Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Punctuation, Baby Crabs, and a Bit of China





The intersection of influences. Punctuation. I have been reading up on that. Can you see it in the drawings? Those marks are baby crabs and grasses on Chandeleur. And of course, on Friday I saw the big show put on by the Chinese. So it is no surprise to me that these Chandeleur studies are looking like Chinese screens and pencil calligraphy.

The paintings themselves will be a dance across surfaces now with a Beijing bounce. I want lyrical, but depth and timelessness are again my goal. And some color, very selective color. I want subtle explosiveness there; there is violet sneaking in. Gold and crimson here and there. And green, some green of new growth. We'll have to put that in. I want tension in the beauty. That is there too. The calligraphic symbol for harmony was featured in the show. I'd like to hide that in the grasses for you to discover.

Balances and rhythms, in the punctuation book. Pacing and progress, an editor's suggestion. Exploration in line continues, now in the grasses on the leaward side of the island. I have been playing with line so long you'd think I'd have those down, but beginner's mind requires that I take a fresh eyed look. Solve the puzzle like a child. Line, shape, color. Marks upon paper. Punctuation of an idea. Simple you would think. Ahh, but how can I make them resonate and entertain? How to make them speak? So that baby crabs and grasses come out as the heroes they can be. How to make a marriage between science, art, and poetry?

I must play with punctuation, baby crabs and grasses, what, in Chinese? Apparently that's what my muse thinks. Brush and Pencil are still high five-ing our boys who won the Bronze last night. They've asked me for some rosin, and some of those fancy tights. Sheesh. Olympic fever. It's contagious. Come on Brush, Pencil, we have some roaming to do and some calligraphy to learn. "Yes, guys, you can practice your new moves." Learning curves. Do they ever end?

3 comments:

Parisbreakfasts said...

Love to see your drawings always...
VERY lyrical!
Don't you mean Japanese screens..oh well they both did them..I can definitely see these as a screen..YUM

Anonymous said...

Wow! You're as lyrical in your writing as you are with your painting. I love the way you use words!

Janice C. Cartier said...

PB-I LOVE to draw. One of my favorite things in the world so I am doing more and more. I probably should say oriental screens to be safe. I like both Japanese and Chinese work. :)

Alex- Wow. Thank you. Really.