1:38 PM: after ging in to the post office & futzing around in the studio for a few hours, i got back into jazz 7. it now has 4+ figures, and works whichever way you turn it. as i gaze at my east painting wall, 5 paintings in the jazz series are tacked to the wall, the 6th one having been stretched & gone to the house, i see a definite progression. this one is, at the same time, more complex as a composition and simpler. it’s those unexpected marks & scrapes that bring it to a new level. not to imply anything negative about the others. i love observing the unfolding of jazz, which, in case you haven’t been following my blog posts, emerged from listening to thelonious monk. he may not have been a painter, but, in my case at least, was a painter’s muse. those pauses…here’s a quote about his style of playing: Monk’s playing style is very unique, using sparse voicings and omitting notes to add dissonance. Another distinctive element of his playing is an extremely strong time feel. His soloing usually relies on motifs and is often based on the melody of the song.
i talked yesterday about diebenkorn’s ocean park series and how it has influenced my work. you could apply that quote about monk’s style as well to diebenkorn. and here’s another quote about his work that could equally apply to what i’m now up to: “he’s scraping away paint not only to affect the surface; it’s also to affect the color.” (sarah c.bancroft)