Creative Influences » inspiration

DC Door

Kim — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:57:24 +0000

Sweet Little Door in Washington, DC

A little door found while walking through a DC neighborhood. I couldn’t resist doing this little doodle. I continue with some sketching through these hot summer days and consider the goodness of slow art. I hope you are staying cool.

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New Landscapes

Kim — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

12"x6" acrylic on hardboard

The real voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

Marcel Proust

…I will add, new landscapes never hurt, however

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Kim — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:44:10 +0000

24x20 inches acrylic on canvas

Warm is not the word to describe the temperatures in the US northeastern cities this week -over 100 F(37 C +) and humid! This painting describes perfectly what it feels like outdoors here. I hope it is cooler where you are! I am trying to remain calm and meditative at the moment. The air conditioning can’t keep up and I am sticking to just about everything. Is your art influenced by the weather? I clearly am experiencing a new form of Slow Art! A glass of iced tea anyone?

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What Does A Painting Mean To You?

Kim — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:22:44 +0000

As you know from my previous post, I am enjoying Peter Clothier’s book, Persist. There is so much packed in this tiny book, I wonder if I will ever stop contemplating it all. One of the subjects he brings up is how visual artist have it hard because this is one area where often the work which took hours, days, months or years to complete will be brushed away with a glance. If you look at other art forms, this is often not the case. Consider writing, by nature it takes time to read or with performance art you are often captivated by the story being told and asked to remain in your seat for a film, play or dance. When Clothier observed people in Museums, he found if they stopped they stopped to read the little bit of information by the work, then moved on. He thinks visual artist need more time given to the work they are sharing. I couldn’t agree with him more. Let’s look at some art:

First, let’s look at Shangri-La by Andrea Hupke de Palacio:

used with permission from Andrea Hupke de Palacio

Now take a long look at this painting or go to Andrea’s blog to view it larger. I mean really get into it. Think about the face…look at those eyes and stare deeply into them, consider the head covering, too. I don’t know about you, but I can get lost in there. The colors she has chosen to use are magnificent. I want to swim in the colors. Can you imagine what it took to just paint the colors in the right place? I can imagine she was lost in her own place while doing this. When I really look at this piece, I seem to be able to feel the grit of the dirt beneath my feet, the crunch of the dry grasses and a cold winter wind. It takes me back to a more simple time in my own mind. The countryside is cold and I am looking forward to a warm stew and roaring fire when I bring the goats back to the village for the night. I look forward to the taste of wine and tangy taste of goat cheese. I can feel all of these things and more. Goodness knows, I am not thinking this is what Andrea was thinking when she painted this piece, but it is where it transported me. She started me thinking with the painting and few, well chosen words. I was easily transported from there. The thing is you have to spend time to get yourself into the place of your imagination. The key, by the way, is the title of this piece – Shangri-La. Where does it take you?

Unfurling

You have seen this one from me before. I call it Unfurling. I would like for you to try again with something very different to really spend time with this piece. Allow it to consume you just like with Andrea’s painting. When I created it, I felt one thing, but now I sometimes feel something different when I see it. With paintings like this you often hear things like…”I like it” or “I could have done that” or “My five year old has done something very similar.” I have answers for all of those kinds of questions, but what I ultimately know is that the viewer is not allowing themselves the opportunity to feel this painting. I know there are a lot of feelings in there, because I put them there. Artists do that! What someone else feels is not what I probably felt as they have their own life experiences to draw on.

The point is that it seems viewers want to be told what a painting means to them, if they even take the time to stop and have a longer look. Is it fair to the artist who probably just wants to have an opportunity to bring a bit more humanity to the viewer? They probably just want to help them touch their own shangri-la, right? Clothier suggests an hour meditation sitting in front of a painting to try to get to know it and to understand what it means to you, the viewer. The artists is done with it, now it is the viewers turn to have it touch their heart, speak to them, to bring their own humanity to the surface. If you have ever had a painting move you to tears, you know just what I mean. This can happen with many paintings. Once you learn the technique, you can slip into the world of that particular painting with ease.

Please, share your experiences of really taking the time to look at paintings. I wonder if after the first time you might view them in a different way?

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Still Working Intuitively

Kim — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:04:05 +0000

I recently had another beautiful email from my glass artist friend, Lesley McIver, in Golden Bay, New Zealand. We were talking about our work and how grateful we were each day we step into our studios when she wondered if I was still doing my intuitive art. The truth is, I can’t stop doing intuitive work. It is a part of me and a part of my wholeness. Lesley was just confirming I was still on my personal path. We have been following the work of the other for many, many years now. She knows I need this work for me, but she also knows I need growth in my work for me, too. Good friends are like that aren’t they? No matter what, we encourage each other to take a hard look at the place from where we have come as well as the place we are headed while keeping the focus on the present. They allow you to fall only to be there to pick you up again. They are true gifts.

