TITLING MY PAINTINGS

A common question we as artists get is, “how did you come up with the title for that painting?” Sometimes it’s obvious, particularly when it’s a painting of a tangible object, such as “Still Life with Fruit”. But with abstract, coming up with a name can be a bit more challenging. It’s truly harder sometimes to decide on a name than it was to paint it!

Occasionally I will find a descriptive word, such as Intertwine. As I’m learning Italian and French, I will sometimes swap out the English word for one that to me sounds more pleasing, such as the beautiful Italian word INTRECCIO, which translates back to intertwine.

In an earlier blog post I wrote about how travel informs and influences my work. It also has lent itself to helping me come up with some names. Oftentimes the shapes or color schemes remind me of a place. Some examples of this are my paintings Rivedoux and Rivedoux II, which contain shapes that remind me of all the rocks and shells scattered on Rivedoux-Plage, a beach on Île-de-Ré, an island I’ve visited off the Atlantic coast of France. Or Fortezza, which reminded me so much of the fortified Castel Nuovo in Naples, Italy.

On these occasions where I can link my creation to a place that inspired it, I like to reference that town, street, business, etc that I have traveled to that consciously or subconsciously turned up in my work. It’s a way of taking a special memory with me and putting it back out to the world with the gratitude I feel for having experienced that place.

Understanding Abstract Art

            At a recent art show, my favorite conversation came from two young ladies who stopped by.   One was trying to explain to her friend about abstract.  She needed help -I could sense her frustration and I stepped in.

            Let me back up for a moment to say, this is not an uncommon thing, which is why I decided to write this blog entry.  For those who aren’t well versed in the art world, or haven’t been exposed to contemporary exhibits at galleries and museums, it can be curious and confusing, and for some, even intimidating. 

            Most abstract artists come from a background of learning the basics and traditional techniques.   I come from a traditional art education, studying graphic design, anatomy art, perspective, working with still life and landscape, but as time went on, I found myself more and more drawn to abstraction.  There are rules that need to be applied to have a successful piece of work.  My feeling is that, until you have a grasp of these rules, you cannot successfully break them.

            Of the rules, composition is the most important.  There needs to be a balance of space, movement, interest, etc. to make the piece feel complete.  Proportion, use of positive and negative space, lights and darks, color, contrast.  These are all things you will find in any work of art, and if applied correctly, you will find something that works.

            As my conversation with the two ladies continued, I thought I might be dealing with a right brain vs left brain situation.  When I said that to them, it hit home – the one struggling to understand is a scientist!   She needed to make sense and see something she recognized, and felt a need to understand the whys and whats about abstract.  There are many articles and studies on this theory.  The general idea is that people with a dominant left brain are more attracted to science, math, and are more analytical, and right brain dominant people are more creative, intuitive and spontaneous.  Perhaps abstract art appeals more to people who are more attuned to form, movement, color, etc. and whether those forms take shape in a recognizable form is irrelevant.

            I picked up my photo book, and in an attempt to help my new left-brained scientist friend understand the principles of abstract, I turned the book upside down and sideways.  The familiar images that made sense were suddenly unrecognizable, but the colors, the shapes, the proportion, the composition still made the photos interesting.  I think (I hope!) she had a bit of a breakthrough in understanding!

             Visual art is subjective, of course, as is any form of art, be it music, writing, sculpture, etc.   You like what you like.  Just as you might like rock and roll, but not all bands or not all songs from your favorite band, it’s the same with visual art.   When looking at any art, traditional, ancient, abstract, etc.  Ask yourself these things:  What drew me to this particular work of art?  What do I like about it?  How do I feel when I look at it?   Does it make me want to look deeper and more intensely at it?  Could I live with it?    Do you have an emotional response to it (excitement, calm, inquisitive, etc.)  Do the colors appeal to you?  Is it he subject matter (or lack of)? 

            The important thing is, to be open-minded about it, look at all sorts of art, and when you have the opportunity, talk with artists!  I’m so happy that those two girls engaged in conversation with me that day!   The scientist admitted to being a little shy to ask about it because she was afraid to sound naïve or to be insulting to me for not getting it.  Nothing could be further from the truth!   Of course, I can’t answer for all, but my artist friends and I love feedback and questions, positive and negative.  We love people who are curious about our thoughts and process. 

            When the girls walked away, I didn’t know if they liked my work or not, and it didn’t matter.  What was important was that they had this conversation, and I hope it opened them up to more dialog, and better understanding.   If you’ve struggled with understanding it, I hope this has helped you, too.  If you have a question about abstract in general, or my art in particular, please feel free to email and ask anything about it! 

My New Book -Color & Texture in Travel

I finally got it together to publish a book of photographs!  It's a project that's been swirling around in my head for a long time.  I have SO many photos, that just coming up with a theme became a daunting task!  I decided my first book would be a collection of the photos that inspire my paintings.  These are the sorts of shapes, colors, textures and compositions that I refer back to when I get the brushes out.  

Eventually, I will put together another collection of such photos, and perhaps one day I'll do another collection of more conventional travel photos, but for now, I'm happy to have put together a book I'm proud of!  I hope you like it.  You can preview it here at this link:

 http://www.blurb.com/b/8518601-color-texture-in-travel

How Travel Influences My Work

     This afternoon a friend stopped by, and noticed a painting hanging on my living room wall.  Amongst the surroundings of my otherwise abstract art is a painting I titled Fortezza.  It started as a real abstract, but I turned it upside down, painted more layers, and as it resolved itself, it became clear that it was functioning more as an architectural landscape, and so I went with it.

     The more I looked at this painting, it seemed familiar, and looked like some sort of castle or fortress.   I thought about the places I'd been, and realized this is the big castle next to the docks in Naples, Italy.  I had been there a few years ago, but I hadn't taken a photo of it.  After an online search, indeed, It is Castel Nuovo!  

     It's interesting to me how memories, dreams, images, and places creep into the psyche and come out on canvas.  It's happened many times, completely unintentionally, but it's become very clear to me that all the traveling that I've done, for work or pleasure, especially Europe, has a very big influence in how and what I paint.  

 

FORTEZZA, 24X36", ACRYLIC.  I painted this, and Castel Nuovo, pictured below,  in Naples, Italy, which I had seen a few years before.  I hadn't taken a photo of this castle, and I was painting on this canvas upside down till the …

FORTEZZA, 24X36", ACRYLIC.  I painted this, and Castel Nuovo, pictured below,  in Naples, Italy, which I had seen a few years before.  I hadn't taken a photo of this castle, and I was painting on this canvas upside down till the very end.