Landscaping

You may remember some landscapes I did some years ago. I took a summer class of landscape painting, where we went out and painted landscapes (obviously). I really enjoyed several aspects of it - mostly the purity of painting what is in front of you (rather than photographs or even staged still lifes), but also I enjoyed the historical significance of the landscape - it's ability to be both timeless and time specific and the relationship of the figure (or people) to the landscape.


Anyway, after that class I got away from that purity part of it and started abstracting it (moving away from "pure" translation of the landscape to landscape as metaphor. These metaphors in the beginning were about me and nostalgia for a certain place).
So as I continued this metaphor of the landscape, and the incorporation of the figure with the landscape it became more about the relationship of the physical person to the physical place instead of about a specific place. This of course, begs the question (at least in my mind), what about the physical person in a spiritual place - in other words this physical spiritual divide (for which the horizon line makes a nice metaphor). This was a natural connection to me, since I have always had certain spiritual themes in my art.

So the physical/spiritual divide brings up issues of death, prayer, Christ's incarnation, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and other similar intersections of the physical and spiritual. So then of course, the work got all, you know, college-abstracty, for lack of better words. Not that i think this was unproductive, I just think this 10 ft fabric drapery served as a step to help me realize this idea of the landscape as a metaphor for the spiritual and physical intersections. And that this new understanding should be taken back to the paintings i'm doing now, rather than continuing in this abstract way. Of course, i didn't really plan these changes, and I sort of figured them out as I went or even sometimes after the fact. Nevertheless - this is a quick summary of the process i went through to reach my view of landscapes today.


Recently, I returned to figural and representational art - because of a need for real connection with real people. I guess at this time in my life, abstract art wasn't fulfilling that need which suddenly became so important to me. So now i'm painting real things again - things i really connect and interact with in my life, which means still lifes, interiors, and (what else?) landscapes. But even though i am leaving behind abstract art (at least for now), i am bringing all that i learned from it with me, and still thinking of this metaphor.

So when they get presentable, i will present them.

"Four!" "Three!"

check this out: In this Greek archaic black-figure vase painting by Exekias of Achilles and Ajax playing dice (with spears in hand in case they are called to battle), they not only labelled the figures, they also put the words coming from their mouths saying, "Tesare" and "Tria." Another way of capturing the moment in Greek Art. (click the image to see a larger view.)

JOHN is 30 MILLION YEARS OLD

We stayed in for John's birthday yesterday (which is what quiet people like John and I like to do - stay in). There were some gifts and some pie. And of course, new flannel pajama pants.

I heart Wal-Mart

For those of you who know Warren, don't spoil the fun! John and I (and mostly John) have come up with a series of funny bumper stickers to (anonymously) put on Warren's truck. We have a long list and hope to drag this out for awhile. I dont want to spoil any surprises, so you'll have to check back to see what other things Warren hearts.

Asiatic Day Lily

This summer, one of the plants i found outside was this pretty little blue flower. There were a bunch of them growing alongside the shed. So i took one and potted it and brought it in the house, where, of course, it promptly ceased to bloom. I wasn't sure if i was giving it too much light or not enough or what. But for some reason it decided to bloom this week. So here is my long but skinny Asiatic Day Lily.

Color and the Greeks!

We started color today in my 2D Design class. I think i've kind of rushed to get to it. I feel so much better with color, and it seems like it makes my students happier too. We put it off, because you have to learn the more tedious things about shape and composition before you complicate everything with color. But, what a relief!

Also, my ancient art class is a million times better now that we're to the Greeks. Finally something I feel comfortable talking about and rambling about.

Next semester i'm teaching Modern art, and since i love almost all modern art - maybe I'll feel this way all semester.

Pantry Studio

I moved my studio home at the end of last week. I had a small space in the studio on campus where i was doing my oils, but i decided for convenience and privacy, to move it home to my pantry. I was only able to get there during office hours before, and the students had open access to all my stuff. So, I know this is small, but i think its working out great.

Office

Here's a picture of my office. I keep getting comments about how empty it is for an art teacher (either they mean i need clutter or i need paintings on the wall?). I keep saying, I don't know how long i'll be here. So for now this is enough. I have all these projects and boxes from the supplies we ordered - so i think it's cluttered enough. Besides making this picture i've been very productive today... really.

This summer John and I looked around for unique plants and flowers and then tried to figure out what they were. One of my favorites was the passion flower. It grows on a vine (in our neighbor's field) with several buds spaced evenly apart on the vine. The neat thing is that every day a new bud blooms and dies, and the next day another one goes through the whole process. And it's pretty neat looking. My pictures aren't very good, but this page has a little clip of the flower opening and closing.

What's up with my cat?

Daisy has these two bare patches on her backside. She did this a few years ago, only a lot worse. The vet said at that time that he thought it was stress. I thought it was an allergy because we had switched her food. We did have a different type of food for her recently, but i'm not sure that's it either. Weird.