On the Other Side of the Brain

These are what I call my Weirdies. This is Art Creation in it's purest form. ( Colored doodles gone wild). Over the years I have often had very little time to do my art or the space for that matter. Since art is what I love I quiet often make do with the time and constraints I am found with. Another artist told me " I paint on anything if I do not have a canvas available. ( We were poor at the time ). Just find a piece of wood in the trash and paint." I took that to heart and in the ensuing years it has stood me well. There is always an excuse for not doing something artistic. Materials, space, place, ideas the list is endless. The other part I have added to this is where my paintings and art quite often come from. A "true" piece of art requires planning, preparation, proper materials and time. Even if the idea comes from the great beyond it still requires the aforementioned considerations to make it all work to the highest level of art. Most of the art I do that I consider my best requires a long process. I love the process and I love the results. However As I said in another blog I work full time at a day job and drive an hour each way. I also have a whole bunch of other life things that demand my time. Therefore I developed the "Weirdies". I should say they developed me.

This is the "PROCEDURE" for Weirdies. First empty mind! NO Ideas!!! Stare at the end of the pencil and forget everything else! Now put the pencil on the paper! Move the pencil! Watch the graphite as it goes on the paper, canvas or what ever. Lets not even worry with the medium. What ever is at hand, in my case that's allot of stuff, just start putting it together! As the pencil moves the idea will come. Trust it no matter what it is. Hmmmmm that looks vaguely like a hand, face, space ship etc. etc. Let the pencil develop it. Stay out of the way! See where it goes. Mine are almost always people of course but anything is good.

Now the fun starts! Once the initial concept is sitting there grab additional media!

The one and only rule of Weirdness is there are no rules. You are allowed to tweak the concept but please refrain from changing it into what you feel if "others" see it. ( Def: Others- a judgemental group of unknowns that will send me and my self esteem straight to Hell if I do not meet their unknown expectations.) Most of the following are first drawn then inked and then colored.

Do not fall for any preconceived color theory or composition, proportion or what wine will go with this? The best advice is be a kid. OOOOOOooooo that color looks pretty lets put it there!

The Lady at the top was first met while on a flight from Dallas to Tucson. I stick the music in the ear and draw. Water color pencils are fantastic for mobility. After I got home I did her on a larger sheet of paper using ink, water colors, acrylics and chalk. 5" x 8" I think.

This one is an art card size. Now there is an ideal way to do quick weirdies. Art cards! Love them!!! This person needed the stars! why? Just seemed fun!

This wild women is ink, water color pencil and water colors. 5"x8"

Most often the proportions are exaggerated and not very "text book" correct. We are going for freedom here! Not perfection.

She is wild though Right? It's the feeling that we are trying to transmit. Abandon, power, a unpredictable devil may care person.

" What you'd say buddy?" "You ready for MY WORLD?"

Get the idea?

This lady is also 5" x 8" ink, acrylics and water colors.

She came out one day and speaks of her confidence and individuality. Proper and unconcerned in her environment. I also like to not finish the whole picture. I mean, do what you want or like and then it's done! Remember no rules.

Bob's Blast. This one is a very good example of just doing. What ever where ever. I like this one.

Not only are these great fun and fill the need to create when the world conspires to squash the urge, they are also mentally and creatively expanding. This is where all the ideas are played with. I "see" so many things that are used latter as parts and pieces of the more "completed" art pieces. You can never practice to much! I knew an artist that had worked on the same three pieces for years. That is no lie. They were trying to get it perfect and got lost. I saw those same pictures a year latter and they had changed a little and the gripe about perfection was still the same. This is fine for some but not for me . Exploring the unknown and then bringing it "in " to others, well that's just way......... fun!

Keep exploring

Tucson Gem show !

