I slipped away last weekend to the beach, Chincoteague. Chincoteague, a native american word for the "beautiful place across the water" is a wonderful place filled with wild ponies and absolutely no development. The beach has nothing just 18 or so miles of endless sand. It is called Assateague (native american for the marshy place across. )
I confess I laid on the beach and reread my copy of Like Breath on Glass,Whistler and Inness and the art of painting softly. I painted a little (this is one), memorized a lot, but basically it was two solid days, enjoying my husband's company (without my computer!)
Back to the painting part. On Sunday, when I painted this I was thinking about all the words in the book. Here is a quote from the book," Inness and Twachtman insisted that the beginning artist fully understand the underlying structures and systems of nature, the insisted "strict and sober facts."Having achieved this mechanical skill, the artist was ostensibly ready to edit and interpret what he saw and experienced. His skill of rendering the facts of nature had to be subjected to his own particular temperament or creative talents, to what one artist described as his power "of selection, of arrangement of taste." Artists called this marriage of realism and individual interpretation a synthetic style as compared to the analytical style of the HRS or any other school of realism. As Inness put it, a painting must possess "both the subjective sentiment-the poetry of nature- and the objective fact."
Possess both, sentiment and fact. That is the goal. Balance.
11 comments:
Lovely painting, as always, Loriann; your paintings are so wonderfully atmospheric. Years ago, I visited Chincoteague and Assteague, and aside from the mosquitos, really enjoyed it. There is something I find intriguing/appealing about marshes, and your painting definitely captures that!
Love the quote! And so true - that mechanics must first be achieved before artistic interpretation and expression can come forth. That was absolutely true when I was doing sculpture as well.
Good quote. Sounds like I'll look at that book, too, some day.
These past two works are beautiful. That oil from the other day - I thought it was a pastel.
Love the underlying structure and the color harmony in this one. You described that piece of land very well. The quote makes perfects sense. It's so simple, isn't it?
Pretty good for a balanced mechanic!
Beautiful colors and strokes.
Hi Sonya! Thank you about the painting. And I am glad that you liked the quote.
Regarding Assateague, the mosquitoes are a good thing, they keep the beauty from being overpopulated and too popular. They really are only there sometimes. It depends on the wind. If the wind is off the land you are in BIG trouble, off the sea, no problem.
Hi Casey, That book is an excellent one, I highly recommend it.. I am glad you thought that one painting from the other day was pastel..that's a very good thing.
Hi Nika, It is so simple..in a way ;-)
Hey Sam!!!! A balanced mechanic...my aim in life.
hi Becky and thank you very much1
Such a tough balance to get!! I really think you get that.
Well you deserve some time on the beach too. :)
Hi Karen, tough is right.the eternal search. the beach WAS splendid!
What a fantastic painting, I especially like the light in the water inlet. You lead such a romantic artist's life Loriann it is a pleasure to open your blog posts each day.
Very lovely, and I also really like that book. This has such a dreamy quality to it, and a lot of feeling, especially knowing the story that goes with it.
Hi Caroline, thank you so much about the painting!I am delighted that you like checking my blog each day!
Hi Jala!
The book is wonderful, I read it again and again.I am happy to hear you find it appealing as well. it's funny how it soothes and excites at the same time! Thanks about the painting!
Post a Comment