The past few days, we've been having Severe Thunderstorm Alerts/Warnings, Tornado Watches/Warnings; and today, Flash Flood Warnings.
As I sit here this morning, listening to thunder coming out of the northeast, I'm wondering if I shouldn't be hightailing it back up to the house… not that I'm surrounded by lightning attractors or anything… like these ancient CTR monitors sitting in front of me - prolly emitting more EMF than the Los Alamos particle accelerator - and the air conditioner; and outside, the biggest elm tree you've ever seen, now soaked from top to bottom.
(GGEEeeeecht-Boom!) (That was a nice one. :) (Fun.) (It's getting closer.)
I had an interview with the editor of a small, local newspaper yesterday morning. Pretty cool. He'd spotted my art hanging downtown about a month ago and has been wanting to do an interview ever since. I've been ready, it's just that for one reason or another, it just wasn't happening through neither of our faults. This morning though, I got the call: "He's ready when you are."
"What do you hope to accomplish through your art?" (That ever-dreaded question.)
Though I think I tried to, I couldn't say… "There's a continuing interplay of existential dynamics going on: the external where our lives are experienced in the physical world, (among other people within the contexts of place and social and cultural norms); and the internal, where our perceptions and interpretations of the world around us - and of ourselves - are filtered and given meaning. By representing in some tangible way, (through my art), these universally experienced moments - as fleeting and indefinable as they may be sometimes - I hope to heighten the viewer's own awareness of self."
(Pompus?)
So I said something like, "I hope to involve the viewer in what they see, perhaps on some emotional level, you know, because he can relate."
(Nice, nice. Simple and to the point.)
The interview was an exceptionally positive experience, mostly because he's a good interviewer. (You'd be surprised how many journalists aren't.) He's also gonna send a copy of the article so if any corrections have to be made, (I doubt it) ... an unexpected and unnecessary though appreciated professional courtesy.
The article will come out next week.
Last night I remember telling a friend, "My output's been low." (Yeah, like non-existent since the 12th - when I finished Glory.) I've managed to gesso a couple canvases but that's about it. Oh yeah, I spent all day Sunday and into Monday updating my website. But that's not the problem... Recently I've been locked into thinking that if I don't have a model, I can't work on the next painting, or any number of concepts floating around in my head - all of which will make up the Exigency Exhibition - which I announced yesterday will be in mid-2008. Now all I have to do is finish the 20 to 30 canvases necessary for the show. (Five down, 25 to go.)
When I started the Exigency Project, I figured it'd be a cinch to find whatever model I needed when I needed him. But alas, the men I know who are willing and able to model have bodies that look doughy, if they're not flat-out overweight and out of shape. The next best thing would be to ask strangers, but without some type of budgeting for such a thing, I mean, who wants to model for nothing? ...Exactly.
Anyway, I started sketching, getting the 'story' out of my head and down on paper, e.g., the sketch you see above. If nothing else, the sketches will provide something to discuss with models when I find them… "This is what I want to do. " Nothing like a good well-planned session, eh? And I suppose if worse-comes-to-worse, I can always paint from imagination, though I've found that when I do that, my paintings lack the human spirit, tension, attitude, or bearing that the model brings to the session. The paintings appear 'flat' and lifeless, (if that makes any sense), even worse than when I paint directly from photographs of models I've never met - never having had the opportunity to take mental notes in the process of forming a type of association with them.
I'm thinking now I know why artists are drawn to abstractions - you can paint whatever you want without having to worry about finding the subjects to sit and arrange.
I want the next painting to be the first of the white canvases, which I've been anxious to start… all of which will represent the end of the story… all completely positive and upbeat - that stage of life I believe I've found this past year... uh, trivial, life-stuff annoyances like Severe Thunderstorm and Flash Flood Warnings aside.
(Ba-Boom!)
(Coool.)
Cheers!
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