So with Lesley (and other good friends, too) in mind, I am sharing one of the pieces I have worked on recently in the studio. This is small for me, 18″ x 12″ on hardboard done with acrylics (mainly inks). It is funny with some of this intuitive work. I sometimes find it difficult to share here on the blog. It is as though I am opening myself up to the world – showing you the part of myself I hold so private. From an intellectual standpoint I know you don’t see the same things I see or feel, but emotionally I want to protect that part of me. Maybe this is also why it is a challenge to title this work, but eventually I am able to get to that aspect. Do you feel this way about any parts of your work?

I would love to hear from you on this or any other art subject. Have a wonderful weekend.

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Versailles Door

Kim — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:41:57 +0000

So this is my version of a door we passed by when Elizabeth and I went to Chateau de Versailles just outside of Paris. I have thought long and hard about this post and have decided I am not going to bore you with our photographs and my “architectural importance” dialogue. Instead, I am going to send you over to Andrea and two post by her since she went with her family just a week or so before we were there. Her posting is so detailed it is in two parts, so here is the first one and then the second. In this second post, you can see a similar door, however it is not the same door I have used as my inspiration for this little sketch.

If you are ever in Paris, it is well worth your time to head out there. The public transportation makes it very easy, but go early as the crowds soon make it a challenge just to move around the palace and grounds. Do make the effort to go out to the Le Grand Trianon and Le Petite Trianon as the bumpy train ride will be so worth it. I actually liked Le Petite Trianon better than the palace and the gardens are amazing.

I am currently working on some new things in my studio, so I need the time to head in there and to get some photographing done. I hope all of you who are heading into a holiday weekend enjoy the time with friends and family.

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Back to Paris

Kim — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:23:19 +0000

I thought I would show you this little watercolor, first. Last time I talked about how the color was a cross over point for me and you can see how I have taken some liberties with the color in this one. When I walked through this door the feeling was like walking on a cloud. I felt like an angel in this space full of calm, loving energy. It was glorious!

When we were in Paris, we also visited Notre Dame. Like everyone else, we had some lovely time on the grounds and enjoyed this amazing, cutting edge at the time, architecture. We also enjoyed the inside of which I want to show you a little bit. Now the photographs can be a challenge as there was a musical celebration going on and there are lots of people, too. But I want to give you a sense of this beautiful cathedral.

This is a view from the back looking straight up to the altar. I wish I could give you a better sense of the space, but it goes without saying that the volume is truly amazing. Can you imagine a special service here such as a wedding? The bride might need to wear hiking boots rather than heels, but the music would swell beyond belief!

This is one of the chandeliers. As you can see the light is dim, but creates the perfect ambiance.

This is one of the rose windows found in the cathedral. Would you like to see it closer? Here you go:

I love these windows so much. Like any good art, they have an incredible way of drawing you in and making you think. I find they are truly fun to study and explore throughout Europe. Where they are located within the architecture depends on the symbolism. France, by-the-way, has the largest number of medieval rose windows.

Everyone wants to go to Notre Dame, and it truly is an amazing piece of architecture. I have a soft spot in my heart for these great cathedrals of Europe as they are so inspirational in so many ways, although I am not a religious person. I am always find it is the little bits which draw me in. I also find it facinating to contrast and compare these structures in different parts of the world. Just in Europe you can begin to see the influences of the area as well as of the church. Some of them are so simple, however others are amazingly ornate!

Can you find inspiration in places (architecture) which you are not directly involved with? Is it a different kind of inspiration than the original intent of the place?

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Paris Doors Packed Together

Kim — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:15:40 +0000

Today we will go back to Paris to visit a place filled with historical reminders of famous people. As some of you know my daughter, Elizabeth, is a writer and professor of English literature. She had a major interest in going to Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise to find the graves of Oscar Wilde and Proust. Who was I to say “no” when she had been so patient with me doing my visual art thing? Anyway, it sounded rather interesting from a visual standpoint, too. So off we went way out to the outer districts of Paris! Here is a view towards central Paris from there:

This cemetery even has a resident cat. This one really knows his/her way around jumping into openings and onto graves. This is a very old place way up on a hill overlooking the city. Here the cat decides to bide time on one of the benches. I suppose climbing the hills is tough on cats, too.

We walked and we walked and we walked up hills and down hills, over cobblestones and climbing steps, for several hours looking for these graves. There are sections marked off, however it isn’t as clear to two Americans as I think it would be to the French. Finally, up the hill we went again, across the way and in the distance I spotted it. Once you are close, you can see it! Look:

Oscar is so loved. There were several people there, reading and taking photographs, too. Do you know what those marks are? Here, look closer:

Yes, the marks are lipstick kisses! There must be a million of them along with notes to the famous writer. Truly, it was a moving tribute. Do you want to know if Elizabeth and I left our own kisses to Oscar? No, the lipstick is pitting the monument (what does that say about what it does to skin?), so we did not want to add to ruin. Also, being a rather neurotic American I wasn’t willing to share those germs (although I would have considered drawing some lips). There were flowers and written words presented like this:

Which were left for the great writer. It was so interesting being able to explore this place. If you are interested, the web site is excellent and gives an amazing virtual trip. You can find a famous person’s grave and gain images right to it. One could spend days, no weeks, exploring in here. See if you can find Modigliani’s, Gertrude Stein’s or Colette’s grave. There are others, too.

