The Night Feeding Me.
I can not seem to escape what these colors seem to be doing to me in a mentally arousing mix of hues. I have moved forward from my stencil work that has brought me mild success over the last few years and felt led to take a few risks entering back into abstract forms, strokes and flow.
"Art is the elimination of the unnecessary." Picasso
I just walked into the studio tonight, Sept 11th, with a mild Austin heat already causing me to sweat upon entering. An hour prior to the perspiration I was creating a playlist on Spotify, as I always do (no always on Spotify), creating a play list to paint to that is. This late evening holds the sounds of The Helio Sequence, Rogue Wave, Pinback, El Ten Eleven, Faded Paper Figures, Say Hi To Your Mom, Boy & Bear, and We Are Augustines. Of course I took a few self-portrait pics and studio shots for instagram posts at some point tonight or tomorrow morning and now I am encompassed by paint, string, canvas, brushes, pallet knives, paint rags, pictures of Andy Warhol and Jean Michel basquiat (that hang in my studio), a show flyer for William Catling from 9-30-1997 that always inspires and encourages me while I create. William Catling was a professor of mine who had been a major inspiration to myself as an artist and aspiring to be one.
What lies ahead for tonight I do not know. I have three pieces to finish, two on wood and one on canvas. My color pallet for the last few weeks has consistently been addicted to gold, blue's, grey, black, white and a mild pink. I can not seem to escape what these colors seem to be doing to me in a mentally arousing mix of hues. I have moved forward from my stencil work that has brought me mild success over the last few years and felt led to take a few risks entering back into abstract forms, strokes and flow. Leaving all things figurative behind. I have felt the urge or the need to move this way for the last year, but with success in one style comes fear and a lack of change. I truly belive that as an artist in any medium if you do not take risks you will never grow as an artist. I also believe this to be true about life, but that is another story, for another blog, another conversation. Tonight I paint. "A Good artist has less time than ideas. " Martin Kippenberger
Degas, Woody Allen and my Humble Studio in Austin.
"My art, what do you want me to say about it? Do you think you can explain the merits of a picture to those who do not see them?
"My art, what do you want me to say about it? Do you think you can explain the merits of a picture to those who do not see them?...I can find the best and clearest words to explain my meaning, and I have spoken them to the most intelligent people about art, and they have not understood; but among people who understand, words are not necessary, you say humph, he, ha and everything has been said." Edgar Degas
I recently watched Woody Allens "Midnight in Paris" for the first time (and after a long wait). It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I have been in a massive state of creation lately with a new body of work and it was a perfect film to offer me a bit of reflection on a few of my artistic hero's. I am always looking for films that can coincide with a "creative binge", films like ones that Julian Schnabel, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Wes Anderson, Michel Gondry, or Charlie Kaufman/Spike Jonze would create. Woody did not disappoint me. So often I become like Gil and completely disappear when I enter my Paris (my studio). I often find myself in moments where I am discussing art with my dead peers, sitting for a moment in my pink studio chair and talking to Andy, Jean-Michel, Franz, Rothko, Cy , Degas or many others whose books line my bookshelves'. I get what Edgar is saying in the quote at the beginning of this post. The greatest moments for me while painting are when am talking with my artist peers and moments where words don't need to be spoken. A look, a nod or a snear, a laugh or a grunt speak volumes and encourage the moment where the brush meets the canvas.
So as I continue to master my craft as a painter, I look forward to the silent moments I spend with my hero's and search the quiet for answers and guidance as I move with the rhythm and dreams of one day becoming like them.
Bon Iver, David Ramirez, Penny & Sparrow, Nico Stai and Seryn.
A little Bon Iver in the studio, David Ramirez in a confessional, Seryn in black and white and some other artists for your eyes and ears!
I wanted to share some music and video of a few artists who are inspiring my work in the last few months. A few are friends, all are peers and some I hope to interview or meet down the road for my Hypervocal column "Engaging Culture". I have watched each of these videos multiple times in the last few weeks throughout my day of creating all sorts of random things. So, I hope that you enjoy them in your visual modus operandi. If you are in Austin for SXSW on March 9th, I would like to invite you out to our show. The poster is below and Seryn, the last video on this short list is headlining. Hope you will visit our little town and have a pint on me! Bon Iver at AIR Studios.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Tp5fl18Ho]
David Ramirez: Stick Around
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV0Vi658byo]
Penny and Sparrow: Creature
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-xT9ekWgk4]
Nico Stai: The Skies Over Your Head
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpRRJ9pfJxU]
Seryn [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/29339458 w=620&h=348]
Impatient raging.
So, there are specific days that jump out at me every now and then where emotions seem uncontrolable. Days where the only refuge is found in a blank canvas, paint and brushes. Well, today is one of those days and escaping to my place of solice is just out of reach. I have returned to Austin, TX (home) after being on the road for an extended time and I won't have a space for 3 more weeks. I could feel everything building from the moment my eyes opened and my head lifted from my pillow, I tried to fight it and distance myself from the impatient rage building inside. After 36 years I should realize that I can't hide from who I am or how I was created. So I went to find a quiet place to write, listen and be. At least until I can calm down, relax and exit a few tears and thoughts.
Here is the music that is filling or drowning out every other sound around me into oblivion:
Active Child: You Are All I See, Curtis Lane
James Vincent McMorrow: Early In The Morning
Nathaniel Ratliff: In Memory of Loss
Wise Children: Absince & Reunion
Ugly Casanova: 180 South Soundtrack
Timber Timbre: Creep on Creepin' On
City and Colour: Little Hell
Sbtrkt: SBTRKT
The Jezabels: Dark Storm, She's So Hard, The Man Is Dead