This morning I read a great piece on the watercolorist (primarily) Charles Burchfield (1893 - 1967). I have to admit that I never "got" his work, seemed kind of folksy. If I remember, my classmate Charmian Semmons really like him and John Marin. Anyway, as explained by Susan Delson in the WSJ, Burchfield was a chronicler of the weather according to Stephen Vermette, a co-curator of an exhibition opening Sept 16 at the Montctlair (NJ) Art Museum.
July Sunlight Pouring Down - 1952
"Burchfield continually looked for ways to depict non-visible aspects of nature, including sound and energy."
Think that is possible for a visual artist to accomplish? Well, I see it now in his work, and will look for it whenever I view one of his pieces. She went on to explain; "The shafts of yellow light ... become nearly solid as they reach the ground, while the tree at the center bends under its burden of light as if under a heavy snowfall, and the vegetation below appears to release heat in undulating waves."
While I type this, I am back to digitizing my vinyl to disc so I can sell my collection and create space: working on All This And World War II - a collector box with Beatle songs recorded by a diverse (21st Century popular term; see the Diversity Paradox to understand how goofy this whole thing is, but I digress) such as Bryan Ferry, Tina Turner, Ambrosia, Bee Gees, Jeff Lynne, Status Quo, The Four Seasons, etc.
Speaking of music, last evening we attended a fun concert: Sound Of Summer in Fort Myers. $5 gets you in. The first group was about 8 months in existence with three 20's and well-experience percussion and base players. It was fun to see a group shortly after creation. Think about all your favorite bands and what they might have looked/sounded like as they worked through one of their formation public sets. Morgan Marie and in the Whinehouse/Sinatra/ jazz vein. Most of the players hung around for an interesting jazz trio: Danny Sinoff. Quite dynamic, involved the audience more than any jazz player I ever encountered. Told us who the composer of the piece was. Very tight. And, can he play the piano! Turns out he has been since age two. Check him out on the internet.
Morgan Marie and her band
So, what have I purchased for my collection lately?
Tranquil Wetland 5 acrylic on masonite board 12 X 12 by Carl Schwartz, long-time Florida Gulf Coast University drawing and painting instructor who died last September. Educated at the Art Institute of Chicago and U of Chicago. He has work in permanent collections throughout the US as well as the British Museum in London. Had a posthumous exhibit at the Art Alliance several months ago where I first saw his work.
This print is by Ben Giles. I first encountered him as an illustrator for an article in the WSJ. I think the work was more interesting than the article; looked him up on the internet and found a wealth of fun print work at Society6. They will take a piece like this and transpose it on to scarves, dishes, towels, etc. A fun place. Check it out.
Speaking of the Art Alliance, I recently entered a piece in the Members Show. The theme, which I totally ignored, I just wanted one of my works on exhibit referenced Elevation: The Next Level.
Hung from the ceiling
OK, here goes. My latest piece. Hibiscus - oil on canvas board 8 X 10.
Hibiscus plants and trees all around us in Fort Myers. This one was right outside our lanai. The flower only lasts one day, so I had to work from a reference photo. Hope I captured the lightness of being. Really my first attempt to depict a single flower. Let me know what you think by commenting at the blog site.
No comments:
Post a Comment