Plotting to Get Out of the Frame, 1995. 9" x 11", Acrylic on Canvas.
The Artful Readers Club for January
Artist's Journal Workshop: Creating Your Life in Words and Pictures by Cathy Johnson Sat in front of a local church on a sunny Saturday, then picked some flowers to examine. I only had a pencil so I added the watercolor later. Armed with few supplies, I went to one of my favorite spots and doodled. Lines added in Photoshop before posting...timid me. Please note: I recommend this book for any artist at any stage...my reference to 12-13 year olds in this review, is remarked due to the value of journaling. It's actually a very sophisticated book on many levels. In a brief shuffle through the pages of Artist's Journal Workshop , I found myself conflicted. The book contains numerous examples of a style of art making that toggles between the hugely personal and a publishable 'look'. So, with that...the book set up on my shelf for nearly a year. Now, after an honest read, I still feel a bit conflicted...but in a way that offers some inspir...
A pun here. Plotting means writing. Unconsciously, a book drifts into the image – just above the knee, outstretched in a hand… Plotting also suggests an idea of thinking, of spying? Subterfuge?
ReplyDeleteThe title suggests an image of strain. And this is what we read into the main image. The foot seems pressed against the left – quite like classical Greek sculpture in that all the emphasis is on a movement that is just about to take place. The image itself reminds me of the foetal position – there is a sort of theme of birth going on I would say. Perhaps the birth of creativity? The birth is taking against an existing pressure – tradition? A mother? Anyway, it reflects an existential angst.
The strange whirls give the impression of vapours or smoke – the intangible.
The entity has no eye, if one looks carefully. Or is asleep/thinking…
Very effective use of the three colours schema. Blue, of course, seems to suggest sadness, especially loneliness – which seems to be one of the overall themes here.