Brown and White

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

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Hirshhorn Museum, Janine Antoni, Lick and Lather, oil painting, sculpture, Washington DC

I am never sure what will be the subject of my next painting. Sometimes I have a few images taped on my wall that I think may be possibilities.

But until I strip the wrapping off a new canvas, I am never really sure what my next painting might be. These photos are from the gardens surrounding the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC.

The inspiration for “Brown and White” came from this same visit to the Hirshhorn this past March, but from inside the galleries.

I hadn’t been to this museum in over a decade and had forgotten how much great sculpture there was.

When I came across “Lick & Lather” (1993-94), a twin piece by Bahamian sculptor Janine Antoni, I was fascinated. The brown bust is made from chocolate, and Antoni, known also as a performance artist, cast the piece and then licked the details and refinements in to the chocolate self-portrait.

For “lather”, she cast herself in soap, and then actually submerged the bust in a tub of water with herself and lathered the details in to shape. Fascinating.

When I saw the two pieces I immediately went to the wall to the left to read about the work. Following me, a well dressed middle-aged black gentleman did the same thing, trying to identify what the pieces were all about. Part of the explanation for the pieces talks about our love-hate relationship with physical appearance.

Several weeks later, the riots broke out in Baltimore over the death of a young black man while in police custody. It was one of several incidents that had been very troubling this year involving police misconduct against black individuals. I started thinking about the issue of race in this country, something that I have pondered more and more often in the last decade. Having lived in the Caribbean in a West Indian society had made me even more conscious of the differences and challenges of race in our country.

And of course, now that I live in the southern part of the United States where the issue of race is never far from the surface, I have pondered it even more.

All of a sudden, the photo I had taken back in March 2015 at the Hirrshorn had a new impact for me.

I chose it as reference to do “Brown and White” as my next painting. The color palate and simplicity of composition spoke to me as strongly as the underlying message. It was March when I saw the museum reference…the world was still brown and white, struggling to come out of winter in Washington.

Somehow, everything just seemed to be obvious for the painting.

“Brown and White”, 30 x 24″, oil on linen.

Paris Street Music

07 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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La Comedie Francaise, musicians, Paris

Only in Paris…classical musicians hawk their wares (or CDs) outside La Comedie Francaise, just a few short blocks from The Louvre Art Museum.

As I walked back to my hotel after visiting the Louvre, I heard the uplifting sound of strings in a nearby plaza. Edged by grand arched buildings sheltering cafes, people were sitting outside in the cool spring air listening to the musicians. It was lovely.

I have had the photo of this scene taped up on my studio wall for over a year, and would often study it. I loved the graphic pattern of the musicians against the red, gray and white backdrop.

But even more, I loved the individuality of the musicians, sitting or standing amongst their cases and bags, concentrating on the music with looks of serene joy. There is nothing like an artist practicing their craft.

Each musician had such a distinct personality. I found as I worked on them, I got to know each one, and made up nicknames for each.

As I worked from left to right filling in the details, I got to know each one and their precious instruments. I had never sketched or painted musical instruments before. It was a struggle, but also an education…the different shapes, the different shades of wood. And each player had their own stance that did suit the personalities I had conjured up.

I wanted to create a rhythm and a visual movement to match the music I could hear in my head reminiscent of when I had actually been with them on that Paris street.

With the unfathomable violence this past year in Paris, it made this scene even more serene and poignant in my memory.

Each figure had a certain wistfulness. Were they lost in the music or their own private musings?

I would never really know for sure.

But it is rather like my paintings. Each viewer will put their own story to it, create their own scenario surrounding the particular scene and figures. Reality is always in the eye of the beholder. If only that interpretation could always be peaceful.

Like the “violet girl”, the details would build our understanding of the individual until they become more real, if only in our own mind.

This painting took a very long time to paint for me. It was two months of almost daily work. Many hours were spent studying the figures and deciding how they worked alone and together, before completing the background.

Finally, like a good orchestra, it all worked together in harmony.

Paris Street Music, 36 x 24″, oil on linen.

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

Monthly Archives: June 2015

Brown and White

Paris Street Music