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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Five Faces of Summer OR: OMG Am I in Trouble?







I began this painting in June, 2010 and finished it a couple of days ago, August, 2011. A year and two months to feel finally satisfied that that's the expression I was after. What did I say about Speedo and Mr. Earl?

I took the first reference photo in 2009. (Talk about having some mixed feelings about this scene). The metamorphosis from then to now is amazing. It's a shame I didn't stop at each phase,and start fresh; the scene interests me in all it's forms.

The top painting is the final one. Under that is how the painting started. The next is when I got mad at the prettiness of the thing and lashed out. And the final one is how it hung in the basement for the last months before I couldn't stand it anymore and picked up a piece of black pastel, (a curious oxymoron),and laid into it again.

--And then, along the way, I paint another summer in another way--it's neat and prim and exacting.... Moods change with me, when they do, so does my style.

--That's very interesting,but could be very stupid, as Arty and Peter might say.(NOTE: for those of you too young to remember, I refer to Arty Johnson and Peter Sellers on Laugh In).



8 comments:

  1. Well, I remember those two guys! as well as the show.. It was a fave.. I like how your painting started out and morphed into what u ended up with.. Yep, a lot of different stages of emotions.. But, do u remember the feelings you had when u painted each one? Bet that would make a good journal to look back on. Or, print out a small photo and pasted it on the page of that corresponding journal page? (just a thought) :-)

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  2. The morph I think I should have stopped at was the third one down where I got mad at the prettiness that was developing when I started the painting in 2010. I am sorry I ever touch that. I guess at the time I didn't really want to show anyone how bleak I felt the summer of 2009.
    The painting still has some morbidness in it with all the dark coloration, but over the last year obviously some hope has returned.
    Painting is a journal for me. That's why I have such trouble deciding when one is finished. I guess that's why I should work small--do something that can be done quickly. These larger canvases take days and I change, we all change, day to day.

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  3. Linda- actually I don't think there is anything wrong w/showing how bleak u may have been feeling.. what's the difference between your expression in paint vs. putting it in words? Think about Van Gogh- he showed some scariness in his paintings... no one seemed to see it and if they did, no mention... Gotta release it somehow...

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  4. Wow Linda, you are a very patient lady!

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  5. wow, i love your vision of colors. saw ragweed and it was so lively and had to scroll down, and will continue.
    here from margaret's place...

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  6. The subject has to have some significance, Chrissy, to hold my interest during the painting process. Indeed I think the choice of subject for painting or photographing journalistic and biographical. Too much thought and vacillation went on with this one.

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  7. Not patient Evelyn. This one made me anxious and self-conscious. I knew what I was expressing and I was prettying it up too much--probably for the blog, the world to see. The third ugly rendition was when I should have stopped.

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  8. Ragweed is colorful like the coral snake. It'll kill you if you get too close. But it is pretty. What I love about grasses of all kinds are the interactions of multiple color and overlapping of forms--the density too. Like life. Thanks for visiting Ed. I appreciate your comment.

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