“Nosophobia,” 9” x 11” acrylic painting.
“Existential Terror No. 1,” 10” x 10” oil paint.
Existential Terror No. 1 & Red Figures
“Red Figures,” 8” x 8” oil paint.
Abstract Impressionism is an art movement that emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction against the more structured and representational styles of art that dominated the early part of the century. This movement is characterized by the use of abstract forms and the emphasis on conveying emotion and atmosphere rather than depicting recognizable objects.
It shares some similarities with Abstract Expressionism, but it tends to be more focused on capturing the essence or impression of a scene rather than expressing the artist's inner emotions directly. The movement is often associated with artists who were influenced by the post-war atmosphere and sought new ways to express the complexities of their experiences.
I’m exploring the idea of abstract impressionism using oil paint. In these, I’ve used Lamp Black, Cadmium Red, and Burnt Sienna. This approach has a lot of possibilities. The chaos or order that can come with these is so emblematic of life itself. It’s a great metaphor and concept to explore. There are figures that appear—openings, dramatic marks that feel chaotic yet somehow vaguely familiar.
“Two Fish With Lemon Yellow Eyes No. 3,” 7” x 11” Acrylic and Oil
Two Fish No. 3
I’m making a few paintings about fish (as you can see). I like the form and the symbol. As well as the variation you can get when painting these (as ideas for existential anxiety). Have you ever heard of ichthyophobia? The fear of fish—both dead and alive. The topic of fear interests me because it all relates to the fear of death.
“Two Fish No. 2,” 8” x 11” Oil Paint
Two Fish No. 2 Oil Paint
I ordered some Daller Rowney oil paint, and I love it. It takes a week to dry, but the vibrance, mixing of colors, etc., is amazing. I like to take my time, and I live in a place where humidity can be in the single digits. Acrylic is nice, but dries very fast here. I add retarder to it just so I can work with it. Bottom line: oil paint is wonderful!
“Two Fish No. 1,” 7” x 11” Oil and Acrylic
Is it Something or About Something?
“Fish Bones No. 1,” 6” x 6” (15 x 15 cm) Oil
Is it something, about something, or both? I’ve been trying to get my arms around avoiding the literal. It’s a difficult habit to break. Coming from photography, where everything is literal (even if it’s abstract), painting offers you a lot of freedom. Sometimes, that freedom causes you to freeze—it creates a barrier to making work that is less literal.
I have so many ideas that I want to paint; I’m just trying to find my way in with a blend of styles—impressionism and post-impressionism. Those are the movements that are most attractive to me. I would add some abstract impressionism in there too. These paintings I’m making will always be centered on Becker’s theories and terror management theory, but in a very non-literal way. Sometimes the content will be non-literal, and sometimes the ideas will be less than literal. It’s more of a personal journey than any kind of commercial process.
I said in my last post that I’m reading Rick Rubin every morning—early in the morning—and he’s been driving me to new places and trying new things. It’s liberating. He said, “Look for what you notice but no one else sees.” (Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being) That resonates with me deeply. I would say that is the core of my work (In the Shadow of Sun Mountain). I’m not sure that no one else notices, but the idea is to get away from the obvious, the literal, and the commonplace. I get it, and I agree.
“In terms of priority, inspiration comes first. You come next. The audience comes last.”
As I find my way through this iteration of the project, I do find my biggest obstacle to be literalism. I’m working to break the chains of photography and literalism and find my way to most representational work, even abstract in some sense. It’s a fun journey, and I encourage you to remember that you’re the creator of your work; you’re the one that needs to be happy with it. Another Rubin quote from his book is, “In terms of priority, inspiration comes first. You come next. The audience comes last.“ (Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being).
“Existential Dread No. 5,” 6” x 6” (15 x 15cm) Oil
“Existential Dread No. 1,” December 2, 2023, 6” x 6” (15 x 15 cm), Oil and Watercolor
The Implied and The Explicit
I’ve been considering the words implied and explicit as they relate to art. When I think about photography, the word explicit comes to mind. It’s literal; it’s “of something.” Yes, it can be abstract, but it’s still something that exists. When I think about painting, sculpture, music, writing, etc., I think of the word implied. These mediums are less mechanical, most of the time. They are fashioned from nothing; the content usually doesn’t exist in “real life.” It can be an interpretation of something, but it’s always different.
“Art as a work in progress: All art is a work in progress. It’s helpful to see the piece we’re working on as an experiment.”
My concerns and interests lie in impressionism, even abstract impressionism. To me, this form of art is the ultimate form of the word “implied.” There is so much freedom in making art that is less literal, more abstract, and less concrete. I can allow my mind to ponder the theories I’m interested in and create work that represents the ideas without being explicit. As I’ve grown older, I’m less interested in telling literal stories and more interested in exploring the emotions and feelings behind the ideas or concepts. I love photography and will continue to make photographs at some point, but for now, this is a much more powerful way for me to express my ideas.
