painting a traceable life

April 6, 2011

I have continued my study of the Mad Hatter's Tea Party and come up with some new concept sketches.  Here is my thinking...

Concept 1:  The circle in the foreground is a tea cup with the reflection of the Hatter and March Hare in it.  This also reoccurs in Concept 2 and 3.  The face of Alice is reflected in the table cloth and would be painted similar to the face I painted in a checkered pattern. 
This painting focuses on the idea of "is Alice really there" or in that regard is the Hatter and the rest of the party.  What is real and not real. The only tangible thing is the tea cup... an anchor to a civilized and understandable reality.  This is a comment on our own daily lives, what do we hold on to as reality.

Concept 2:  I chose a severe perspective to accentuate the idea of Alice falling down or being sucked into a rabbit hole.  I also wanted to focus on Alice in almost a madonna fashion.  Here she has some relationship with the Hatter though he is clearly in charge.  Again the tea cup with the hatter's reflection is in the foreground but the March Hare is seated at the table.  This gives the Hatter command of the scene. The Hare is simply the Hatter's minion.   Alice has distanced herself from the Hatter who is clearly in charge of something he can not control.  She believes she can solve the riddle, but in reality cannot.  She is depicted as the center of the scene but not in control as she thinks she is. She is sucked through this reality unknowingly. This is a comment on how little we really have control of.

Concept 3:  Similar to 2 but the perspective is shifted to give more movement to the painting and less focus on Alice. On the right I have made the trees into a cup and saucer with a spoon as a trunk and another tree is the Hatter's watch.  The Hare anchors the left side of the painting and stares at the Hatter, he also helps to define the edge of the painting and adds a vertical element.  (The repeated circles is a current theme of mine in many of my paintings.)  Even though the Hatter is still the viewer the landscape/scene is clearly controlling all the characters.  Trees turn into objects and the landscape controls the movement of the elements.  This concept looks at what shapes our lives and we don't realize it.  Alice lives at the center of her world but doesn't see that it controls her, not the other way around.

Winter 2011
This winter, along with painting new works, I considered painting over oil studies that I was not interested in showing or selling.  Some works I have no problems painting over but other I felt still had interesting parts.  So in trying to figure out what to do I came up with a creative way to recycle them.  I have been constructing tablet computer bags from those worthwhile and interesting parts. They are each a unique work of art and hold an iPad™ or similar size computer tablet.  The paintings have taken on new life in the way I have focused in on various parts.    You can see the first two painting series of bags on my page "Tablet Bags".  As I create new designs I will add them to the web site.The first series is from the painting called "Stripes" and was painted during an art class early in my career.  The second series is from a figure study (oil on canvas) done in my studio titled "Tina".  I would love to have your feed back.

August 2010
About six months ago I moved.  I now reside in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The move has been great because I have had to do real personal introspection.  One thing that has come out of the move is a better understanding of why I paint and it's not just because I like to do it. I have now created a mantra for my art life...and it has taken me quite a while.  It all boils down to "a traceable life".  Whether it is my life I am tracing or yours, I leave a mark with my work.  I forget that at times and think only of the "business of art".

Trace is a wonderful word for me.  It can be a verb or a noun! As found in the dictionary:

 noun

1.  a sign that remains to show the former presence of a person or thing no longer there

2.  a footprint or physical sign of the passage of a person or animal

verb

1. to find out where somebody or something is or who or what somebody or something was

2. to follow or show a course or series of developments, or be able to be followed back in time or to a source

Examples of  use as a Noun

I leave a trace (a sign that remains to show the former presence of a person or thing no longer there) of my state of mind in my paintings.

My paintings are a trace (a footprint or physical sign of the passage of a person or animal) of my growth as an individual.

Examples of  use as a Verb

I trace my life experiences (to find out where somebody or something is or who or what somebody or something was) with my paintings

I traced (to follow or show a course or series of developments, or be able to be followed back in time or to a source) my client’s footsteps across the county with paintings of her travels.

 More on trace later....

June '09
In June and early July my sister, brother and I took a camping trip that extend through the northwest and out to western South Dakota.  The trek included Michigan, Apostile Islands on Lake Superior and northwestern Minnesota.  We visited family along the way and even climbed (more like hiked) Harney Peak in the Black Hills.  Lots of photos... I will post more later.

June 2008
Every five years the Van Winkles get together and this year it was held in southern Indiana at Yellowbanks Recreation Center.  Recreation has the word 'creation' in it and that's what happens in the pottery barn located on the property.  More than a place to camp and fish the Marshalls are master potters.  Jim Marshall gave us a wonderful demonstration of creating various types of pots and talked about the unique yellow clay of the area.  I had no idea clay is used in so many things.

April, 2007
I was pleased to be asked to submit art work to the "Art In New Albany" fund raiser organized by Temple Beth Shalom, in New Albany, Ohio.  This event is a first step toward a new annual city wide arts festival in New Albany.  I was fortunate to sell my painting, "The Path" at the event.

2007
Clintonville, Ohio. 

I was fortunate to be asked to conduct a art workshop with a local cub scout pack.  I presented information on jobs for artists and later helped the scouts paint their own self portraits. The scouts used mirrors or photos and painted with acrylics on canvas board.  I was very impressed how much the portraits resembled the painters! Participation at the session went towards earning a merit badge in the arts.  One parent commented, "this is the best artwork he has done... this will get framed!"

2006

Jackson, Michigan
In June I assisted Jean Engstrom, costume designer, with design and construction of costumes and props for the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, production of the opera "All Marriages Are Like that" an adaptation by librettist Eden Casteek Simmons of  two Mozart operas: Le Nozze di Tutte (“The Marriage  of Figaro”) and Cosi Fan Tutte (“All Women Behave  Like That”.)

"In a new musical venture, the JSO invited 15 college aged singers to Jackson in June to learn and then  perform a modern comedic opera and a concert of  Mozart music in celebration of the 250 th anniversary  of Mozart’s birth. "

2006

Columbus, Ohio 

For the Ametheyst Foundation, “Portraits in Recovery” annual fund-raising even, I donated framed prints to the silent auction in which proceeds went to the Foundation aiding women in recovery with children.