Saturday, March 24, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Spring Arrivers Early
We've had a string of warm weather in Chicago this week. On Wednesday it was over sixty degrees. My friend Laura and I went to the beach in Wilmette for an al fresco cocktail hour. We found a little refuge from the wind behind a dune. Although everything was pretty much covered with sand by the time we departed.
Large Collage on Old Cereal Boxes
The title pretty much says it all. I have been saving old cereal boxes on and off for a couple years now. It reminds me of the cardboard that came from my fathers shirts as they were returned from the dry cleaner. It was a valuable commodity when I was a child. And it was clean and precise. The first time I can remember loving paper for its' own qualities. I paint on the back side of the flattened cereal boxes and when they dry, sunny days are good for quick drying, I cut them down to usable pieces. A lot of editing occurs in the trimming of the cardboard. Assembly happens over time. I lay it out initially, and make changes as I assemble the collage. My first impulses when thinking of this piece were to make use of the material and to create collages using larger pieces. The overall dimensions of this collage not including the white paper around the edges is 42 x 50 inches. Materials; india ink on cardboard. Orientation; undetermined.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
New Drawing Based on Muybridge
Talk about the handmade digital!Technical pen on paper, 13 x 22 inches.
More Symmetrical Architecture
I don't completely understand why I find architectural symmetry comforting. Clearly it has something to do with structure and regularity, looking for a little order in a chaotic world. The attraction to symmetry might come from an early need to connect with faces, which are generally, but not always, symmetrical.
But in the case of this particular photo, my attraction has to do with the surrounding landscape, as unreal and fantastic as it is. Perhaps the less said about the photos' origin, the better. Just look, and let your imagination roam, which is what I have been doing all week as i worked on this image.
I live in Chicago on the 17th floor of what is reffered to as a 'mid-rise' building. Not to everyones' taste, I know, so many people are unnerved by heights. Even I'm put off by my fragile-looking balcony railing. But to those of us that like being up in the air, enjoy a panoramic views, and thrive on the physical presence of the city, there is nothing like high-rise living. Among my circle of acquaintances there is an ongoing discussion about which is preferred in a high-rise view; the city or the lake. Ideally one would have both, but that combination is difficult to come by, and often considerably more expensive. The lake view offers watery nature at it's most abstract and sublime. The city view offer and endless panoramas of the built environment. Both perspectives reflect and react to the ever-changing weather in ways that inspire awe. I myself settled on a city view, and am quite content, but there are times that I'm envious of those that can take in the minimalist, water-centric vistas of Lake Michigan. It strikes me that this photo embodies both of those desires.
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