Apr 8, 2010

Sara Morris has her paintings up at the Colophon Cafe in Fairhaven.

Steve has new work at Loomis Hall in Blaine.

Norma has a few works up at Allied Arts.

Sara Todd will let us know when her opening is in early June.

Mar 11, 2010

Around Town 3/10/10

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Steve's opening this Friday at Loomis Hall

Sara's opening on April 2nd (the Art Walk night)... at 3 OMS Studio
1210 Bay Street next to the Upfront Theatre

Michael Costelloe's paintings at Tivoli Restaurant on Commercial Street across from the parkade.

4 Women at the Blue Horse Gallery

Works on Canvas

Sara has bought mats at this site Stu-Art

Maren likes this framer: Norma Williamson 734 5497 her home studio

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Jan 28, 2010

Chaos, Doubt and Uncertainty

What role do chaos, doubt, uncertainty, discomfort, unpredictability, not knowing, awkwardness, confusion, turbulence, and darkness play in your creative process?

Do you welcome chance, mistakes, failure?

How do you increase your chances for creative amplification?

Jan 17, 2010

Question

How do you find your "voice"?
Can you define what "your" voice is? Your vision? Your gift to the world?



1. What is your inspiration? What are you really really interested in? What fascinates, captivates and enthralls you? What do you really love?
2. What would help you paint better? Take you to the next step? Go beyond your comfort level?
3. What rituals/habits keep you on task?
4. What goals have you set for the next 3 months?
5. How do you get into "state"? What is "state"?
6. How do you keep risking?
7. How do you know when to push harder or step back?
8. When is a work finished? How do you know?
9. How does one stay "present" throughout the whole painting?
10. Does this piece have that something extra?
11.How does one trust oneself?
12.How can you be in control and let go of control at the same time?

Dec 30, 2009

Our First Meeting: January 13th

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1. Can you read Leah Hyams' Guide to Critiques. You can download it from the Art Docs on the right. I will send you a copy by email before the class meets.

2. Be thinking about and write out what is the one thing you would like to have done by the end of the 3 months in this group. Perhaps it is getting into the studio more often or longer. Perhaps it is to work on finishing up a few pieces to submit to a show, gallery, website. Perhaps it is to activate your artwork more or calm your paintings down or use different colors, more darks, use more variety, solidify or unify your work. Perhaps you would like to work on line, shape, texture, rhythm, balance, or unity.... I think it would be helpful to write down a specific goal you are interested in working on for the specific time we are together. Up to you... (I will NOT collect these. Totally for your benefit)

3. Bring one piece of art you would like us to critique. I do not think it has to be finished, but a finished piece is fine too. You decide....

4. Be thinking about what makes a painting successful.

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Dec 27, 2009

What a painting needs

Can you let me know what you think a Painting needs to be successful? I will post your ideas here. Thanks, Jim

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1.Robert Genn
The painting needs a foreground, middle ground and background.
It needs a strong black, white and grayscale design.
It needs gradations, large and small and interlocking patterns.
It needs attention to counterpoint and negative areas.
It needs a sense of mystery, fantasy, illusion or wonder.
It needs fresh slashes, swipes and textures.
It needs not to be overworked, laboured or boring.
It needs colour sophistication--perhaps light and shade.
It needs at least some elements to be formed up properly.
It needs one area to determine what another area will be.
It needs to reflect the joy or meaning of an occasion, whether in the present or past.
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2. Jim
It needs to be authentic.
It needs to have mystery and unpredictability.
It needs to include opposites, near opposites and similarities in fine relationship.
It needs to have all of my attention, intention and love.
It shouldn't be tight and lifeless.
It needs to have variety.
It needs to have heart.
It needs to convince.
It needs to be unified.
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Famous People Say:

Clement Greenberg
Possesses the quality of simultaneous maximum diversity and maximum unity possible.
Keeps arresting our attention, goes beyond our limits and sustains it.
Has order, relationships, mystery, voice, unpredictability, boldness, struggle worked through.
Energy with a certain control and direction, “real” emotion…
Shows unity not uniformity
Has a largeness of spirit
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Robert Henri
An artist must be filled with emotion toward the subject, make his techniques so sincere, so translucent that the subject must be forgotten.
Fanciful, eccentric techniques only hide the matter to be presented. It is out of place and dangerous.
Spirit is set free in the superior artist.
Put form against form, color against color, line against line, texture against texture. Show through these interactions, the forces that bind them. It is a question of showing the life within.
Sea, sky and sand can be a good chord of textures if they are well differentiated.
The background is made out of, from and related to the subject/object.
Get a finer relation in all parts of the canvas. Space may be left bare, but it must be meaningful and be part of the structure of the whole.
Paint the spirit of rain.

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