Jewels of the Mind

 Jewels of the Mind (01)

Ink on paper mounted on board

24x24 inches. 2010

“Jewels of the Mind,” in this series, refers to the various thoughts and actions that inspire us daily. Each little explosion has a precious, jewel-like quality, glowing on the surface of the painting.

 

Jewels of the Mind (05)

Ink and gouache on paper mounted on board

24x24 inches. 2010

Karma 03

Karma 03

Ink and gouache on paper. 26x20 inches. 2010.

This is the third piece in my Karma (Meditations on Samskara) series. Check out the first two here.

Drawing / Conclusions

 

Student: Jordan Nicholson

Perhaps a self-portrait of sorts, a geometric head filled with nostalgic memories of home. I love the detail and contrast, but would like the background to be more complete.

Today was the last day of drawing class for the semester. These are a few of the best final drawings that were presented. The assignment was initiated before Thanksgiving. In honor of the holiday, I asked students to take photographs, while they were at home with their families (or where ever they went), that illustrated their ideas of “gratitude.”

Student: Melissa Vargas

Appreciation of natural landscapes in her home state of Colorado and her Native American heritage. I want to see more contrast, as this drawing feels a little flat at the moment. More detail in the foreground would help bring the ruins forward three-dimensionally.

From their photo collection, the students were asked to create an entirely new image to convey their personal concept of “gratitude” and to feature the technical skills they practiced over the semester. There were many interpretations of gratitude amongst the class, but most of them focused on ideas of “home” and “family.”

Student: Brenden Nelson

Acknowledging the emptiness of material consumer goods, and the importance of human connection. I would like to see more people together (perhaps a family or group of friends) on the right to contrast against the “lonely” figure with the packages.

The class was as much a learning experience for me as I’m sure it was for the students. Teaching freshmen is a whole different ballgame than teaching the upper division students that I’ve gotten used to over the years. I didn’t anticipate the magnitude of the transition students would be making from high school to college. Many of the students struggled with discipline (attendance and self-motivation). Others really focused and took their work to the next level.

Student: Sarah Heaps

Grateful for the relationship shared by her parents and their contribution to cultivating a positive atmosphere for their family. I would like to see more natural shading in the hands to make them appear more voluminous.

I definitely have some ideas for how to revise the course next semester. I hope to find ways to help students improve their time-management skills and maintain a disciplined work ethic during their first experiences away from home and on their own.

Moments of Clarity / New Collages

 

Moments of Clarity 04 / Landscape 01 (under water)

10x13 inches. Ink on paper, collage. 2010.

Sometimes after a sustained wave of productivity, I like to look around the studio to see what kinds of scraps are lying around. These two small collages are the result of recombining some of them into new compositions.

 

Moments of Clarity 05 / Landscape 02 (growth spurt)

10x13 inches. Mixed media on paper. 2010.

See some earlier works in this series here and here.

Intertwining Strands of Something . . . / No.2

Intertwining Strands of Something ... (2a). 6x6 inches. 2010

This is the second piece in a new series I’ve been working on (see the first one here)... As I’ve said before, I’m really interested in the spiritual inner-workings of our minds. Perhaps a reflection of the (im)balance of the intuitive brain and the analytical brain, my work tends to swing back and forth on the continuum between uncontrolled (chance-based) application of pigment and very precise layering of graphic elements.

Sometimes the two begin to overlap, as in this series...

Intertwining Strands of Something ... (2b). 6x6 inches. 2010

According to Yoga philosophy, there are thousands of nadis, or energy channels, that govern the subtle body. Of these, the Ida, Pingala, and Shushumna are the three most influential. The intuitive/right brain and parasympathetic nervous system are governed by Ida. The analytic/left brain and sympathetic nervous system are governed by Pingala. When these two channels of energy become balanced, then Shushumna begins to take over, offering a more direct energetic path to clarity and enlightenment.

Intertwining Strands of Something ... (2c). 6x6 inches. 2010

 Below is the entire triptych as one piece:

Intertwining Strands of Something ... (02/Triptych).
6x18 inches. 2010

Click on this image to see the whole triptych up close.

Georgia O’Keefe: Favorite Famous Artists / Part 4

 

I’ve loved the work of Georgia O’Keefe for so long, I don’t even remember now how I first discovered her. I had posters of her flower paintings on my bedroom wall when I was in high school. Back then, I think I was mostly drawn to the formal qualities of the colors and organic forms... I don’t think I really understood the broader implications of her work.

 

Poppies

Later, I came to love the flowers’ visceral suggestion of human (particularly female) flesh. I’ve always been fascinated by aggressive art by strong women—never wanting to be a “wilting flower” myself.

 

Ram’s Head

After she made a name for herself as an artist in New York City, O’Keefe moved to New Mexico where her work shifted to new subjects. Now that I’ve been living in the American West for a while myself, I’ve come to understand O’Keefe’s desert and skull paintings more clearly. I think one of the toughest challenges is to fully convey the beauty, spirituality, vastness, and harshness of western American desert landscapes.

 

Gerald’s Tree

Her skull and desert images share the aggressive qualities of the flower paintings, but there's something more contemplative about them, too... It is easy to infer that with age and wisdom, O’Keefe was forced to confront the idea of death and individual insignificance head-on, acknowledging the power of mother nature and her lack of sentimentality. Living in the New Mexico landscape probably heightened her awareness of these things.

O’Keefe’s painting of the dead desert juniper (above) reminds me of an idea I’ve been contemplating for some time now:

 Skeleton Study #2 (Danielle Foushée)

Xerox transfer, ink, and gouache on paper. 

10x13 inches. 2010.

I’ve been photographing numerous juniper skeletons in the Colorado and Utah deserts, knowing that there is something profound about them (yet, I can’t quite put my finger on it). The negative spaces left by the branches are so graphic and majestic, a relic of a life lived in the harshest of environments. I want to find a way to visually celebrate that sense of life and death and passing time in my own works of art.