Well, all of those crypt doors did not pass me by. Nope, I couldn’t help myself and had to snap a few photos and try my hand at sketching one. Now, this really looks like a door from Alice’s rabbit hole, but that would get me going on a whole other subject. In turn, that would be opening myself up to your learning about some of my more questionable humor, so we will not go there. You use your own imagination.

The truth is, it does have a rather whimsical character about it. I am not one to find cemeteries morbid or to dislike talk of moving to the next plane in life. Truly, this visit was fascinating on so many levels. Does this subject bother you? The more I look at this, the more the curvy doors appeal to me…well the whole crypt appeals to me in the way it appears to move. I guess it tells of the life beyond. What do you think? Do you want me to stop drawing crypt doors?

This was a fun adventure with Elizabeth, but we never found Proust’s grave site, before we had to move on. Well, on another trip, we will go looking again.

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Art Paper for the Door Queens

Kim — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:03:53 +0000

One thing I learned when we were in Paris is how much variety the French (or maybe the Europeans) have in art paper! I have a fetish for both pens and paper, I was in heaven in the art shops and Andrea was the perfect guide. One day she stopped by our hotel and walked with us across the river to the old Sennelier shop. What an amazing place! If you ever have the chance to visit this old art shop, do. It is an adventure you will never forget. I know I shall never forget it. The thing which struck me was the variety of papers available. Andrea told me about Moulin de Pombie paper she had used with great success, so I walked away with (paid for) a small booklet.

Here is the thing, if you ever have the chance to purchase this paper, don’t do as I did and make the purchase of a small bit, but a larger one and even sheets of the stuff! It takes liquid color like magic! I love it.

This is the very first sketch I did in this little book. I am drawing a lot of doors as Andrea and I have the Door Queen’s Project going and it is getting very exciting as we consider the impact of doors. It is also great fun. Andrea has also started some door painting (not just a doodle, mind you) which looks wonderful. We will see where this project leads each of us, but for now, we are having a great time.

I also came home with a sketchbook which I am loving made by Hahnemuhle (which I think is German). It is not for wet media, but I am enjoying the pen and ink drawings in this one.

I used the Copic pen seen in the photo to try another, looser rendition of the first Paris doors, on Rue Royale, I shared with you.

You may see these doors again, as I am working to get the sketching loose yet clear. You can see the shakiness of the line as I still struggle to let go of drawing with tools. You would think I could do this, but those nasty old brain tapes keep playing in my head! Do you have these issues? Professors chatter continuing to come back to you? In some ways, it is comfortable for me to use these architectural features and in other ways it is a major challenge. I love the psychology behind the architectural elements, so I move forward with that. I can absolutely see the challenges and the rewards of this Door Queens Project!

Now this afternoon I head into my studio, crank up the music and cut loose with some serious, free-flowing abstract work. I have lots to show you there, too! How about you? Are you finding lots of projects to keep you busy with your art? Do you consider the psychology behind the work you are doing? What are you doing which helps you feel as though you are so much more yourself when you work on it?

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Through the Door Adventure!

Kim — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:27:33 +0000

Today, I would like to invite you to step through this Parisian door of my imagination with me. Come along, let’s see who answers when we knock.

Indeed it is Claude Monet, and we thought you might like a few more views of his gardens in Giverny. Today is so beautiful and there are lots of visitors.

This beautiful cherry tree stands in the flower gardens directly connected to the house. There are Juliet balconies on the second floor (first floor, European) of the house which look out over these gardens and a beautiful flower covered porch off the first floor (ground floor, European). If you go to the end of this garden, which is a series of beds, and continue along the footpath, down some stairs and through a tunnel (going under the road), you end up in the Japanese gardens Monet made very famous in his paintings.

In this photograph, you can see a window and the roof of the house in the distance and the wonderful pond he was so fond of painting.

Here is a closer look at the pond. I thought the day was wonderful to give us this reflection gift. I am sure you can understand the famous painters obsession, too.

Would anyone like some lunch? Elizabeth and I actually treated ourselves to lunch in this setting and it was truly a feast for the tongue as well as the imagination. Can’t you just get the feeling of Claude and Alice (Camille died before Claude moved to Giverny) having lunch in the garden between his painting sessions?

I hope you have enjoyed this little adventure through my imaginary Parisian door. You just never know what you might find when you step through a door, anywhere, anytime! Do you have a special adventure a door presented to you?

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