I’ve been spending a lot of time reading and re-reading Rick Rubin’s book, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being.” He said, "Art as a work in progress: All art is a work in progress. It's helpful to see the piece we're working on as an experiment."
Photography has been a wonderful career for me. I made a living with it for many years and retired as a photographer. I’ve always loved it and appreciated it. As I’ve had time to think deeply about what I’m most interested in now, I find myself drawn to painting. For many years, I’ve threatened to start painting when photography doesn’t speak to me. I’ve dabbled in mixed media quite a lot over the years. In undergraduate school, I did a lot of experimental photography, even painting on images. But this is different for me now. I have specific ideas and themes I want to paint about. My Becker studies opened up so much for me, and I want to be free to express those ideas through post-impressionism, impressionism, and abstract impressionism. I’m no Pollock, no De Kooning, and surely no Van Gogh, but I know I have a voice in this medium.
My goal is to work through ideas and themes around death denial, death anxiety, terror management theory, gratitude, and humility. Those are the big-picture themes or ideas. I have several months now to paint because winter is here. Although I would be painting in the summer or in good weather too, it’s just a great winter activity. I’ll try to post occasionally about my progress. I’ve made 20–30 paintings so far and am still very much exploring techniques and ideas. Stay tuned!
“Existential Dread No. 1,” December 2, 2023, 6” x 6” (15 x 15 cm), Oil
“Existential Dread No. 2,” December 2, 2023, 6” x 6” (15 x 15 cm), Oil and Watercolor
“Two Warriors,” 7” x 9” Oil Paint and Watercolor
Oil Paint and Watercolors
I’ve been enjoying painting every day. I turn on some good music and start with a simple idea and see where it goes. I’m slowly discovering a path that I want to pursue for the next few months. I really like the oil paint and watercolor (or watered-down acrylics) process.
On this piece, I used Winsor Newton Griffin Alkyd Lamp Black oil paint and Sennelier Water Colors. A beautiful combo. This particular oil paint is “fast drying” and takes a fraction of the time to dry regular oil paints take. In 30 minutes, it’s dry enough to paint over it. It’s really good stuff.
“Crow In Flight,” 8” x 12” monotype - acrylic November 26, 2023
Color Monotype Prints
“Figure and Feathers,” 8” x 12” monotype, acrylic November 26, 2023
Here are a couple of prints I made today. I’m exploring color, and I think I like it a lot!
“Crow and the Moon” monotype print, 9” x 12” (22,86 x 30,48cm) November 20, 2023.
Monotype Prints Made With Blocking Ink
I’ve been experimenting with monotype prints for a while and am really enjoying the process. Sometimes, I print and then paint them after the blocking ink is dry. I use both watercolor and acrylic paint. I’ll show an example of one of those “post color” monotype prints later.
I’m exploring the same themes and ideas with these. I like the figures I’ve created and will continue to make prints as the inspiration hits me.
“The Alien and Two Graves” monotype print, 9” x 12” (22,86 x 30,48cm) November 23, 2023.
“Five Figures and Their Ghosts,” 9” x 9” (22,86 x 22,86cm) Acrylic painting, November 18, 2023
Lyrics Versus Music
The weather has been so beautiful here. Jeanne and I have been able to do our 2.5- to 3-mile walk around the mesa every day for the past six weeks without missing a day! And most of the time, we wear shorts and t-shirts! Unbelievable! I know it will change soon, but I have been so grateful for the last 6 weeks and the beautiful weather we’ve had.
Most of the time, I listen to music on our walks. The other day, I was thinking about why I like music so much. I got thinking about the two dimensions, at least, of what I consider a good or great song. Do I like the lyrics, the music, or both?
As I pondered this question, I realized that it was a great metaphor for art in general. I would consider the lyrics of a song the “narrative” and the music the “aesthetics.” In other words, translating into a two-dimensional or three-dimensional piece of work (photograph, painting, sculpture, etcetera), the story would be the meaning behind the piece, and the “music” would be the visual appeal of the piece.
Most people are attracted to the visual, or the “music” of two-dimensional or three-dimensional pieces of work. It seems the narrative is sometimes difficult to understand or too large of an investment. I think back to when I bought Rush’s album, “2112.” It was released in 1976 as a concept album. Ask the young people today if they even know what that is; most won’t. I still listen to it and really enjoy the “story” that connects all of the songs. I don’t listen to any mainstream pop music. I like the old stuff or the newer (unknown) less popular music today. It’s all subjective, right? People like what they like for a number of different reasons.
So, the bottom line is: Do you like the lyrics? Do you like the music? Or do you like both? And what about instrumentals? It’s interesting to think about, and it provides a really solid connection to how to think about visual art.