Lola Jovan Art Musings and Random Thoughts

Syncopation of Grief and Gladness

10/31/2023

"Syncopation of Grief and Gladness" - oil on paper, 21 x 21.5 Available here, at Artfinder and at Bluethumb.

Autumn is the season of ambivalence and reconciliation, soft-carpeted training ground for the dissolution that awaits us all, low-lit chamber for hearing more intimately the syncopation of grief and gladness that scores our improbable and finite lives — each yellow burst in the canopy a reminder that everything beautiful is perishable, each falling leaf at once a requiem for our own mortality and a rhapsody for the unbidden gift of having lived at all - THE MARGINALIAN

The reign of the random rabbits continues in the studio, where a fluffle of white lagomorphs choreographs a dance tribute to fall.

Syncopation of Grief and Sadness

Beginning by painting away the background

Even as the world and an abundance of unsettling, angst-invoking events and news crowd my brain and press my spirit into little boxes of anxiety, the process of imagining and creating releases the pressure and allows a deep inhale and exhale. The rabbit hole of information saturation takes a twist and turns into an expansive cavern of color and movement and paint. Oh yes.

This piece was inspired by combining the worlds of Edgar Degas and Fritz Scholder, a mash-up that delights me in a similar way to how hearing a mash-up of songs makes my heart jump gleefully.

After all, jumping is what rabbits do best. :)

Some of you have inquired about demo videos - where have they gone, you wondered?

Most of the new work is painted in stages over many days, allowing for the extended drying time between layers that oil paint requires. Let's not watch paint dry, I say!

But recently I've made a dive into alla prima (wet into wet) abstract painting, which is often "all in one go" and easier to film. Here's one just for you.

Congratulations to Susan M! Wonder Mike selected your name at random as the winner of the October Reader Giveaway. Hooray! Send your mailing address to [email protected] and your piece of original art will be on the way. Thanks to all who participated!

READER PERK ALERT!

Take 50% off any one item now through November 11 with coupon code READERPERKS50.

(The big ONCE-A-YEAR SALE begins mid-November, and this coupon lets you grab your favorite piece before anyone else even thinks about it. Hooray!)

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Rabbits Never Drove Fast

10/23/2023

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Rabbits Never Drove Fast

"Rabbits Never Drove Fast" - oil on Yupo, 17.5 x 17.5. Available here, at Artfinder and at Bluethumb.

“Rabbits never drove fast. They like to enjoy the view, didn't much care for speed and besides, it was wasteful of fuel. If you want to get somewhere a long way away, just leave early. Days, if that's required. Or, as Samuel C. Rabbit had it: 'nhffnfhfiifhfnnffhrhrfhrf' or 'to travel joyously is better than to arrive.”
― Jasper Fforde, The Constant Rabbit

The reign of random rabbits in the studio begins.

They stomp their feet, elbow out the monsters and assert dominion over the paint. Who am I to argue with assertive lagomorphs?

As it often happens, the painting revealed itself after completion. As I absent-mindedly searched for words of rabbit inspiration, I happened upon many references to this book, The Constant Rabbit. (I have not read it, but now I must!). The quote jumped out and grabbed me by the shoulders, and said LOLA! TO TRAVEL JOYOUSLY IS BETTER THAN TO ARRIVE! Rabbit wisdom was just what I needed.

Tralala (or nhffnfnfifh) off I go, traveling joyously without worrying about where I am going or if I shall ever arrive.

It's time for the October Reader Giveaway! This month I'd love to know - who is your favorite rabbit? (factual, fictional, imaginary, theatrical, whimsical, horrific, mythological ) Why? One (or more) lucky readers will receive an original piece of art just for sharing their answer here. Hooray!

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A Preponderance of Pondering

10/16/2023

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"A Preponderance of Pondering" - oil on Yupo, 19.75 x 25 inches. Available here, at Artfinder and at Bluethumb.

Tis the season for pondering.

Brisk, blustery, overcast, drizzly and growing darker as the days shorten. The monsters have left the studio to hang out at the pub, and here at Malarkey Central there remain some random rabbits and this painted lady, who claims to be the spokesperson for contemplation.

Ponderers of the world, do you feel the fall? Are your thoughts deeper, richer, more velvety as winter approaches? Are your reveries more reflective? Do you roll and ruminate, cerebrate and speculate?

