An image without a name . . .

I want to explore IDEOGRAPHY today.

Color field artist Barnett Newman wrapped his post-WWII expressionist work around this idea of ideography.

In 1947 Newman was pointing to the development of an American "modern counterpart to the primitive art impulse." It was summed up in the concept of the ideograph, which he described - quoting a dictionary - as a "character, symbol or figure which suggests the idea of an object without expressing its name" Newman was searching for an abstract art form that might do away with all figurative or quasi-figurative motifs. Clyfford Stills and Mark Rothko were simultaneously and independently on similar paths with similar beliefs. They were all considered color field painters.

Barnett Newman 1947

  

       Clyfford Stills 1947

  

        Mark Rothko 1947

I like this painting path I'm currently on, and I'm feeling a little kinship these days to Newman's notion of objects without a name in a color field. In my case, I'm left with a sense of a story with abstract characters, or caricatures. 

To get more of a feel for ideography; what it is, and how it's used, we can look to Native American Indian culture, where symbols are still a big part of their artistic expression. These are also considered ideographs.

Here are two new paintings I'd like to share with you . . .

"It's the Journey"  36" x 36" acrylic on birch board

"Reservation" 12" x 12" acrylic on birch board

(click on images for a larger view)

Happy New Year 2019

Progress made in field-painting development . . .

(1) Abstracted iconography developing nicely
(2) Color-field process improving
(3) High marks in the confidence department

JANUARY WORK 2019

Congregation 12"x12"

acrylic on birch board

Flying 12'x12"

acrylic on birch board

Running Goat 12"x12"

acrylic on birch board

The Egg Story 12"x12"

acrylic on birch board

Persona 12"x12"

acrylic on birch board

Tether 24"x24"

acrylic on birch board

Shenandoah Valley Art Center 2017

Brower Rd. & Hermitage (Rt. 254) Waynesboro 24"X24" acrylic on birch board
SOLD

Submitted for the Waynesboro LOCAL Exhibit, Waynesboro, VA 2017.

Each member assigned a local landmark or location.

Smokehouse #4 14x22 oil pastel on paper
HONORABLE MENTION

ANNUAL MEMBER SHOW 2017

Outfoxed

Outfoxed  24 x 24 mixed media

(click on image to enlarge)

Have you noticed? There is a new conversational "fad" perpetrating the English language wherein the first word in a sentence is So. I hear it over and over again on the news.

So, I completed a 3-day mid-week workshop last week, instructor Janly Jaggard. Janly, an inspired artist and endlessly patient teacher, set up our room such that her five students each had their own art studio. Throughout the 3-day workshop, Janly dropped in, as it were, to visit each artist and talked about our works-in-progress, gently guiding/consulting, and tug-boating us toward our individual port-o-call.

So, I learned a lot. The most curious lesson learned was the realization, no let's call it revelation, that I have an unconscious compulsion to see realistic forms where none exist--at least not seen by teacher and fellow classmates. Cows, chickens scotty dogs, teapots, trees, mountains--you get the idea.

So, near the end of day three, I was working on the above painting, when Janly dropped by, looked at the painting, and shouted, "STOP", which I interpreted to mean STOP. Conversation followed, and we both agreed that this one was finished and truly an abstraction. Success!

So, I should not be surprised that I discovered a curious little fox with cute whiskers in the white character on the left. Oh well.

"You have to paint the bad ones first" -- Frank Hobbs

Swim  30 x 30 mixed media

Landscape  12 x 36 mixed media

(click on images for larger view)

On the path toward abstraction, I was recently reminded of a quote by artist and teacher, Frank Hobbs . . .  "You have to paint the bad ones first". Although I don't like to think in terms of good and bad, his succinct point is taken and understood in a way that calms me down. We can't expect to reach our ultimate goal of accomplishment and satisfaction at the beginning. He reminds us of that obvious reality.

Today's paintings will be hung today at Co-Art Gallery in Staunton as new work. What's mostly new here is my approach. A sweetheart of a teacher and a remarkable abstract painter, Nicholas Wilton recommends we "make mindless marks and then respond to them" in one of his video tutorials, The end is found by the beginning. 

Both of these paintings in their earliest iterations were simply many random marks in charcoal for blacks and gesso for whites--images akin to what you might expect from a Jackson Pollack painting--black and white field paintings essentially. And then, at some point I switched my process and began to pull out forms, lines, images that somehow resonated with me--responding to my earlier marks. Although the finished works are too representational for my goals, I see progress.

Another friend, incredible teacher, artist, and fellow Co-Art member, Karen Rosasco assured me that in time and with practice, the literal representational forms will begin to melt away and I'll find my own inner abstractions. So, I'm quite encouraged and interested in this approach.

Do you struggle with abstraction? What's your approach?

Baby steps . . .

And Beyond the Goat Shed   14x22   oil pastel on paper

Outbuilding Abstract   14x22   oil pastel on paper

(click on images for larger view)

Not much new to say about these other than I'm working toward a vision I'm not yet able to express. An abstract composition that has more to do with design and essential form than reality and detail.

My current thinking is that perhaps I just can't be rushed along this path, and that I should just enjoy what I'm producing now, with the knowledge that one day soon I can reflect and enjoy my baby steps along the way.

The path to abstraction . . .

Smokehouse #3  14 x 22  oil pastel on paper

Smokehouse #4  14 x 22  oil pastel on paper

As artists, the pursuit of art, as we think it is or should be: 

 . . . honest, satisfying, true, unsentimental or sentimental, direct and clear, strong, powerful, well-executed, good or bad or ugly, important, visionary, banal, old school, new school, trite, Kinkadian, amateur, sweet, sour, relevant —words for the weary painter. 

It’s very often true that artists hate their work, or at the very least question if it is . . . whatever—fill in your own word.

This week for me has been a mind-numbing exploration of

What is Abstraction, and how do I achieve it?

In the abstract (haha), the answer to both questions is not that difficult, but in application, I’m struggling over issues regarding procedure.

Smokehouse #3 and Smokehouse #4, both oil pastels, are examples of my efforts this week to cross over to abstraction.

My dilemma:

If I start a painting with a given subject as my reference, in this case “smokehouse”, I end up with a clear, non-abstracted, hard-edged image of, yup a smokehouse, regardless of my intention to abstract this subject into a nearly unrecognizable form.

If I start a painting without a given subject as my reference, I can and do happily achieve abstractions, but I am NOT able to express my IDEA of a smokehouse in any satisfying way.

In short, I’m stuck.

I consider both of these paintings okay as paintings, but utter failures on the thorny path to abstraction, although I think #4 has better abstracted elements in it.

Who ever said painting was easy?