"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." -Henry Ford
"Art comes into being in that abstract interval between a thought and reality, and no one - not even the artist who created it - can remeasure the influences that caused it." -Edgar A. Payne
When the Art Monthly blog was born in early July, it was my intent to post once or twice a month. Those of you who signed up through email or RSS feeds to automatically catch wind of new posts maybe wondered what happened to me in August. I have no alibis for my bloggerfailure and, in reference to myself, can only refer you to the first of the two quotes above. Note that I'll try to exhibit better consistency from here on out.
As for the second quote, it's one I keep coming back to over the last few years. When people ask where I get my inspiration from (or ideas, color schemes, etc.), Payne's observation personifies the answer I want to give: "I don't know exactly - I can't remeasure the influence that caused it". It's not a cop-out and its not being vague, smug or sophisticated. To me, this notion is what makes solid works of art so special - the idea that even the artist who creates an excellent work cannot duplicate it with the same feeling, force and success. Also - inspiration is fleeting and we must catch it and work with it when it hits us (where it came from is often quickly forgotten in the experimentation that follows). Edgar Payne was an early 20th century California-based painter whose landscapes and writings have influenced my work.
Earlier this Summer I began experimenting with a new way to "frame" oil paintings. When it all came together however, the result was not so much "differently framed paintings", but a new kind of mixed media work. The new work had its debut in the Park City Arts Festival in August, and the questions from the enthusiastic crowd began to fly: "where did you come up with this idea?", "how did you think of this?", and the like. It wasn't until I was actually finalizing these new works in the wee hours of the morning before the show that I realized this was really mixed media rather than just a new framing twist. Take a look:
"Still Standing" Oil and Cork over Frosted Plexiglass 12" x 12"
"Father and Son" Oil and Cork over Frosted Plexiglass 12" x 12"
"The Line Up" Oil and Cork over Frosted Plexiglass 12" x 12"
Looking back, I can't put a finger on where this idea developed. I knew that I wanted to try something new and at the same time, relate it to what I already do with my landscapes. If I had to give credit to something in my past for coming up with the idea of using exotic cork species, it would have to be seeing cork installed as wall tile and flooring in some of the commercial construction projects I used to manage a decade ago. The plexiglass just seemed to be the output I got from all of the mental experiementation I did once I got thinking "what would I put cork on?"
The results are not so much "oil paintings with a cork frame", but a mixture of oil and cork and frosted plexiglass that all work together in a completely new kind of art. The most interesting thing to me was that, just prior to mounting the cork, I realized that the cork surrounds I cut didn't fit the painting any old way. The markings and the character of the individual pieces of cork (as well as the color and species) affected the overall composition, and consequently, had to be rotated around the painting in order to find the right fit. Additionally, the cork surrounds are so individual in character, that they ended up being just as much a part of the whole as the painting in the center. I want people to notice the beauty of the cork as much as the painting inside. It's not about competition between a "frame and a painting", rather movement and visual interest.
In the end, it turns out that those who see this new work seem to love staring at it just as much as I enjoyed creating it, so the artist's enthusiasm lives on in the work and people are feeling it. These three "corks" as I have come to call them have all sold. But I have just updated my website to include ones that are still available. If you'd like to see some of the others - click here: Scott's Corks, or click the link to my website in the upper right corner of the blog.
Go ahead and post a comment if you'd like.
It's early September, and I must get outside!
PS - I have placed the Blog link on my website as promised in July's post. You can access the blog now directly from the website from the horizontal menu bar!
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