Friday, May 30, 2008

Venetian Blinds






Blinds Seen above the Rim of an Evening Cup of Coffee while Leaning  against a Kitchen Counter, digital photograph



Posted by Chuck at 21:56:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Edna and Chuck Add Color to the Drawings



Last Monday, May 26, Edna and I got together at my studio expecting to painting. We sat down to consider where we were and where we were not. For me translating a drawing to a painting is not a big issue. I like to have the drawing and composition worked out in advance. For me painting offers enough difficulties without discovering well into the painting that a major motif should be three inches to the left. Edna improvises the composition as she goes. She likes to partially paint out and work over old textures to give a rich painted surface. I like that too, but I plan mine out. Edna paints on a white ground. I paint on an irregularly stained gray ground around value seven. The problem now is that we have not worked out an approach to painting the new images together. Each of us is going to alter or enlarge our customary methods of painting.

We pinned the last painting to a wall, and pulled out some finished drawings to look at. What to do? The drawings are black on white with smears of intermediate values. The big value change from black to white gives a feeling of drama. In painting, Jill Moser is a contemporary example. Franz Kline is a good Twentieth Century example. Seventeenth Century artists, Caravaggio and Gentileschi, are the king and queen of drama. Edna and I have to rethink how to translate the white of the paper into paint.

Similarly, the black in the drawings could be more than just black. Low valued colors may work as well. We ignored the black and white dimension in the painting from last week.

Then there is the size and proportion of the format. We both paint typically in a 30" x 40" (76cm x 102cm) format, Edna mostly horizontal, me mostly vertical. We each have used a square format about 22" (56cm) to 24" (61cm) on a side. The larger format gives enough room for an arm-sized gesture. The paper we've been using, Strathmore 2 ply rag Bristol, is big enough for a gesture, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm). In addition, these sizes fit well in domestic settings with 8' (2.4m) ceilings.

We plunged into painting without checking the depth thoroughly and marking any rocky hazards. Maybe we should add some color to the drawings. That would be a smaller step. I got out some pastels that had been kicking around for twenty years. We worked up some sketches in the morning to get the feel for the possibilities. In the afternoon, we made five finished drawings. Here are the results in their order of appearance. Feel free to comment, but frame your comment in at least a ten-word sentence.


Untitled Drawing, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm), pastel and charcoal pencil on Strathmore rag 2 ply Bristol




Untitled Drawing, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm), pastel and charcoal pencil on Strathmore rag 2 ply Bristol




Untitled Drawing, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm), pastel and charcoal pencil on Strathmore rag 2 ply Bristol




Untitled Drawing, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm), pastel and charcoal pencil on Strathmore rag 2 ply Bristol




Untitled Drawing, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm), pastel and charcoal pencil on Strathmore rag 2 ply Bristol
Posted by Chuck at 22:56:36 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Drawing with Edna




Untitled Drawing, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm), black pastel and charcoal pencil on 2 ply rag Bristol




Untitled Drawing, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm), black pastel and charcoal pencil on 2 ply rag Bristol




Untitled Drawing, 29" x 23" (74cm x 58cm), black pastel and charcoal pencil on 2 ply rag Bristol
On May 8th, Edna and I took a break from painting and did three more drawings. Many laughs. The top drawing looks a bit like a bowler, the middle is another flower and the bottom drawing is either a deep sea microcosm or partying organelles in a cell.
Posted by Chuck at 10:38:33 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |
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