Here are some of my favorite passages in the painting I posted yesterday, "Waskesiu Lake at Dusk". To me they are paintings within the painting.
With the start of the new year I am contemplating many things and wondering where the months ahead will lead. I want to experiment and step out of my comfort zone, the problem is it is just so comfortable here!!! I actually pushed myself today, on a small scale, but none-the-less. I played around on some small boards with expressive marks. If I muster up the courage, I'll show you what I did. I have also been devouring the art books I got for Christmas and revisiting ones I already had which is where I found the quote that is now stirring around in my head. It's related to the advice Degen Lindner gives her students regarding their paintings; she says something like "It has to be more than what it is". Simple words with a lot of meaning. Here is the quote I've been pondering:
"Objective painting is not good painting unless it is good in the abstract sense.
A hill or tree cannot make a good painting just because it is a hill or a tree. It is
lines and colors put together so that they say something. For me that is the very
basis of painting." ~ Georgia O'Keeffe
I found it in the book "Georgia O'Keeffe" by Georgia O'Keeffe. It has a beautiful collection of some of her work and it is written as if she is having a conversation with the reader. I wanted to provide a link to the book, but couldn't find one. It's old ... a treasure I found in a used book store within an antique mall in Edmonton. Now there is a fun way to spend a few free hours!