Well it has been a fast and furious week. We have been attending the Tucson Mineral and Gem Show. For those that are not aware what this is, well let me tell you. This is the worlds largest show of all items under the sun pertaining to anything closely related to the sale of beads, jewelry, tools, glass, fossils, minerals,art, artifacts and much more. All this stuff that you can't live with out comes from all over the world to this show. We have met people, all of them nice, from every corner of the earth. If, for some unknown reason, you wanted to walk the whole show, in the two weeks it is here, you simple could not do it. Football field sized tents abound. Hotels are completely filled with vendors. Smaller venues filled with show tents are to numerous to mention. The size and magnitude is beyond description. Traffic is also challenging but not impossible.
I have stood and stared at dinosaurs skeletons and dinosaur replica's in full size and color. Some fossils are thirty feet long or smaller than a quarter. T Rex? Seen him. There is even an alien skull! The real thing I'm sure. Piles of pearls and precious jewels filling hotel rooms. Minerals that I would swear are from a different planet and some are. Artifacts from Egypt, Rome, China, etc.etc. Metal jewelry art, Glass jewelry art, Fabric art, art, art, art. No paintings or large sculptures though. Totally unbelievable!
So far this year we have spent 6 days shopping. First the overview of the vendors. We have many that we have dealt with for years. Price and quality comparison. Then the purchases and carry, carry, carry. I am at least 2 inches shorter and 10 pounds lighter with legs of steel.
Now you may ask what does all this have to do with art? INSPIRATION !! Yes, Ladies and gentleman the mind is completely filled with all the wonderful colors, styles and endless possibilities. This little red doohickey will look so perfect with that other dark brass .... oh wait! look at that! what a color for a ....... my god! who ever would of thought those items would work.. The creative part of my brain goes into overdrive. All the old clutter is thrown out and a renewed feeling of "anything is possible and it will be GREAT!" is infused into my creative soul.
And then there is the entrepreneurial spirit. Big companies all over place but the mom and pop vendors are there in force. These people come here to sell and buy all sorts of unusual items. You get to see, meet and talk to these artists and vendors that are making it work. They are all a great bunch of people willing to take the time to talk about their love and how they make it work. This alone makes the long, long days worth it. The tricks of the trade are freely given. There is no class or book that can even begin to encompass the experience of what these people know.
Yes it has been a long week. I love going each year and maybe one year you will see us selling there. Stop by say hi. For now there's art to be done and we are preparing to start a store on ETSY. More on that latter. So much to do and so little time to ..... what the hell we will just do it all!
Stay motivated in what you love. Do not let anything stand in the way. After all, this is not a dress rehearsal. This "is" the time and you have it. Use It!

Dancing

Here is the still unfinished picture called " The dance of the Thunder Storm". Notice the dots? I love dots! I do a lot of paintings with dots. Dots, Dots and more dots! My daughter, Stacey, lays claim to introducing me to dots. She is my be loved daughter and I as a father would never correct her, but........... well OK, Thank you Stacey.

Dancing is also another theme that I enjoy. All my paintings are of people. Well most the time. Faces are my love. But dancing holds a special place. One, I can not dance!!! More than one person has drug me out to the dance floor saying such naive things as " it's simple anyone can dance". A few have attempted to even instruct me. They usually last about five minutes. All have never danced with me ever again. A few, I hear are still in therapy. Do I make myself clear? I can not dance. But I love watching dancers. I love the feel of the body in motion as it expresses the feelings of the moment. The paintings of the dancers are just that. I feel the elation and focus. the joy and the body bending, twisting or simple hopping in happiness.

The Dance of the Thunder Storm is 18" x 24" Acrylic. The second one is " Betty Boogies" 8" x 10" Acrylic.

Betty popped out one weekend when I wanted to try a new Golden Paints product. A slow dry acrylic. Just like oils the add said. Close kind of. I have worked in acrylics for years. Maybe I'm just use to them. I love oils but the different mediums have different pluses. I have worked years and years in a bunch of mediums. I am almost 60 and have been doing art forever. Starting with the cave walls in France. Well maybe not those cave walls. I love all COLOR!!!!!!

Any way, Betty just popped out and brought such joy to the day. She is having such a great time flying with the universe.

Just thought you would like to see The Dance of the Thunder Storm.

I enjoyed showing them both.

