Time/Energy

Well it has been a hazy September. In spite of really putting out some intense positive energy I caught that nasty virus all the kids at school have had. I wash my hands like mad, but think just too many instances of grabbing a pencil or paint brush from someone to give them a bit of instruction finally caught me. This was like running into a wall once you got it and it took a full 3 weeks to recover fully. Meanwhile I never missed a day of work (sub plans are too much work!) and just slept away my weekends. Now I am catching up on chores that I couldn't quit manage beyond laundry.. Where is the art work? I haven't been able to sneak in more than a couple of small things into the school day. This weekend I find myself trying to get going, but it is already Sunday afternoon.... I have been very preoccupied with politics...watching the chatter surrounding the election...wondering if that many Americans really feel that way, etc...(worries about the average IQ) The weather has cooled a bit so I was out trimming a palo verde tree in the front. I filled the trash can so had to stop. Now a few more computer chores and I promise to go to the studio...

Rethinking

Looking at the paintings resulting from the frantic work last weekend..I have an awful cold that is giving me the exact opposite type of energy...I wonder if these are too frantic and should be reworked to have more of a serene presence..less is more attitude. I looked at paintings by others over the week and responded to many beautiful abstract painters. The work seemed less worked, and had a simplicity as if they knew the destination during the whole of the journey...hum...

Abstract Weekend

These are 3 of 4 paintings I worked on this weekend. The extra day off sure helped get my energy and mood up. I started by using watercolor paint sticks to add calligraphic lines to the middle painting that was close to this stage. With those lines to loosen me up I added the lines you can see most with a brush and paint. The watercolor sticks are sort of like crayon and don't show much. I used them again on the 2 paneled painting on the top. This was a high energy painting with Red Hot Chili Peppers for inspiration. I was dancing this one out. I like the panels together and apart and think it has an Asian feel to some of the lines. Finally I painted over a scene of a tranquil pond that just never went where I wanted. It is a big 4 foot square. The original painting is almost completely gone, but some of the mood remains. I felt the voices of my favorite college professors as I did all of these. I had been very focused on non objective abstract painting in school, but years of working figuratively made this a challenging weekend. These were so much fun, but also so much brain work! Lots of labor on Labor day!