2:09 PM: i worked on the lacemaker until about half hour ago, when it became far too dark. i took it slow and kept evaluating and making sure i wasn't destroying the delicate balance. i think it worked. this is the first time i feel it may be resolved. there is no longer a split between the top and bottom portions.
the characteristic dots of light, which appear in most of vermeer's paintings, are important elements here. vermeer's original painting is about 10x8." on this larger scale: 48x24" his tiny dots of light are more prominent, creating a kind of syncopated rhythm akin to a jazz riff. they can be seen more clearly in the details, below.
as the image dissolves into abstraction in the lower portion, one is reminded that this painting, indeed the entire series, is a riff. the scumbled, painterly gestures; the time worn look of something old that might remind us of graffiti....
i think vermeer's greatness lies in part in the capacity of his paintings to transcend time. a 17th c. lacemaker hurtles through time and space. specific cultural references fly apart and all that remains is pure painting. which is really all there was in the first place!
12:15 PM: the blues and reds in the bottom portion of this painting, which i revised yesterday, needed to be "pushed back," which i just did. i may work back into that area in a moment, but very selectively.it's close, but not yet there.