two hundred seventy-five

sketchy

When coincidences and serendipity happen they are considered pleasant reassurances in my book.  Doing something for the first time (like every single painting one creates) may contain a bit of uncertainty.  The artist may be unsure about many things: is the message accessible?  Is this tint of red correctly conveying a strong sense of rage?  (Ha ha -- my polished artists are laughing at this point.  They know creative folk don't think about that stuff in the moment of creation.  But they sure as hell do in the 'post production phase'.  I digress.)

Receiving a sign from outside sources -- you know, "hey man, good job".  "Nice hat".  An unsolicited hug from your lover.  It's feedback.  It's reassurance.  Then there are the slightly more obscure events -- like when you are thinking of a friend you haven't seen in years, and then next up on the radio is his favorite hip hop song.  That bond still exists.  I think they call it synchronicity.  Things not normally associated all of a sudden have a connection -- yeah, those kind of coincidences.  That's where I'm at for this blog entry. 

serpent-dipity?

Working up a body of new work for an August solo exhibit at Ember Audio + Video in Winston-Salem.  The 13 paintings consider the point where the angels become devils.  Where the sinister is also the beautiful.  Where good and evil coexist -- like the Harpy who loves snatching another's card.  Evil and the grotesque ain't really my bag -- but ima try.  Yes, there's a past series that explores Satan as a dork.  But that's not occult.  That's not worship of anything unholy.  It's the portrayal of a yin and yang of sorts.  And this concept continues in the new stuff.

This body of work is titled "Going Down".  It's the other side of the coin for the last body of work, "Looking Up".  In Looking Up the paintings considered using what we have to go forward.  In Going Down we are falling gracefully into darkness.  We are celebrating the beauty in the evil.  Devils were once angels, right?  And in that regard we are still finding good/beauty/positive in what most consider bad/ugly/negative -- just slightly more sinister.  More red.  More horns.

pee no evil

Ok.  So working up the paintings this summer.  Got about half the paintings in progress.  Take a trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.  Naturally I am looking for inspiration.  It's like a trip to the library for research where the books are works of art.  And yes, I hang in front of Edward Hopper and John Singer Sargent for a long time.  Cruising through the Art Nouveau section. Great stuff -- Tiffany lamps, jewelry, and odd cast bronze pieces -- a great collection in my opinion.  Walk through a transition and witness this large sculpture of a serpent biting a swan -- yes!  Beauty in the struggle!

A bottle of wine was purchased back in January before the  Going Down painting started.  Pinot noir.  Love Chilean wine.  Hadn't looked at it since.  Enjoyed it last week.  Noticed the label -- "Pinot Evil".  Huh.  Whadacoincidence.

And then also last week all the existing lumber in my inventory was added up for the upcoming framing of these new paintings.  Multiple lengths of wood were measured and a few rounded to the nearest inch.  The total accrued length in inches?  666.

So yeah, I guess I am on track with this body of work.  Thanks for the good omens.  The upcoming exhibition, "Going Down" debuts at Ember Audio + Video located at 690 North Trade Street in downtown WS.  The show is up for the month of August with a free public reception on Friday, August 5 at 6p.