Does the ability to paint come from talent, education, awareness? Is creativity an ‘in-born’ talent. Is it a state of mind? So many times I’ve heard someone say (about a piece of art), “I could never do that. I don’t know how to paint. I’m not creative”, and I think, “I don’t believe that, not for a […]
Category: publications
art publication, foli o. photography . art . digital .
the most amazing thing
A few weeks ago I saw purple clouds in a yellow sky. Such an odd and whimsical occurrence, I thought, because I’d never seen this before. (Or maybe I hadn’t been paying attention). This sighting was so remarkable to me I finally, after many days, made a note of the sky and colours in my […]
the creative machine
The Creative Machine Despite an ongoing societal love affair with creativity and ‘creative inspiration’, much of the act (the process) of making art in our consumer world has become comparable to snowmaking in the arctic. By which I mean, isn’t there enough genuine, unique, thoughtfully created art in the world (as there is snow, in the arctic) […]
everyday art
In his satirical essay, “The Agony of the Artist (with a capital A)“, E.E. Cummings said, “Most people …accept [the] agony of the Artist, as they accept evolution. The rest move their minds to the extent of supposing that anybody with Art school training, plus ‘temperament’- or a flair for agony- may become an Artist. […]
you sir, are an imposter
If there is one defining event that determines who is or who is not an artist, when does it occur- and would any of us recognize it? I have (most of my life) called myself an artist- yet I’ve doubted that label and wondered often at my own trustworthiness in using it to describe myself. […]
is it done?
There is no standard method in painting to determine if a piece of art is ‘done’ or ‘not done’; no thermometer, measuring stick or time clock to signal the completion of the task of creating. There is always the question, how can you know when ‘creating’ is complete for any work of art or innovation? […]
Antidisestablishmentarianism
Antidisestablishmentarianism. Do you know this word? Do you know what it means? (for real-?). Do you know where it comes from? This is a word from my childhood. A tongue- twisting, ridiculous, scholarly(ish), arduous word that sounds (very possibly) made-up but bears nonetheless a significant and impressive attention-grabbing weight if only for its size and uniqueness. […]
colourphone
the colourphone / four images / photo digital / blue green yellow pink
ditch the introspection
No one would ever look out a window, clutch their chest and gasp, breathless with awe, ‘what an awful, ugly view’. No one’s looking for ugly. What’s on our minds is beauty. We want it, seek it and chase it. It’s everywhere and it’s nowhere; we’re obsessed yet we won’t confess it. It’s our greatest […]
beyond repair
Sometimes a painting is so awful it’s beyond repair. I spent the morning studying a phone; an old-type phone, pink, pretty- interesting. I studied, sketched, re-sketched painted and repainted. Detail, highlight, shadow, shape; I was getting to know this phone and yet (ugh) – everything went to pieces (torn to shreds) and into the garbage. […]
and so I paint
“Life obliges me to do something, so I paint.” ~Rene Magritte Colour. Draw. Paint. (digital) Create. An excellent obligation.
destroy it
Have you seen Season 3 of House of Cards? (don’t worry- no big spoilers here). On Episode 6, as Claire and Francis race through the chaos of their Washington lives, the White House hosts, in its public space, the activity of four buddhist monks. Over the course of the show, the monks create an extraordinary […]