News — #process

Spring is officially March 20 early in the morning 5:47 am I think. As we emerge from lockdown and as vaccines ramp up in distribution we may actually have some reasons to hope. It’s been in short supply. Time to get back into the creative process too. 

"Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds". Harsh. But most consumers of images and art want their creators to be consistent in their styles. That is not true of the Masters. Picasso went through myriad periods, styles, manifestos, schools before moving on. Gerhard Richter equated this obsession with consistency with dying as a creator. https://www.gerhard-richter.com/en/art/paintings I have a lot of sympathy for Gallery owners, collectors and fans wanting artists to stick to a style. It helps "brand" an artist and his/her work. I don't think it helps a creator. I think it stifles growth. Just like actors or singers...

Organic shapes and patterns are not always pleasing. Whatever it is in the human brain we want to see patterns, decode them, and store them. Western art has only recently come to be comfortable with the immediate formed and instantaneous. Much of formal art teaching in the past was about traditional skill making, meticulous conformity to what is acceptable beauty. In the East wabi-sabi was the hallmark of Japanese art. The acceptance of the accidental and imperfect. I would say that abstract expressionism comes close to this basic zen art form. But not entirely. There is spiritual quality in wabi-sabi...

"Don't be afraid to make ugly paintings" That is the best art instruction advice you will have hear. Too many artists are hesitant to really "go for it" slap paint on the canvas, swirl it, stab at it, scrape it or wipe it off. The last 100 years of art making has proven that art is often beautiful if it is also challenging. This should give us all the freedom from inhibitions to make "acceptable" art. Wild and free we can make ugly paintings and not look over our shoulders. But in the end, we need to be free of...