January 31, 2008

• Three New Artworks

  For christmas this year, I signed Matt and myself up for an evening art class. It's something corny called "Adventures in Art", but that suits us fine because it covers our basic needs: a.) an open-ended reason to play and be creative and try some new stuff, and b.) an excuse to get out on Tuesday nights and then go out for a beer afterwards and talk about larger things, like life and art.

  Beer is crucial to the artistic process, you know.

  Anyways, even though I'm a little advanced for the class, it's been a really good excercise for me. I mean, i used to be an elementary art teacher so I'm used to slummin' it with only cheap construction paper and crayola. We do a little better in "Adventures With Art", but the point is that we're having a good time and I'm pushing myself a bit more. Here's some of the results.

  

  Untitled; 14x17", colored pencil on newsprint.
  This was our first assignment, we had to basically draw a freeform scribble on the paper and then change it into something. I don't usually like to draw on newspaper (at least anything i might want to keep) because it gets brittle and yellow over time, but whatever. 

  

  Studio On A Hill, 11x14", Pastel and Marker on paper.
  Next we had some goofy assignment called "Inside / Outside", where we had to reveal something about the contrast between our outward personas and our inner self. Yeah, i know. I have complicated feelings about this, to say the least.
  Sense of place is a big element for me, so I decided to draw a surreal version of the hill we live on. In reality, we live in a really lovely neighborhood which is surrounded by a sort of blighted ghetto-type area. In my drawing, the nether regions represent my darker more intuitive creative self, and the topmost surface is our house and the cemetary and the jeep and our giant poplar tree. I'd like to redo this as a full-scale painting at some point, but so far all the elements are intentional, including the smudgy bits and the fact that i outlined the tangible things in my life but didn't color them in. I really like the concept.

  

  Jellyfish, 11x14", collage on canvas.
  Most of the artwork I've done since we got back to florida has referred back to the architecture of miami beach or the ocean itself. This one is no exception.

  On our first night there, we had dinner and then went for a walk at night along the beach. I was asking Matt about the kinds of things that might live in the water, since I'm used to the north atlantic ocean which is teeming with sea critters. I like ecology, you know? So I specifically asked whether there were jellyfish, and Matt said he's never seen any so it was doubtful. Then we reached the tideline and i kicked off my heels and waded into the dark, warm water. It was endless and mysterious and beautiful. I imagined monsters swimming in the depths.

  The next day I went for a swim- the water was clear and bright turquoise in the daylight- while Matt watched me from the beach. Sure enough i turned around and spotted a a pair of translucent jellyfish gliding a few feet away from me. I'm pretty sure they were specifically after me. They weren't large, but i yelped and then carefully made my way around them, being sure to avoid any drifting tentacles. Matt has not yet heard the end of this. So now I've put them in a painting. ; )

   

  • 12:22 pm
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