Catherian 01 ( Stacey's )

Well here is the painting formally known as " Stacey's". As I mentioned before, my daughter asked for a painting. When asked "what of ?" she replied what ever you want to do. Well the resulting painting is definitely my style. I planned this picture, as I often do ( read as: maybe, sometime, sure ) ( really do plan some paintings! ) and started blocking the painting in. All was well. I had sketched in the elements ( earlier blog ) and started on the face doing a value study of sorts. Then I filled in the jacket. When this was done I stepped back and I knew her name. Catherian. The spelling is hers. Her personality became evident right away. This was not a lady to be contradicted. Nice, yes, fair, yes, honest, yes, strong willed with her sights set on what she wanted!

The blue sky was now going to be green! I resisted this for about three days then decided ... "Green it will be and you will see you are wrong". Then the clouds which were supposed to be a light pastel morning pink be came mountains. As you can see I am always in total control of my paintings. ( read as: I quite often do not have a clue where they are going ). This can be distressing at times but quite often it brings out a very great joy. Glee would be a better word. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

I enjoy this about my art. I let it happen and it is great fun to watch it appear out the end of the brush. I'm a third party observer. ( I believe that is a definition for large worded disease of the mind ).

I'm still not extremely happy with whats on the canvas but I do know that Catherine will let me know what needs to be done and it will turn out Great!.

I mention all this because this is what happens when I create. This is how I frame and interpret my relation with the painting. It just is. The following may make all this easier to understand.

I drive an hour to work, one way, each day. That is about 500 hrs per year of sitting. During these times I could be solving all sorts of problems, I do not, ( 30 mim. per year ). Instead I weave stories. Like a book on tape but in my head. Some of these stories have been coming and going for years. Some of the caricatures have developed into old friends. One such person was Diane. (See earlier blog for her picture.) Her story includes a person that greatly influences her through out her life. Guess what! That's right it is Catherine! I did not realize this was who it was until after the sky was done. I was sitting there wondering what this lady was all about and where the painting was going. And then I knew. Unbelievable!!!! Now I understand!!!

The point of all this is to show how when the creating bug bites do not stand in it's way. It is so easy to try to figure out all the details, methods and procedures that it ends up very confusing and stops the creative process. Just let it be and watch where it takes you. they say we use only a small part of our brain. What do you think the rest is doing? Having fun of course!!! Follow it.

I have also decided to write down Diane's story to show up some where some time.

Thanks

Adam and Eve

These two paintings grew out of a story that I was reading about Van Gogh. While he was resting in the sanitarium he asked that a picture that he liked by Delacroix be sent to him. The picture that he requested was the Pieta painted in 1850. Van Gogh received a small printed copy, as I understand it, and he proceeded to paint a picture from this copy in his style. Unfortunately or not the copy that he received was reversed! So he painted a reverse image of the original. I just thought that was just to insane. I love both artists and being an artist I thought that I would add another chapter to the story. ( this will all have relevance when I'm extremely famous ) ( 200 + years ) I used the reverse image of Van Gogh and instead of depicting the death of Jesus, savior of all mankind, I thought that the beginning of all mankind would work for me. Van Gogh's painting is dark and tortured. I wanted hope and light. Sooooo here's Eve. Crouched, vulnerable, gazing out at the new bright world. The blue wrap is so often used with religious paintings and seemed to be appropriate for signifying Divine action and presence. I have always loved this painting.

All was well for a day or less. Eve is here wheres Adam?

Well Adam came with a blast! Quick and violent, Uncontrolled and daring. The opposite of Eve. Confident and adventurous, he flew on the canvas. Raw and powerful. Adam was man. Eve in all her beauty was woman. The nature of the genders, as I see them, sometimes, more or less, were placed on canvas.

My paintings are my emotions and understandings on the subject being depicted. I'm sure that there is a lot of psycho babble that can be attached but the truth is ............ there is supposed to be a point? right? oh well maybe latter.

These and others to follow are older paintings, to be defined as done before today, that always enjoy visiting with others. I will be posting some of these from time to time. They are all a part of my body of work ( I threw that in because it sounds so scholarly) ( there really paintings that I enjoy) Have fun and give the wold some beauty like a smile.