ISOM SYMBOLIC ART

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Dans l'air fermée…and innocent parody.

Plein air painting seems to be the “ art du jour”. Plein air is a term derived from the French phrase en plein air, which literally means 'in the open air'. It's a familiar concept today, but in the late 1800s when the impressionists ventured out of their studios into nature to investigate and capture the effects of sunlight and different times of days on a subject, it was quite revolutionary. However, it is not quite so revolutionary today.

My art is called “studio art”, which is art produce in a studio setting. Studio art is not revolutionary today and it is a quaint reminder of an artist in his cluttered studio, lined with plaster busts and manikin models to help him in his academic studies.

I decided to describe my work as Dans l'air fermée. Dans l'air fermée is a French expression which means "in the closed air" and it is used to describe the act of painting/ drawing indoors. which is also called La peinture avec l'esprit ("painting with the mind” or what the minds’s eye actually sees”) This type of art, generally does not require a classical studio, photographs, copy devises etc. All you need is a computer, a few sharpies and the desire to draw objects, symbols and images from the subconscious mind.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Appropriation

Head full of truthful images...let it go!

Ink, colored pencil, felt pen drawing.

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” C.S. Lewis

Over the years I have seen many artists and teachers embrace appropriation in their art work and teaching. Copying has always been part of art education and teachers has stretched the aesthetic rules to allow using reference images. The picture file was a big part of teaching and and the commercial art world. My high school teacher had a large picture file will images that she used in her teaching. We all like to pretend that our art work evolved without “borrowing” a few elements from existing work or from printed imagery. My own work has elements of Picasso like images and symbology borrowed from art history. Some artists have built their entire career on appropriation. Google images provide thousands of images for artists to utilize with or without copyright. “Appropriation has been defined as "the taking over, into a work of art, of a real object or even an existing work of art. The Tate Gallery traces the practice back to Cubism and Dadaism, but continuing into 1940s Surrealism and 1950s Pop Art. It returned to prominence in the 1980s with the Neo-Geo artists.” Wikipedia

“Despite the long and important history of appropriation, this artistic practice has recently resulted in contentious copyright issues which reflects more restrictive copyright legislation. The U.S. has been particularly litigious in this respect. A number of case-law examples have emerged that investigate the division between transformative works and derivative works. Many countries are following the U.S lead toward more restrictive copyright, which risks making this art practice difficult if not illegal.” Wikipedia

Recently, I have been posting “ self-taught” or “raw”. It is an art that is disconnected from the everyday barrage of images and emerges from deep

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Bricks in the foundation...searching for the creative nexus.

Searching for the creative nexus. Blue felt pen. 8-1/2" X 11" 2015

The unexamined life is not worth living.

Socrates, in Plato, Dialogues, Apology

Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)

Finding the starting point for your chosen profession is not easy. We often miss the simple decisions that lend us to our place in this world. It may have been something buried deep in our subconscious or an event that was transformative. Trying to identify this elusive nexus has helped me understand more about the meaning of self and consciousness.

Very deeply imbedded in my mind is a warm memory of my Mom making small boats and hats out of paper scraps. We would sit on the floor, put on our hats and sail the boats on a sea of wooden flooring, around cliffs of furniture and landing on the edge of a carpet island. The island was patterned with lush floral images and teeming wild imaginary animals. We would travel the world and evade sinister pirates and terrible storms. That small connection to the past is imprinted on my mind. It is the basis of my interested in manipulation of material and creative imagery. Throughout the years, I would amuse my students with this simple paper folding. I would create voyages for them using nothing more than simple materials and mental creativity. We would put on our creative hats and explore the world. When I fold scraps of paper to make boats for my grandchildren, I am transported back to those wonderful adventures with my mom and students. That early exposure may have been the cornerstone of my artistic foundation. Many more creative bricks were added each year of my life.

Another brick was placed in the foundation when I was in seventh grade. My mom gave me a large scrap of brown wrapping paper and challenged me to make a picture. It was near Easter, and my mom suggested that I make a picture to celebrate Easter. I decided I would make a picture of an Easter bunny. Since I was attending Saint Mary’s Catholic grade school, my mom suggested that this secular image would not be appropriate. Undeterred by political correctness, I proceeded with the pagan symbolism. However, a simple decision changed what could have been an embarrassment into an artistic triumph. I added a basket filled with eggs decorated with Christian symbols that the bunny was offering to the heavens. The manipulation of materials and creative story telling showed me the way and solved the problem. My mom kept that picture with her for many years. She shared the picture with everyone and I remember how carefully she would unfold and spread the tattered image on the floor for all to see.

Rediscovering the bricks that support my creative mindset is an ongoing projects. Bits and pieces of images are revealed that contain codes the mind keeps under lock and key. Examining the symbols within my spontaneous drawings and paintings continue to reveal secrets from the recesses of my unconscious mind.