Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: baraka, drawing, Ink, tools
No…I have no reason for my “woot woot-ing.” I also have no reason for this post, but I’m not getting bogged down in a search for interesting content. I’m just going to wing it. Notice, there is no “unsubscribe” button on the left. Hopefully, this post won’t make you wish that there was!
Actually, one reason for a “woot woot” is that the filmmaker, Ron Fricke, who did “Baraka” has a NEW film. CHECK. IT. OUT.:
Did you watch the trailer? Doesn’t it look AMAZING???? “Baraka” is also an amazing film. It does make you marvel at how limited one’s world is…unless you’re Ron Fricke, of course. When I need international exposure…I head over to Trader Joe’s. You know, frozen vegetable masala patties…dried seaweed…frozen veggie gyoza. Hmm. He’s probably never even heard of Trader Joe’s.
I think that I’ll go have a wasabi pea…
(Do you think that people in non-Western cultures go “woot woot!” like we do? Probably not.)
Speaking of non-Western cultures…I wish that I could go see this show at the Asia Society in NYC. Has anyone seen it? It is the ridiculously stunning ink paintings of Wu Guanzhong. Here is one of his works:
I loved that painting…and THEN I saw the title. SO brilliant, right???? Look at those sinuous brushstrokes!!! Look at the seemingly haphazard splotches!!! Lovely. Don’t you think that this is amazing? (btw…you must agree with me.)
So, I finished another drawing in my new series. Here it is:
I’ve “pixelated” the hammer. See:
I like where this is going…so I’m going to keep on this series for a bit. Actually, I have to take a slight detour, as I need at least three more drawings from my last series for the Towne Gallery show is October. STRESS! I’m trying to decide if I draw a tool that I’ve already done before…or, get a new tool? The challenge, of course, is finding a tool that I like the “look” of. Suggestions? Like one of these?:
But not this:
Does this count as a tool?:
Sort, of right? Actually, here’s a tool that I like:
Brilliant!
No, seriously…send me tool suggestions to draw. You’ll spare me an embarrassing trip to Home Depot where I refuse assistance because I’m shopping based on appearance only. No, I don’t care if it’s rechargable, has extra drill bits, a lifetime warranty, or an adjustable handle. I ONLY care if it will look INTERESTING with a mangled pear.
These wasabi peas are making me thirsty…
(Seinfeld reference…anyone? Bueller?)
YES! We are back from Seattle…and we had a GREAT time. So much fun. As I have done no artwork this week, I’m going to dazzle you instead with images from the trip. Scroll down to get to some actual art…keep reading from here if you want the unabridged version. It’s kind of like a “choose your own adventure” book, and yet not even close to that interesting.
Still here? Wonderful! This was a sublime latte that I had:
I know. Isn’t that ridiculous??? Can foam be an art medium? Yummy. It came from El Diablo in Queen Anne.
The locals in Seattle thought that the weather was warm. Pshaw. It was maaaaybe 85 degrees with no humidity. Mere child’s play compared to our 98 degrees with 75% humidity. BALMY. That’s just jealousy on my part. I think that it’s the coffee drinking capital because it never gets hot there…
Can you believe that they painted the top of the Space Needle orange? I’m told that it’s called “Galaxy Gold”. I think that they had some extra spraypaint from a construction site and just thought that they’d “jazz” up ye olde needle. Not a fan. (But that’s just the grouchy, Bostonian side of me talking…)
This is that crazy fountain that shoots water a bajillion feet in the air. Boston desperately needs one of these (did I mention that it’s hot here?)…I was too chicken to run up and try to touch the fountain without getting drenched. I should try to live more dangerously. But who wants greywater falling into his/her devil latte, thus ruining both the beverage and the foam art? Not me, thankyouverymuch.
This stuff just grows on the street! (yes, I know those are cherries) I kid you not. I think that we only have crabgrass growing out of our sidewalks. Did I mention that there are also no mosquitoes there??? NO MOSQUITOES. I am a mosquito magnet, so that is particularly charming to me.
This is for sale, in case you are interested in a Pacific Northwest hacienda. I hope that it has a courtyard inside. I missed the open house. It’s close to the devil latte place…score! (how do you say “score” in Spanish?…the almighty internet says: “puntuacion”…is that right????)
So, not to be completely devoid of content, I am going to post some images of art that I saw at the Seattle Art Museum. NOW, you can feel that you haven’t wasted five minutes on inane minutiae (actually, someone else’s inane minutiae). How lucky you are! I think that this qualifies me to create a Bravo TV show, but, I digress…
Kalipinya Rockhole by Elizabeth Marks Nakamarra
There was a show of Aboriginal art at the museum. I really loved the bold patterning, and it looks so three dimensional! So simple, yet so mesmerizing. It almost looks like a textile, right?
Loser & Clark by Brad Kahlhamer
and a detail:
This is an enormous painting. I remember seeing it last year. I love the mix of washes and loose drawing. It is an oil painting, so I guess it’s not a drawing at all…but it almost looks like it could be a work on paper with the transparent color and calligraphic markings. I love the depth in this…the layers…the beautiful lines.
Agate World by Mark Tobey
This is actually a TINY painting. It’s gouache on board. Again, I love those lovely lines. Detail:
I really love that. I feel like it’s vibrating with energy, but in a static way. Kind of like when you see a video of something tiny seen through a powerful microscope…and you realize the hum of energy in a living thing…
The Garden of Earthly Delights V by Raquib Shaw
Now, this is not something that I would normally like. It’s almost like cloisonne…so it has a “decorative” quality to it. But, look how fascinating it is up close:
I’m not sure if you can see, but the substrate is the olive green board. The painted creatures and flora are actually sitting on the surface…almost like raised blobs of enamel and metallic paint. This, I loved. It becomes a drawn jewel, in a way. From afar, I found it busy…but from close it was really lovely. Is this some kind of traditional technique that I’m just not familiar with? If so…please let me know! (I’m still sticking to pencil drawing…fyi)
Manuscript by Robert Rauschenberg
I know. What museum visit would be complete without a little Rauschenberg? LOVE THIS. I would be honored and thrilled to have this in my living room. Perhaps I just need to ask. Actually, I don’t have a wall this big in my living room.
Detail:
So great. I love the mix of drips with the precision of either silkscreen or photographic transfer (?). I just love it. I could eat it, I love it so much. Sigh. Here is the “piece de resistance”:
Cardbird by Robert Rauschenberg
This is actually one in the series of eight. I foolishly forgot to note which one this is. I really like this series. Brilliant!
How could I end a post without adding in some of my four-year old’s artistic work?
This is a skeleton. I don’t know which I am more thrilled with…the spiky hands or the toothy underbite. At least he isn’t drawing mommy in a cage anymore! Not sure what that meant, but I’m sure that his shrink will help him work through it when he’s 30.
slightly wonky 