Sunday, January 4, 2015

Gazing West

Gazing West acrylic on 6" x 6" board
I admire the daily painters.  They pop out acceptable works of art on a daily basis - seemingly with no trouble.  They are efficient and competent. I'm thinking of painters like Carol Marine in Oregon.  She is a wonderful painter and I love her work.

I notice that many of the daily painters, especially at Carol Marine's Daily Paintworks website, do tiny paintings. 6" x 6" seemed to be a favorite size, so there was a time when I tried to do the same. But I could never pull anything off in a day.  I am too particular.

Take this piece, for example.  This was a bit of an experiment - abstract in acrylic on such a small scale. Unbidden there arose a theme.  It seemed like the west to me, because of the colors, and I saw figures and, yes, a dog.  None were intentionally painted.

I did that fairly quickly, and liked the result.

Then I took a photo.  Somehow in the photo there was more depth and it was warmer in tone.  I liked the photo better.  The painting looked insipid.

So I decided to give the board a glaze of a transparent rose tint in one fell swoop and .. I hated it! Panic.  Ruined! I thought.  I was wearing rose-colored glasses!  I was in a bordello!

I had erased all of the variance in color that had made it interesting.

So then I started bringing those colors back, through some repainting and lifting.  I worked on it over a span of days until finally I abandoned it, thoroughly disgusted.

I believe it was relegated to a drawer.  Then eventually a shelf.  I would walk by it and evaluate. And, you know?  This wasn't the first painting, that I liked.  It was not what I saw in the photo that I liked even better.  But I like it.  I like the result.

I am going to paint larger.  I think if, no matter the size, a painting takes forever, than I may as well paint in a size that the market considers to be valuable. But I know the truth.  There is value in a small painting too, even it takes forever to make.

31 comments:

  1. I like where you came out in the painting and in your thinking, Dan. After all, are efficiency and competence relevant to making art? noooooo, i don't think so! better to be flexible and give an artwork the time it needs, rather than stuff it into a daily slot.

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  2. I have enjoyed reading your process!! I also like the idea of daily painting. It's not how well you've done but that you are doing it!!

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  3. I admire those who paint a painting a day even if it's small, like you mine take much longer. Great painting, I can see 2 dogs!

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  4. I do like it and really have learned an appreciation for art. In photography you keep the original and fiddle and filter and damage...but always can go back to the beginning.

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  5. Amazing - to me it is a painting full of modern buildings!! I couldn't see them until I clicked on it and saw it larger ... then they leapt out from everywhere.

    I refuse to put pressure on myself - one painting a day/week/hour ...it doesn't matter, I paint until it's finished. Painting for commissions/deadlines can ruin your fun, so why impose deadlines on yourself?

    It's frustration when a glaze goes wrong isn't it?

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  6. Dan, it's nice! Let's celebrate it. Cheers, Sadami

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  7. A Chinese bordello--I think it should be "Looking East." :) Welcome back, Dan, and Happy New Year.

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  8. I love Carol Marine's work too..and I know lots of people who really love that 6x6 size. I used to paint a lot of 8x8 squares---and I finally sort of realized I'd had my fill of that particular size. It's fun to experiment with all sorts of different formats and sizes. Viva la experiment! I love "Gazing West" and I could also relate to all you wrote about seemingly wrecking the painting...but then salvaging it. That has happened to me a lot! Can't wait to see what you'll do next. Happy New Year!

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  9. Dan, your paintings often charm me, but your words ALWAYS do. Thank-you for sharing your thoughts.

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  10. Happy New Years and good to see you back Dan!
    I like the painting, it has great texture and I like the deep reds and oranges on top of the blues.
    And not sure why, but it reminds me of the great spice markets in Morocco.

    Love your posts, its such a great inspiration not only to paint, but your writing as well
    You really have a way to express things in words, even through a state of painters panic.
    So happy to see you back!

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  11. Hi Dan,
    Great painting - I see one figure with a dog plus another dog :-)
    Glazing can be a gamble can't it?
    I keep thinking of going smaller with my painting but the last three have got bigger and the next will be bigger still. On the other hand my drawings have gone smaller since using the new moleskine.
    Keep up the painting and posting!
    Stew.

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  12. Hey Dan
    My comment on your 2015 post - and that exciting, alive painting - seems to have disappeared into the ether. It said something about being happy to see you post when you want to post, and wanting you to do what was right for you and not worry about other folks :) But I'm really happy to see another post so soon too! And this has a warm, cosy feel to it. Happy making art (of whatever size) in 2015. Jane

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  13. Well I'm late to the party, only just now noticed a new Dan blog post … well a week old but new to me… I like it Dan, I like that you spent time agonizing over it, and tried to 'fix' it… even thought there's not a thing to fix it is right, it is good, it is Dan in 2015… happy new year and bring on the paintings… daily, weekly monthly… whatever! It isn't a race you know.

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  14. I saw this when you posted awhile back and I really think it's great!

    In the meantime, I read this book: How to be an Artist: Learn to envision your personal and artistic life goals, increase your creative confidence and identify the steps needed to move yourself into a future of your own making. by Terri Balogh
    Link: http://amzn.com/B00KZ17T30

    If you want, check it out. I really enjoyed it.

    Hugs!

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  15. I don’t know how should I give you thanks! I am totally stunned by your article. You saved my time. Thanks a million for sharing this article.

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  16. Love your honesty and the painting, however small and time-consuming :)

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  17. I haven't stopped by your blog in a while... it looks really interesting. This painting is really vibrant. I see a busy street scene.
    Looking forward to seeing what else you produce in 2015... as and when you can!

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  24. I read your blog such a helpful to me…… Thank you for posting.
    Wall art posters

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  27. Greetings, Dan! How are things in Florida? Can we see some of your Florida sketches again? What is going on in your part of the world? :)

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  28. The article is very interesting to read , and is also beneficial to add to our knowledge .

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