Friday 12 September 2014

Observation # 16 Sept 01 2014

                     Oct 4 2014
    I know not what this form of correction should be called, for it is 'out' of the order in which such changes are likely done. (of that I know not as well)-Just call it a correction-
That correction is of the titles of the Attic paintings.While doing them, I was reading Alexander Pope-different things by him. I came across a sentence which seemed to sum up,for me, what those paintings had to say.
     Seeing many of those objects in my initial experience in the Attics -the treasures and 'junk' collected in a lifetime of the possession of things, seemed to suggest that attitude than people retain, even over an extended period of time, that should enlighten them, namely that one can 'go back', that one can and may ring that bell again, or put on those shoes, or read that book. Alas we seldom do. We do not know what the future holds
but it seems that some hold out a vague hope that those objects which once brought them pleasure  may do so again.Alas they seldom do. 
     The line in Pope's work :"heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate" seemed like a good title, so I borrowed it. For some reason while getting things ready for the Co Op display I completely forgot that I had borrowed that title. 
     By the way Pope considers it a gift from God that we do not know the future.

  As of today (Oct 4) the pictures (I like calling them that -it seems to remove all pretentiousness!) are all hanging and I am left to wonder how others see them-just curiosity- I have long ago given up asking others to note their comments... I will jump to the end of this post to put in a few Pictures of the wall at the Co Op.

 
               Today, the first day of September, feels like the hottest day of the summer.
 I'm returning to this little game because I have made a significant change  to Post #11's Barn.
   That change came about after I returned from a visit to a couple of old Art College pals. I visited with Al
and Dave and on the first day of our get together I did a painting Pleine Aire (on the spot).
Of course I didn't finish it- but when I returned home, the small landscape, done near Stirling (which is near Belleville), seemed to be worth tinkering with- so I did, and am not displeased with the results.
               The next day- that would be two days ago as of today-Ruth and I stopped at a garage sale and I got 6 slightly used Picture frames-they are the sort of old fashioned things with a canvas liner and a gold line around the inner edge. I know they are not fashionable but I don't really care- they work for me.
        On the same day I held up the Barn in Blog 11 and thought :"why not? " I can cut it down and rework some of the parts I find  poorly done and put it in one of my new old frames and partially solve my problem of what to put up in the Artist's Co Op Gallery as the Guest Artist for the month of October.
      Until that moment I had no idea concerning what I would offer the Co Op gallery to display. Now I do.
It will be 5 or 6 small 'framed' barn paintings-one big one(the one seen in another blog), and the painting of the 'Round Barn' which is in Ripley...as well, the two 'Attic' Paintings.
     Also, I'll include the Pleine Aire work from Stirling (which has a small very distant barn in it!).

So now to work at the three new works for the next 3 weeks. I will post them here but I will not be spending too much time making written Observations. We are heading for Ottawa on the 23rd and I have to have 
works ready for the Gallery by Sept 30.
                                                Original...I forget what I titled it-
                               was it Barn #1 2014? with 'hard 'edges to the white clouds
the re-worked version with the cloud edges softened
and some colour adjustments.


This is the location of the on the spot study near Stirling 

after some additional work and a reduction in size...

this detail is closer in colour to any of the others,and shows the 3
small trees (bushes) in the bottom left that I thought pulled the eye out 
of the bottom corner.......so....

I painted them out -presto -gone

The final thing-call it: Barn near Stirling

Drawing in a reddish Purple colour on Panel for: 'Barn #2 2014'
some colour added
some Value 7 neutral gray added
with mostly values 7 and 8 added to light areas
both of these are poor indications of the colour- 
some local colour added..... contemplating what to do with the sky....
 some blue and violet added to sky area

there were a lot of changes made in the two weeks I worked on this(while working on the other 2
which are coming up)-but this is fairly close to what it looks like in the frame


Call this one 'Barn #3 2014' also on 11 X 14 masonite panel
When I started to put some warm washes over the drawing I was reminded
of the hand tinted Black and white photographs I experimented with using oil paint-
that feels like it was a life time ago!
...and I resolved to make this one Monochrome.
once more the colour is ... about half way between these two
and yes... it's not quite monochrome
thew slight haziness is due to the layer of varnish-  guess I should get a filter to avoid that

The final one is the same barn, same size, same materials -just a different season-
the grass showing through the snow is not nearly so warm in colour
Yes, I forgot ,by this time to take pictures, -started to seem rather unnecessary but
 "you get the Picture" (sorry)

The last photograph 'was' going to be the last-but I might as well add some other not very good pictures of 
some works that might be in the Owen Sound Artist's Co Op Gallery in October.

This is from the Big Barn door in the barn at in Minto Glen, before we made it into a
 Studio for Ruth's Pottery  

Attic#3 with Trap Door(yep that's the Title) 

                This one is another attic in a series of the interiors of old buildings. I really did find these places
and started with the structures seen here but added stuff over the years-I used to think of these places as Stage Sets and they would have made great ones-the Ghosts were the silent actors and I, the Observer-
the audience of one.This one is titled  :Attic #4 with Window                                            
 I guess that's it for now
-Now back to my Uncle's War Diary Project -  the text is from about 190 Diary entries that were taken from the 528 entries Mike made over the years he kept the Diary.
I will not be  putting the progress of that project on this Blog- it is too time consuming
to you who enter here- all the best 

this is the corner of the space in the Co Op Gallery
this is the entire space.....
and this is why it is almost 'silly to hang something
with it's center about nine feet above the floor.
...impossible to find Pope's quotation written in the Book of Fate in the lower right corner 



1 comment:

  1. Brian, you and I have been dancing/writing partners for many years and I continue to be utterly astonished at your art work. It is breathtaking and I so want to spend an afternoon in one of your attics, working my way through what is there. Thanks for sharing--and for continuing to dance with me.

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