Most Thursday afternoons I take my work off the design wall and put it up on the photo studio wall. Then after my husband takes photographs for use in my Friday post, the transfer is reversed. Although the work doesn’t change from one space to the next, I find this is a great way to bring fresh eyes to the project.
Do you recall the first time you saw one of Rothko’s color field paintings? I can’t say I do. However, I do recall being very puzzled how a large block of color, surrounded by another color was so revered. Yet now that I am making art and have immersed myself in learning about contemporary art, I find Rothko growing on me.
What is the link between new ways of looking at my work and Rothko? It hit me, this morning, that my current work, Sunrise at Minot Beach, is a color field study. Because of this eureka moment, I expect the next time I see a Rothko up close and personal, I will be able to see the subtle, calculated changes in a simple layout of color.
How about you? Who do you see unintentionally influencing your artwork? How does this enlighten you?
I am linking up with Nina Marie’s Off the Wall Fridays.
Hmmmm….
Judy Martin (Manitoulin Island, ON) and Margie Davis (formerly of Edmonton) sparked the ideas for how to work out the first piece in my 4-piece installation, “Mark on the Body”…having to do with stitching over time. And I remain fascinated by the thought process and work of the late Agnes Martin (born in Saskatchewan but had her career in New Mexico)…And there’s my affinity for Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s style…However, I am influenced more by “what” –the wide skies and the stands of aspen/poplar out here — than I am by who.
P.S. I love how your new piece is shaping up…and I continue to be fascinated by how you interpret what you see. 🙂
Margaret, your answers to my questions, invariably educate me. I realize how very few artists I know. Embarrassing to say Agnes Martin and Charles Rennie Mackintosh are both new to me. I can definitely “see” hints of A. Martin in your Mark on the Body work. Thanks for introducing them to me.
I never know precisely how a photo will evolve as I interpret with fabric. Artists have written about the importance of limits. If everything is up for a decision, then there are many, many decisions to make during the creative process. One of my limits is to use fabric from my stash. Therefore, I go for the “intent” of the orange in the photo – what is its value? Is it more toned than tinted? I don’t try to match it, just very loosely approximate it. I follow the grid provided by the block’s structure vs. the actual line in the image. The result, another loose approximation. Also, when possible, I will select 3 – 5 fabrics for the same hue, value and tint/tone combination. Gives a bit of a pointillist feel and allows for a dappled shadow and light effect.