Openings and Closings

The Artists' Lab exhibit opens this week. Yesterday we got a sneak peek into the exhibition and I was awed with the work of my fellow artists. So many different takes on light, so many creative approaches. It is always a wee bit intimidating.

By now I am far too close to my own work, it is hard to step back and see it through fresh eyes. I struggled with this piece, tired of working with themes that I still find daunting. It is time to move on and I am considering new subjects, but have promised my friend one more painting in the Holocaust series based on her stories. There is an empathetic element to the way I paint, feeling through another's memories. It is perhaps like being an actor and feeling your part too deeply. Sometimes I need to step away and breath fresh air.

What I most enjoyed with this work was the poetry that began it. The poems will hang with the painting and I will read them aloud at the closing on July 20 5-7pm. My favorite audience of course was my friend Dora on whom they are based. She felt they captured her experience in a very true way and marveled at the little details I recalled from her experience. That gave me much satisfaction.

As the lab's Resident Writer I've been busy writing articles for the catalog and for an on-line magazine and of course the Artists' Lab blog. My own blog is sometimes neglected, but ideas to share abound. More to come shortly.

 

And just to close out the lab, I thought I'd share some of my work from the sketchbook exchange project. I've already written of some of my sketchbook images in the Sideways Glance and A Flash of Light. My other two contributions were on the themes of luminosity and the art of nature. Instead of drawing, I decided to use some of the photography from my photo library, those source material images I shoot when something captures my eye. I had some amazing photographs of clouds that were truly luminous and cut out the forms and positioned them on opposite pages. One of the artists had drawn circles throughout the book so I painted them in a complementary fashion. The other image I had was of an elaborate spider web. I coupled it with a quote from Picasso on where artists draw their inspiration.

Soon our lab will come to a close and the next year will begin in October. If you are in the Twin Cities stop by the Tychman Shapiro Gallery June 12. 6-8pm for the opening. Then plan to come back without the hubbub and carefully read about and contemplate each work.
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