. Here are the details:

At the Arlington Arts Center

Tuesdays, 6:30- 9:00 (1/24-3/13) : Drawing with Color

Thursdays, 7– 9:30 (1/26-3/22): Drawing: Focus on Portraiture

for more info or to register, visit: https://www.arlingtonartscenter.org/education (info available on January 3rd)

At Fairlington Community Center:

Mondays, beginning Jan. 23, 7-9pm: Art of Sketching

This class teaches beginning students the art of sketching and how to capture the essence of something quickly and simply on paper.Great class for beginners learning how to draw and for advanced students looking to quicken their drawing skills. Students learn how to seeproportion, movement, form and expression of what they are observing and then capture that quickly on paper. Learn various sketching techniques while using basic drawing as graphite sticks, conte crayon, pens and charcoal. No prior drawing experiencenecessary.

for more info or to register, visit: http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/ParksRecreation/ParksRecreationMain.aspx