Integrated System - Stages of Development

Integrated System - Oil on Kraft Paper

The first stage begins with a free-form, dance of line. I use soft, vine charcoal on a large (42" x 54") sheet of kraft paper tacked up on the wall with push pins. At this point I critically view the drawing from about fifteen feet away to check the flow of the line, the rhythm of the forms and the overall composition. I use a tissue or paper towel to eliminate unnecessary and awkward lines. I draw, eliminate and redraw until I am satisfied that the drawing is strong enough to support the painting. In order to begin painting, the drawing must have a spark of its own energy and life that I can nurture and develop with paint.

I decide on my color palette. For "Integrated System" I chose venetian red, cadmium yellow pale, yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, raw sienna, pthalo turquoise, pthalo blue and viridian. On occasion I will do a few value sketches. In this case I do not. I begin laying in color, basing each decision of color and value of color on the effect of the previous application and staying in touch with the developing personality and movement of the painting.

Everything goes fairly smoothly until it becomes clear that the large shape on the right side of the painting is not going to work. The left side of the painting is not balanced by the right side. The shape on the right is awkward and stops the movement of line across the two dimensional plane and prevents the viewer from entering into the dark space beyond the forms.

The final resolution was the large dark hole in the awkward shape.

A Work in Progress

The development of When Heads Begin to Roll illustrates a few of the challenges I confront when I surrender to the needs of the emerging image. I find it painful to sacrifice the freshness and the initial energy of the underwashes and the linework. The subtle suggestions of form in the preliminary translucent layers of paint are extremely seductive and my desire is to allow them to remain suggestions rather than clarify them and risk rendering them motionless and lifeless. The first challenge was the disitinct separation between the left half and the right half of the painting. Each side had a completely different feeling of space and of the movement within that space. In resolving the sense of movement throughout the entire painting I lost some of the elements of the story that I had begun to unravel in my mind. As the painting developed further I took greater risks with the values and the delineation of forms. Looking back at the first stage, I see that there are a few shapes that I need to recreate in order to maintain the original direction of the painting. After having lost several of my favorite areas of transparent overlays, I decided to see how far I could push this painting with bold colors within a limited palette. Cadmium red is always difficult for me to work with. I love the dynamics that a bright red can add to a painting if used with moderation. Cadmium red, when mixed with other colors quickly becomes lifeless. To keep the color vibrant without diminishing the strength of the forms and their movement is my currrent challenge.

The small orb on the left side beneath the upper, red corner resolved a difficult area, a shape that was causing the painting to visually split horizontally, stopping the circular movement of the heads. This solution was a surprise to me after eight unsuccessful attempts to resolve this area. Every shape within a painting, regardless of its size, can significantly alter the entire composition, setting it in motion or causing it to be static.

Image: When Heads Begin to Roll - Oil on Kraft Paper - 36" x 48" (Stages 1, 2, 3 and the final resolution #4)

Altered Ego

Last night's conversation among four artists, each working in a different discipline (painting, film, fiber, pottery) touched on how the artist's ego plays a part both in the creative process as well as the post-creative life of the completed work of art. For the most part I am not attached to my paintings once they are completed. I am happy for them to find their way into the lives of others. If I have done my job well, the painting will continue to open the mind and heart of the viewer to new thoughts, emotions, memories and ideas through a balance of beauty, movement and the tension sparked by shapes, lines and color.

Perhaps it is the manner in which I paint that prevents my ego from getting involved during the creative process. My ego must step aside and allow my anima to direct the brush strokes and the splattering of paint. The anima is defined in Jungian philosphy as the inner self, the soul of an individual, not the external persona or the ego. If I do not shut off my ego, the painting does not reach the critical point at which I begin to have a sense of direction. From that point I become extremely focused on the needs of the painting. It is not a question of what I want the painting to be but what the painting has the potential of being.

Ego may be defined as the self, distinct from the world and other selves. When I am painting well I feel as if the work I am creating is a collaborative work and I do not have a sense of ownership. Joy and the euphoria of creativity is experienced during the process of balancing the chaos with which I begin the painting and while coaxing the painting into a form that conveys a universal message. The message might be profound and it might be rather superficial, it is not something I attempt to control.

For more than twenty years, I produced art without experiencing creativity. I struggled to express something meaningful and to produce what I thought to be quality art. It amazes me that I continued to paint. I felt like I was on the right path going the wrong direction. Now I feel as if I've stepped off the path to explore the unknown. I love every minute of the adventure and the increasing difficulty of the challenge.