4:43 PM: so where are we? well, we're in a very interesting space, i'd say. a lifetime of painting plein air, both in greece during the '60's-70's and in crestone for over 25 years, has led me to this moment. i don't recall ever thinking of this as the development of a visual language until recently. it was gorky who sparked this realization. while perusing the catalogue/book of his philadelphia retrospective, i related strongly to the path he followed. suddenly, i feel the potential for a real explosion of work reflecting this coming together. a pregnant moment is what we have. of course in the back of my mind looms the question: " and where will you show all this new work?" at the rate i'm making these late summer series, they'll start taking over my studio space and our home as well. next step solutions have always appeared in my life. but i need to reach out & take action in order to prime the pump. if you are reading this, envision that solution, that doorway showing up soon.
BELOW: left: detail of todays painting, korgy. right: one of the two plein air gouache paintings i did yesterday
korgy as it looked moments ago
2:48 PM: today was supposed to have been a snowy day, and it was, but not in crestone/baca. it' been snowing up above 11,000 ft. all day, but we were, as usual in the donut hole.
i started a new painting in my late summer series, titled korgy, an anagram of gorky. i'm experimenting working on a canvas stretched without the wood backing i've been using to facilitate collaging. it makes the canvas much lighter & easier to move about or hang, as well as avoiding un-stretching and re-stretching once the painting is complete. i'm not yet sure if i like it, because, for one, i'm used to making marks with crayon or graphite and having a hard surface allows me to press more firmly, making the marks darker and richer.
as with the others, i'm glancing at an array of plein air paintings and collages on paper as inspiration for the marks, shapes and colors. so in examining what i did today, i can see branches, rocks, tall grasses and flowing creek water, but i can also see the head of a walrus; a breast; a vagina; a bird, more more. i'm still experimenting with leaving white shapes in applying the tinted ground, which today is tannish; the color of an aspen trunk i drew on our trail walk yesterday..
YESTERDAYS PLEIN AIR: BELOW ARE PHOTOS OF THE 2 GOUACHE PAINTINGS I DID YESTERDAY AT THE CREEK. the little jar with red liquid on my painting table is port, which i consumed while working. mighty good it was. can you discern any of the discoveries i made yesterday having entered into todays painting: korgy?
