Assignment

By choosing to write what I am about to write, I believe I am that much more committed to producing a relative result. I wonder at my own ability to perform without assignments, deadlines, due dates… This is something like making those for myself.

The “relative result” would, in fact, be a work of art by myself. It may seem silly to write about this as though I am not already creating art on a regular basis, but I feel there is an undercurrent of creative ideas and theory that stays mostly in my mind – others do not experience any more than my seldom excited attempts to explain a sudden idea. I do occasionally create a work of art that is related to what is happening in my own undercurrent of course. I might do a series of 5 or 10 drawings or paintings that represent a kind of “sketch book” of my loftier visions. These are very valuable pieces of work to me in that they are visual notes reminding me of the grandeur that could exist by the effort of the same hands.

I have thought for about a year now that I am at a crux in my art making by which I have not yet been able to pass… I feel a sort of teetering and I’d rather teeter into the side of focused, committed art making (rather than just thinking about it until I’m blue and wondering why I never did what I wanted…). Now that I have a studio space, the greener grass on the other side of the fence seems more attainable.

I’m going to make a painting. I think it will be 6 square ft. on canvas. I will continue to address the concept of breathing in metaphorical relationship to art process. I have done 3 paintings/drawings most relevant to this idea, but they are smaller and different in scope as they relate to ideas of prayer flags. This is not so. I am still into the silhouette form of birds in flight and envision that form as part of the work. Whether there will be one large, one small, or a flock of smaller, I haven’t yet decided. A silhouette large enough to fill the canvas seems appropriate in some ways as it is then morphed into something else, an abstract shape of unrecognizable proportions and something abyss-like. A smaller, or group of smaller, speaks to reality and offers more negative space to the work, which is very important to me. Both proffer a sort of open void of space in their own right. Maybe 2 paintings are in order…

As for now, I leave you with a rather hilarious photo from my trip to Sedona, AZ with Christian over Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks for stopping on the highway Mr. Butler.