12:37 PM: upon entering the studio this morning, i wasn’t moved to continue work on tree resting, the painting i started yesterday. more accurately, i didn’t dare. maybe after thanksgiving.
DETAIL of ny central supply
instead, i did more work on ny central supply, flipping it back to its original direction. i broke up the blue rock on top & added more blue marks to the right & left of it, added some smaller rocks on the lower left, 2 branches on the lower right & some white in the space surrounding the central image.
these meta-motion landscapes are, indeed abstracted. so rather than getting stuck on a beautiful rock or an especially successful depiction of flowing water, the eye the totality in an instant. at the same time, subtler aspects emerge over time. there are many suggestive passages constructed with a flurry of gestures. each could itself be a small painting, such as the detail you see here on the right.
and because they are a step removed from the reality of what we see when looking at the creek itself, they are open to reference and metaphor. are those female breasts; is that a dogs head or a snake? are we looking from above? is that a bear’s foot, or snout? the lessons i have learned, and continue to learn form the 10th century chinese calligrapher/painters i so often reference, and whom i often refer to as my buddies, have matured and become 21st century presences.
ny central supply 38x38” following this mornings tweak & 180 flip.