A Preponderance of Pondering

Sometimes, my cogitation causes agitation. Deliberation and examination makes a conflagration of my harmoniousness. Yup, over-thinking can make a fine mess.

But channel it down the right rabbit hole and you might just find the lyrics to an as yet unwritten musical about rabbits. Which might lead to painting a passel of lagomorphs. All of whom are quite excited to meet you, dear reader. Just as soon as we complete this particular ponder.

About the art: If I haven't gushed enough about oil on Yupo, let me gush a little more. Building layers on Yupo is delicious. And carving back through those wet layers with a small rubber wedge creates the most satisfying textures and lines (for example, the highlights in her headpiece) I wanted to build the background layers to suggest but not define, to provide a slightly abstracted setting and incorporate the figure. Dragging a wide rubber wedge through the wet paint created just the right amount of line, and a little massaging of the paint with the wedge smoothed out unwanted hard edges easily. A few blops (that's a technical term, right?) of liquin-thinned red for the drips as the final touch.

There is still time to check out The Downside of Lycanthropy online and at Unlimited IPA in Portland. This guy has had a particularly hard go of it. He'd love a. hug...just as soon as he washes away the evidence. :)

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Devouring Grief

10/9/2023

6 Comments

Devouring Grief

"Devouring Grief" - oil on canvas, 15 x 30 x .75 inches. Ready to hang. Available here, at Artfinder and at Bluethumb.

Crow, devouring grief,
grows broader feathers, wide wings,
strong to soar with hope. - MARY W. COX

Our crow family at home has welcomed back Nicola (we think he is a fledgling from an earlier season), who was shunned over this year's breeding season. And the interloper (as we call a new crow) is being more and more tolerated by Rocky and Natasha. The interloper doesn't have a name yet - we shall see if they let him stick around.

In the studio, this crow was waiting for a poet. Insisting on pinks in his beak and a stark blue eye, despite my many attempts to make him fierce and monstrous. Cox's poem arrived shortly after our Lilly departed, and just after this crow was completed. I have goosebumps. Her words, this painting - a little nod and nudge from the universe.

Mary, you and the universe were in cahoots!

This piece is painted upon one of the many canvases given to me by the late Valerie Erichsen Thomson, and so is already a piece laden with the passage of time and the brevity of life. And yet, the tilt of this crow's head - is that a knowing smile?

Broader feathers, wide wings - oh yes. And some big ol' feet and long legs, please. Now you're talking.

The Downside of Lycanthropy is in full swing at Unlimited IPA in Portland, OR and right here on the website. A month of monsters, werewolves and the challenges of being very different in the modern world.

Take a gander! Add a werewolf to your own peculiar collection. I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)

Self-Control is Eclipsed By the Moon

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The Werewolf Often Dines Alone

10/2/2023

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The Werewolf Often Dines Alone

"The Werewolf Often Dines Alone" - oil on cradled panel, 18 x 24 x .75 inches. Ready to hang. Available here and at Unlimited IPA through the end of October.

He's not proud of his table manners. He can't help the mess at mealtime. If you're not particular about these things, there is a werewolf who would love your company at dinner.

October, the month of monsters, has arrived.

Here in the studio, the summer was overrun with the creation of monstrosities for this month's show at Unlimited IPA, where the owners asked me to show something a little...peculiar. Oh yes. Please and thank you.

Traditionally, monsters (werewolves, vampires, ghouls, zombies - OH MY!) are something to be frightened of, to run from - things that make you scream.

But what if, just for a change, we walk in the shoes of a monster? Do they have feelings? Are they lonely? Are they sad? Do they find joy in simple things? Are they worried about how they look, what others think, how to find friends?

The show explores the pitfalls of being a werewolf, the romantic interests of monsters and the joys of making a monster your friend. I hope it leaves you looking under your bed with a smile. :)

The Downside of Lycanthropy runs through October 31 at Unlimited IPA in Portland, Oregon and right here. Comments, feedback and goosebumps are welcome.

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Syncopation of Grief and Gladness

Rabbits Never Drove Fast

A Preponderance of Pondering

Devouring Grief

The Werewolf Often Dines Alone

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Syncopation of Grief and Gladness

Rabbits Never Drove Fast

A Preponderance of Pondering

Devouring Grief

The Werewolf Often Dines Alone

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