two-up, two-down

i have been looking at these two paintings [or rather, the photographs of them] two reds, 2008-2011, gesso and acrylic painting on plywoodtwo rusty oranges... to broken things, 2014, painting and collage on constructed panelyou see, dear reader, i have a new printer and it has inspired me to sort through many pictures and photographs for a new 'inspiration' wall, after removing the large parallel motion drawing board from my studio to free up some wall space. i have pinned up an old sheet and i will paste everything i like and find interesting on it. it is a very large collage of things.in the process of moving art-related stuff around, i found this old canvas: one of my 'farmscape' abstract paintings from 2010. how time flies...[farmscape ix, 2010, acrylic on canvas]i still have this series of paintings. i have put five of them on bigcartel. there are ten farmscape canvases; the original plan was for twelve canvases.i have just started a new art commission for a large grid-based artwork, and have twenty two small woodblock paintings on the go. this is a great studio project for the start of a new year.i also visited the 'cut open' art exhibition [i missed the preview event]. i enjoy seeing other artists' work in this community context without hierarchy or pretension. the exhibition is expertly organised and hung - there's a genuine spirit of the 'open', sensitively grouping artworks together with a similar subject matter or visual aesthetic. the exhibition space is also wonderful [an old maltings building]. more people should visit this exhibition. the exhibition is on until saturday, 17 january 2015.there are hundreds of paintings on show, some sculpture, also drawings, prints, photography, collage and mixed media art.in the picture above are three of my tiny framed 'fragments' alongside the work of other artists. i love white walls.i have posted more photographs of the exhibition in the previous blog post on this exhibition, which closes tomorrow, saturday 17 january 2015.

cut open art exhibition

CUT OPEN art exhibitionThe Cut Open* art exhibition runs until Saturday the 17th January 2014. Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm. The Cut is closed from 24th December 2014 and re-opens on Saturday 3rd January 2014.The Cut OpenThursday 4th December 2014 - Saturday 17th January 2015New CutHalesworthSuffolkIP19 8BYupdate: some pictures from the exhibition!*see pictures from the 'cut open' art exhibition in 2012

still, looking

georgia-okeeffe-white-canadian-barn2-1932-oil-on-canvas

met-museum-art-walker-evans-shrub-in-front-of-barn-facade-1973-74-instant-color-print

flaking-paint-wood-window

howard-hodgkin-painting-old-books-2006

howard-hodgkin-hello-again-oil-on-wood-2006-08

gary-hume-painting-red-barn-door-2008

british-museum-maki-haku-work-73-50-a-nothing-woodblock-print-embossing-1973

i was looking at some pictures at the metropolitan museum of art's website one morning and found this image of a japanese screen. i was much intrigued by the implication of a conceptual element [whether or not it was intended - it was probably an 'exercise' or presentation of skill and craftsmanship], pictures and scenes within a larger pictured scene.screens within screens, edo period, japan 1615-1868 [metropolitan museum of art]and on another virtual museum visit, this painting:georgia o'keeffe, white canadian barn II, 1932, oil-on-canvas [metropolitan museum of art]o'keeffe painted this after 'escaping' to canada.both of the images above appear refreshingly 'contemporary' [and visually similar, much serendipity], finding connections in different contexts, about facades and barriers, what is visible and what is [un]known.more barns: walker evans took a lot of pictures of barns… this polaroid photograph exudes the aesthetic much admired on instagram.walker-evans, shrub in front of barn facade, 1973-74, instant colour print [polaroid]this photograph reminds me of the desire to appreciate the 'poetry' in the everyday. it was 'interesting to look at' for a moment...it's a boarded-up window of a shop which may also have been a shop sign. oh, how those tiny fragments of paint cling so precariously to the surface! they will not see this winter out.howard hodgkin, old books, 2006, oil on wood, 55.6 x 71.8 cmi have been thinking about a particular painting, 'old books' by howard hodgkin, which i had first seen in an exhibition at the fitzwilliam museum a few years back - i have a postcard of it - then perusing the beautifully designed book of howard hodgkin's paintings that i had bought at the same exhibition. looking at the postcard led me to find this painting online on a dark november afternoon:howard hodgkin, hello again, 2006-08, oil on wood, 20 x 23.8 cma precious instance of painterly purity. is it hodgkin saying 'hello again' to painting after an hiatus, or suggestive of the memory of a private conversation or encounter? maybe it doesn't matter, it seems both playful and coy, of thoughts and feelings that need to be ambiguous or subtly expressed. it's also quite revealing that unlike most of his paintings, the wooden frame is left unpainted - exposed - which is what first drew me to it.gary hume, red barn door, 2008, oil on two aluminium panels [tate collection]this large painting by gary hume is not on display at tate modern. i like this painting. it feels ‘sublime’ in the sense that it is unfathomable and overpowering, enigmatic [maybe even hypnotic], seductive and beautiful, cool perfection in the painted strokes, the symmetry, the flatness, the intense redness. shallow deep stuff...maki haku, work 73-50-a (nothing) 1973, woodblock print and blind embossing [british museum]this is one of a pair of prints, exploring the universal balance of yin and yang, and referring to a state of nothingness, or emptiness, the often misunderstood 'void', which i understand to be about the existence of things as in-between, independent or fluid. in a nutshell [maybe?], letting go of the idea that things are always 'fixed'.what does this all mean? maybe it is just another distraction? [i am now looking at the untidy pile of books i'm currently reading]. the fire has been lit for the second day in a row, it is now glowing, it gently crackles, it is almost too warm and cosy... i think the old neighbour was right; when you split the logs yourself you get twice the heat....here are some recent random quotes harvested from twitterland - idly observing the interesting flotsam and jetsam of others’ thinking as they float by; it’s very zen…Living away from great art centers is a handicap for those who want to cultivate their taste. Clement GreenbergNothing beautiful asks for attention Drunk Poetry ExperimentSimplicity is the ultimate sophistication Leonardo da VinciThe more you see human nature in its unvarnished state, the more politeness becomes interesting. Alain de BottonNow, let's get crazy. In your world you decide where the waterfall lives. Shooom! Bob Ross