Wednesday, September 03, 2008


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"Blue & Red Oars" (6x4") Oil on Wood.
Just finished this small oil painting that I'm calling "Blue and Red Oars". The more I look at Andrew Wyeth's work, the more I discover and appreciate his affection for filthy surfaces. He tells the truth in his paintings, nothing saccharine sweet or hokey...instead, lots of filth and reality. Like it or not. Rembrandt did that too. Reality and truth were important to him and it shows in his work. In his early self-portrait etchings he knew he was ugly and portrayed himself with an almost humorous, self-deprecating acknowledgement. How can you not get on board with this kind of honest approach. I write this because I've discovered something about myself as an artist and art appreciator. The pictures that have always turned my head or paused my breath have been the ones that portray this honesty to some degree. I think it's why my subjects in my recent paintings are getting filthier surfaces. I didn't realize it until I scrolled through my blog. There is something really beautiful in filth.

1 comment:

Cara said...

This hadn't occured to me until you mentioned it - I quess you're right. Either way - I love the way you render surfaces. I'm slowy coming along with my surfaces - adobe/stucco. Much more satisfying now that they are getting rougher -