Thursday, August 30, 2012

Summer Fades

Every summer begins with grandiose plans, things I will finally accomplish after being busy all year with work and school, to do lists that stretch a mile, activities that I've always wanted to try...and every summer those plans fall by the wayside, dragged down into the lethargy of the heat, put aside to deal with later. Until finally the end of August rolls around and I'm right back where I started, feeling as if I haven't really done anything after all. Where has the summer gone?

Sunday, August 26, 2012

A Room of One's Own

      Apparently, a universal characteristic of artists is that no matter how big a studio space, it is never big enough. "Clutter expands to fit the existing space." Never having had an actual studio space, I haven't had much time to put this theory into practise, but I can testify to the fact that it expands to the very limits of the space allowed. So far my art studio space has always co-existed with my bedroom, a basement, shared school studios or the corner of my mother's living room.
Art materials and pilfered water containers aka mugs

Encaustic paints


Art on the other hand definitely has the capacity to completely fill any space. My paintings have overflowed my room and migrated to almost every area of the house.

    Needless to say, I look forward to when I can afford my own studio space!



Saturday, August 25, 2012

Touch the Sky

"The High Road to Linton" acrylic on canvas 8x10

"Lochaber Dance" acrylic on canvas 8x10

"Return to Kintail" acrylic on canvas 8x10

     These paintings were inspired by traditional Irish and Scottish tunes, hence the names. I've always wanted to travel to both these countries but so far have only managed it through my art. Celtic music is especially inspirational to me as it is so evocative of the landscapes where it originated.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Butterfly Effect

"Escape" Encaustic and Mixed Media, 2012
4x2.75

Encaustic and Mixed Media, 2012
4x2.75

"Yes" Encaustic and Mixed Media, 2012
4x2.75


Encaustic and Mixed Media, 2012
4x2.75

"In Flame" Encaustic and Mixed Media, 2012
4x2.75

Keep it on Wax

"Familiar Features of the Roadside"
Encaustic and Mixed Media, 2012
4x2.75

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Picasso

"I paint the way some people write an autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages from my diary." So said Pablo Picasso, and after having seen an exhibition that spans most of his career, I can testify that his life was evidently as interesting as his art.

The exhibition I saw at the AGO was a collection of numerous paintings, sketches and sculptures that Picasso had kept for himself, works that would continue to inspire him over the course of a 70 year career.

Two Women Running on the Beach (The Race)
1922
Although Picasso is most famous for his invention and pioneering of Cubism along with Georges Braque, he experimented in virtually every style and medium of the time. From realism to abstraction in his painting along with sculpture, collage, and drawing, Picasso mastered it all and radically changed modern art.

Figures on the Seashore, 1931
Of course Picasso is a staple in any art history class as he was a major innovator in the art world, inventing new styles that completely changed modern art. But seeing these pieces in the flesh is a completely different experience then that of viewing small scale reproduction. The same images are shown again and again in art history texts in an effort to reinforce the importance of the artist, almost excessively so. Seeing a show comprised entirely of his works makes you realize why Picasso is so emphasized in the first place.

Portrait of Dora Maar, 1937
What I love about Picasso is the fact that he didn't confine himself in his art. His style constantly changed significantly as he explored many different ideas and techniques. He painted, collaged and sculpted, experimented, invented and ultimately became known as one of the most renowned artists of the 20th century.
Seeing these works also drove home the fact that it is not simply their exposure that makes Picasso's works powerful. As Picasso said, these paintings are an autobiography of himself. They reveal the unique vision of the artist in a way that draws you into the work to become one with the painting, and ultimately the story.