When I paint purely from imagination, I can sure get bogged down in my compositions. Lots of trial and error to get this to look plausible. I`ve never seen such a view but I like the idea of openings leading to another 'reality'. Portals if you will. Coastal Oregon has so much in common with Hawaii, you can sit on the beach [with a blanket] and imagine the tropics just on the other side of those rocks.
Watercolors;
And here are some paintings I reworked. When I`m lacking an agenda in the studio, there are always lots of paintings around to improve or ruin.
A non-Tipton relative sent me a large box of Tipton memorabilia she had come into possession of. I poked through it some and it was wonderful to see photos of some of the elders I knew in New Mexico, younger and having fun. I`m waiting to be with one of my brothers to really dig in together. Ultimately I`ll share it with my Mormon niece who will know exactly how significant the trove is.
What the box will not contain is any information on my grandfather.
Anthony Meyers was a Catholic priest in Watrous New Mexico. He had a love affair with my grandmother Mary Tipton. The community was tiny and this scandalous relationship had to be hidden. When she became pregnant she fled to Durango Colorado to a home for unwed mothers where my father was born. She returned to New Mexico saying she had adopted her baby. She maintained that fiction well into my Dad`s life and as you can imagine this damaged him in many ways. There are many reasons I have so little respect for religious institutions and this a major one. It`s my understanding my grandfather never acknowledged my Dad as his son and the 'sin' of my grandmothers` tortured her the rest of her life. She was no fool, he had to have had compelling characteristics but they were imprisoned by their time and could not be honest. How utterly sad.
Priests still cannot marry.
Harry Stooshinoff is a painter from Ontario Canada that I admire very much and have written about before. He takes the modest landscape where he lives and mines it for gold. His work is a rich exploration of what surrounds him. Then he sells them at very affordable prices. He`s really prolific and explains how he came to his unusual self representation in this podcast. It`s well worth listening to as he talks about practical matters such as economic survival and his business model. Great interview!
A friend asked me recently what my take on this 'virtue' of looseness in painting. My thoughts seem, even to me, too extreme on the subject. Unfortunately it looks to me as just another way to impose hierarchy. The idea that an improvisatory technique is a pinnacle to strive for is absurd. Even if my own methods are described this way. I have the chaotic closets that prove it but others like more structure in their work [and lives too maybe]. The motives and means for painting are vast. It irks me to see earnest painters condemned for being 'tight' or careful or meticulous. Everyones nature is different! And the term plays into the worse stereotypes of artists. That we are irresponsible, libertine, unrealistic hedonists. Artists are so carefree!
Not at all, but we are resourceful. If you have a problem and a limited budget, talk to an artist before a lawyer.
I can be an opinionated asshole about painting too but I try hard not to be. I shouldn`t criticize others. All life suffers, we know that. The painting path is rewarding but certainly not easy. Let`s try to be respectful and tolerant of all artists.
some work for sale in my studio
White Bird Show in Cannon Beach OR - September 1 through October 16
watercolor on yupo demonstration Sept. 23, 2 pm
5 comments:
Randall,
I am always hard pressed to pick a favorite when you show multiple pieces. It eventually just gets down to subject matter maybe and maybe a day-to-day thing-whatever currently interests me. So, from that standpoint #2 is my favorite today. For now:)
Your family story is interesting and I can't help but consider how damaging is the inability to "live your truth" to everyone including the person who can't be open. My Catholic mother told some whoppers to us over the years about her reasons for doing things. The thing is though that she told those whoppers to herself first, if you see what I mean. I hope you have a good time with your brother reviewing the box of goodies:)
I don't find your thoughts on "looseness" to be extreme, probably because they parallel my own opinions. What concerns me is that this stereotype seems to be an entry level thing. I find it mostly in beginning painters-people just like me. I often wonder about the damage. Anyway.
Hope all is well. Humid as Hell today. And hot in your neck of the woods too. So much for global warming!
Libby
Love the paintings and can't really choose a favorite this time. I will check out the new artist (to me) - again, you always introduce me to someone new and I think, from this one painting, I will like him a lot. Maybe not as much as I like your paintings, but what can you do? ha ha You brought me down to earth with your discussion about loose/tight. I have a tendency to not spend much time truly looking at paintings done in a tight fashion, especially if it is picture-perfect but I do see the talent and skill involved. And that story of your grandmother and the priest - someone should write a book about that!
So you've come over to my side of painting portals! Do you know of Sarah Adams work? Oh I love her paintings. She did a series on the sea caves on the Cornwall coast. Her life and mine are quite similar actually. Anyways, Streamside Spring could be a portal here at Alligator River, purely wonderful!
Again Randal, you have drawn me in to one of your beautiful, amazing paintings. I just want to walk thru the window to a calm and peaceful place. Away from all this craziness that surrounds us today.
Aloha Randall,
Got a big kick out of your comparison between Oregon beaches and those of Hawaii. Glad you added the blanket to the Oregon side. Your wonderful paintings have certainly changed my perception of, and appreciation for, Oregon's beaches. We seldom visited them during our ten years in Portland. Just too cold and dreary to drive over the coastal range for. But, how beautiful they become in your work! Thanks for helping those of us challenged by chilly, rainy, gray weather, to see the beauty through your eyes!
Sincerely,
Gary
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