“Serious Play” – Last Play Session

After exploring various ways to interact with the abstract paintings and new mark-making, I wasn’t too sure of the direction I should follow to wrap up the Play Series.  One thing I was certain of was scale.  I often prefer to work large, but then find myself struggling to finish up with limited amount of time. I made the conscious decision to work in a smaller scale in order to have time to work in each piece (without rushing).  I flipped through an old sketchbook searching for inspiration and came across a few sketches I though might work.  It just happened that an animal theme emerge from the session.  I traced them on acetate and then layered the drawings over the cut up paintings.  I am very please with the way they turned out.  I might make a few more and later frame them for the baby’s room.

Serious Play

I’m not exactly sure what serious play means. I understand it as a more intentional and focus way of working.  With this in mind, I took the suggestion of first marking my marks on some sort of transparency and then layering them over the paintings before making them on the page.  I remembered I had a drawing on a large piece of acetate from print-making class.  I brought it into the studio and played around with it, layering it over some the large paintings.  I really enjoyed seeing how the color influenced how the black marks were read.  Somehow the process reminded of printmaking.  I photographed portions of the paintings and printed a few of them.  I wondered how well the laser printing paper would hold wet printing ink.   Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I will get to experiment with this anytime soon, as I am striving to be mindful of the materials I work with.  Not sure if print-making is completely off the list for now.

Studio Play - Session 2

After reflecting on the feedback I received from classmates during the previous session, I decided to take a different approach to playing with my abstract paintings.  Instead of using the paintings as backgrounds for my mark-making, I decided to pay close attention to the shapes each color contributed to when it met another color.  I wanted to created more define and control lines to highlight the space between these colors.  A pen served as a better tool than the paintbrush from the previous play session.  As I worked my way around each piece, I felt it was necessary to say the most with the least amount of marks.  By doing so, I would create the space for each color/shape to make its presence known.  Although the process was somewhat meditative, it was physically more challenging than the previous.  My fingers began to cramp as I held a tight grip around the pen.

Studio "Play"

“Playing” Process

The word “play” is not one I would use to describe my current studio practice.  Over the past few months, I have undergone some major life changes, which have greatly impacted my ability to sit still and comfortably give into my creative process.  While attempting to balance the new responsibility of homeownership, preparing for motherhood, and academic demands I struggle to remain present in my studio.  Unable to create a clear space amongst the endless boxes, which litter my new home, I find myself buried in a pile of frustration.  In an attempt to break through this, I found myself digging up some pieces I made long ago, reminiscent of “playful” carefree days.  As I worked over the pieces, I could feel the frustration slowly melting away as my fingers gripped the paintbrush.  Watching the ink wash across the surface created a sense of familiar wellbeing.  As I continued working, I could feel how effortless each brushstroke became, and with it came a sense of almost forgotten calmness.  During the few quiet hours I sat at my kitchen table, I was able to immerse myself in the process of just “being” and enjoying unhurried breaths.  

 

      

AMAYA SALAZAR

"Portrait of a Mother", Oil on canvas

© Amaya Salazar

I have come to realize that my knowledge of Latino (especially Caribbean/Dominican) artists is very limited.  I was happy to find a Latin American Artists reference book in our school library.  As I read through it, I was excited to see that a few Dominican artists were part of the collection.  Unfortunately the reference book only included biographical information about the artists but no examples of their work.  So I jotted down a few names and looked them up online.  During my search I came across http://www.latinartmuseum.com, which included all the artists I had noted in the reference book.  I was not too intrigued by what I saw, until I came across the work of Amaya Salazar.

"In the Shadows",  Oil on canvas

© Amaya Salazar

Her use of color greatly reflect the vibrancy of the Caribbean landscape and Dominican culture.  Very much so as I remember it from my childhood.  Salazar greatly manipulates the mood of the viewer with her bright palette.  Also, the faceless nature of her figures remind me of the Muñeca sin Rostro, the faceless clay dolls/sculptures which are a staple in the traditional Dominican crafts.  I wonder if Salazar intention behind the anonymity of her figures is the same as that behind the Muñeca sin Rostro, which aim to represent the fluidity of the Dominican Mestizo heritage?  One without a distinct facial ethnic face.

"Hidden Shadows", Oil on canvas

© Amaya Salazar

"Interior Light", Oil on canvas

© Amaya Salazar

Bevan de Wet

"Two zebra's passing in the night", Etching  © Bevan de Wet

I visited the art gallery at Boston Arts Academy and saw the works of South African printmaker, Bevan de Wet.  The show included about 15 large scale prints (screenprint, woodcut, linocut, etching and embossing) created between 2008-2012.  I was really drawn to his use of pattern to create rich texture within his prints.  I was also interested in his various mark-making choices as he played with the line quality.

In his work, Bevan de Wet explores "various symbolic and cultural meanings surrounding the body." Through the use of "patterning, mapping and fragmenting the boundaries of the body", de Wet gives birth to mythological creatures which push the viewer's imagination to conceive a new understanding of the human body.  Buried within his images are ancient African symbols.

"Homo Connochaetes Taurinus", Linocut © Bevan de Wet

"Homo Connochaetes Taurinus (detail2)" © Bevan de Wet

 

 

 

 

 

"Homo Oscillum Cutaneous 2", Linocut© Bevan de Wet

 

 

"Oscillum XV", Screenprint  © Bevan de Wet

Hollis Chatelain

I was searching for a book on quilting, hoping to find some inspiration for patterns.  I came across Visions:  Quilt Expressions which included the works of various artists.   Hollis Chatelain is one of the many artists included in this compilation of quilts.  In her work, Chatelain explores nature, abstract and figurative concepts.  I'm still learning about her and her work.  This piece reminded me of some of my abstract works.

"From Stone"  ©  Hollis Chatelain 

http://www.hollisart.com

Andy Goldsworthy -

"When I make a work, I often take it to the very edge of its collapse, that's the beauty of balance" - Goldsworthy


For the past two weeks I have been exploring the work of Andy Goldsworthy.  Although I was  already familiar with his work, I hadn't spent much time thinking about his process.   Although his sculptural work is  labor-intensive, the nature of it is very playful.  There is something truly magical about the way he manipulates whatever material he lays his hands on.

In his artist statement for Stone, Goldsworthy stated:  "In the past I have felt uncomfortable when my work has been associated with children because of the implication that what I do is merely play.  Since having children of my own, however, and seeing the intensity with which they discover through play, I have to acknowledge this in my work as well".

My search to understand his process lead to the the film: Rivers and Tides (Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time) which offers a glimpse into the painstakingly process behind the intricate work of Goldsworthy.  It's amazing to witness how one's interest in understanding a given natural environment can lead to such beautiful works of art.  In terms of his process, we see how he starts with an idea which lead to sketches, from there the courting process of getting acquainted with his surroundings begins.  He speaks of the great influence water (the sea and the river) has in his process.  Like water, his process is guided by "growth, time, change and ideas of flow in nature".