The weather was lousy this morning so I stayed inside and worked on not being so uptight. With these still life paintings I am deliberately (and at times desperately) trying to make something interesting out of something I find not-so-interesting. Exact likeness of these blocks wouldn’t be very interesting to me so I’m trying to describe them a little more poetically.
The first one wasn’t heading in the direction I wanted so I quit and started again.
Second one was a little better.
I still prefer my drawings to my paintings so I’m trying to push these more towards those, and the painting I’m seeing in my head still isn’t quite coming out yet. A lot of that may be from relying too heavily on my observation. I think I need to try doing some drawings and then not doing a painting until I’m able to turn away from the subject and only paint from the drawings. Drawing is not about how things look but about how you look at things. My painting isn’t there yet and I’m doubting I have the ability to get it where I want it. I need to draw more.
So interesting to watch your process. I’m curious why you are deciding to paint something that is not interesting to you rather than something that is. Just wondering….
When I say it’s something I’m not interested in I mean the thing specifically as a thing. Like, I’m not all that interested in Lego blocks or toys. I’m not interested in most of the still life objects I’ve been painting as things. They’re mostly garbage and I’m not trying to make any kind of environmental statement. They have shapes that interest me. There’s something, some aspect or characteristic, that I do find interesting (a shape or color maybe). I’m trying to create some added interest in these things (at least for myself) or accentuate the qualities that I am attracted to. I am not choosing things that are completely devoid of visual interest. There has to be something there for me to build on or exploit. I want to learn how to exploit those aspects better. I want to be able to take some old milk cartons or bottles out of my recycling bin and use their shapes to make an interesting image. I don’t want antiques or anything beautiful or specific to begin with. I’m not trying to make paintings to sell with these. These aren’t for a market necessarily. I’m trying to learn something. Mundane subjects have enough potential for what I’m trying to explore.
I see so many people painting subjects or themes that interest them and they typically paint them in such a way that it’s hard for me to “get in” unless I too share a similar interest. They seem generic to me without a similar shared interest. I’m sure an art marketing seminar somewhere told them all to focus on a market but failed to suggest they work first on making good paintings. Right now I’m just not interested in a market. I don’t think I’m ready for that. I want to make better paintings. I’m more interested in the ‘how’ than the ‘what’. I want my painting to be more about painting (and itself) than about the subject depicted. A beautiful painting or drawing to me doesn’t have to be of a subject inherently beautiful or interesting. Typically for me it’s more about how the subject was handled than the subject itself. I’d like to be more of a poet than a niche painter.
Thank you, Hank, for your well thought out explanation. I am always interested to see what you are doing and learn more about your underlying thought process!