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Mild Euphoria

4/4/2018

8 Comments

 
Picture


​"Mild Euphoria" - mixed media on paper, 15" x 11".  Ready to frame.  Available here and at Artfinder.

The last of the visitors are gone.  The house is quiet, the cupboard is bare.  My heart is full of laughter, late nights and adventure with some of the best people on earth.  But now it is time to paint!

This piece began as one of the small starts from the Pat Dews workshop.  It really didn't have any direction, so I decided to seek inspiration from one of the greats - Diebenkorn.

I spent hours with one of his paintings (well, a photo of one of his paintings.  Wouldn't a Diebenkorn on the wall make my house magical?)  And then a little time learning about the man himself.  You can't read about Diebenkorn without stumbling across a list of unusual rules...
Notes to myself on beginning a painting - Richard Diebenkorn. 
  1. Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion.
  2. The pretty, initial position which falls short of completeness is not to be valued - except as a stimulus for further moves. 
  3. Do search. But in order to find other than what is searched for. 
  4. Use and respond to the initial fresh qualities of the paint but consider them absolutely expendable. 
  5. Don’t “discover” a subject - of any kind. 
  6. Somehow don’t be bored but if you must, use it in action. Use its destructive potential.
  7. Mistakes can’t be erased but they move you forward from your present position.
  8. Keep thinking about Pollyanna.
  9. Tolerate chaos.
  10. Be careful only in a perverse way.

I am secretly delighted by some of these....perverse carefulness is intriguing!  As is using the destructive potential of boredom.   Chaos, now, that is a steady state in my studio and in many of my paintings.  It is certainly the state of my calendar.  "Attempt what is not certain" - this is a call to ADVENTURE and EXPLORATION!  Oh yes!  My heart sings at that one.

And so, this little piece, following some of these rules on top of a workshop start, leaves me a little giddy and mildly euphoric.  Can one be just a little euphoric?  Perhaps that makes me just a smidgeon Pollyanna. :)
​
8 Comments
Dotty Seiter link
4/4/2018 10:56:46 am

Jen, your post title/painting title made me laugh and feel curious before I even got started! Perfect!

And then, Diebenkorn, of whom I am aware but really only minimally. Loved reading all the unruly rules! JUST what I needed this morning!

Your application of same: exquisite and inviting.

Reply
jen
4/4/2018 11:22:56 am

Dotty! Thank you! Unruly rules! Just what we both needed today!! xo

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Risa link
4/4/2018 01:18:22 pm

Tolerate chaos!!! That must become my motto!

Reply
jen
4/4/2018 02:40:48 pm

A wise motto for us all, Risa! xo

Carol Edan link
4/7/2018 01:57:32 am

Thanks for the RULES! I love Diebenkorn's work. I can relate to many, "careful in a perverse way" has me stumped a bit. Love you abstracts! That lt. blue seems to shine, echo to your euphoria!

Reply
jen
4/7/2018 08:50:21 am

ooooooh thanks, Carol! "careful in a perverse way"...could mean not really careful at all, I suppose. Maybe we would think of it as not being precious with our art?

Reply
Carol Edan link
4/7/2018 09:21:30 am

Looked up perverse synonyms... some I liked were: obstinate,stubborn, rebellious,pigheaded, and unyielding.

jen
4/7/2018 10:01:42 am

carefulness in a pigheaded way...hmmmmmm

Reply



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