shiny objects
On any given day I have a half dozen things I'd like to post about, but being an intellectual magpie, my follow through is pretty hit-and-miss. Mostly miss. Today is one of those days when I have a handful of things to share and to hell with fully-formed ideas. I promise some art, though.
The best movie I've seen this year by far is the perfect, small, low-budget Irish music film, Once, made last year and with a trunkful of awards to its credit. I just loved it, not the least because of my recent obse--er--interest in playing guitar. I wanted to watch it again immediately. Check out the trailer. Here's a musical clip to get you down to the video store:
And speaking of music, I hit The Big Time a couple of days ago when a CBC Radio 2 Blog article linked to my post on Stephen Fearing. The fact that I have a secret crush on Mr F made it doubly sweet. (D'oh!)
OK, call me morbid, but this morning, while performing my short-order cook routine, I was watching the morning news and was tickled senseless to hear that a fourth foot has washed up on an island in British Columbia's Georgia Strait. I love the mystery surrounding this apparently ongoing story, and each time it happens I rack my brain trying to figure out how to Make Art from it. Ideas anyone?
But back to more mainstream art, with the early stages of a 16" x 20" painting-in-progress I'm doing of Nadine's house in North Carolina. The grass has been more of a challenge this time than usual but now that it's mostly done I should fly through the rest, that is, providing distraction by shiny objects are kept to a minimum ~ so everyone, stop posting on your blogs. I have work to do.
The best movie I've seen this year by far is the perfect, small, low-budget Irish music film, Once, made last year and with a trunkful of awards to its credit. I just loved it, not the least because of my recent obse--er--interest in playing guitar. I wanted to watch it again immediately. Check out the trailer. Here's a musical clip to get you down to the video store:
And speaking of music, I hit The Big Time a couple of days ago when a CBC Radio 2 Blog article linked to my post on Stephen Fearing. The fact that I have a secret crush on Mr F made it doubly sweet. (D'oh!)
OK, call me morbid, but this morning, while performing my short-order cook routine, I was watching the morning news and was tickled senseless to hear that a fourth foot has washed up on an island in British Columbia's Georgia Strait. I love the mystery surrounding this apparently ongoing story, and each time it happens I rack my brain trying to figure out how to Make Art from it. Ideas anyone?
But back to more mainstream art, with the early stages of a 16" x 20" painting-in-progress I'm doing of Nadine's house in North Carolina. The grass has been more of a challenge this time than usual but now that it's mostly done I should fly through the rest, that is, providing distraction by shiny objects are kept to a minimum ~ so everyone, stop posting on your blogs. I have work to do.
posted by andrea at 9:36 a.m.
22 Comments:
just about nothing makes me happier than seeing your work in progress. i am amazed!
oh, and of course, hello to you.
:)
Entertaining post magpie. Grass looks greats, worth all the time spent, it will be a lovely painting!
Having out of town guests lately, I've discovered BC is often known in other parts of Canada for it's stunning beauty and...serial killers. Although I've a theory the foot might be a twisted mortician's need for 15 minutes of fame (better that than the alternative).
The painting is looking wonderful.
Bizarre about the foot.
Love the underpainting on this! (And the grass!)
Okay Ms Morbid if it makes you happy...
Isn't it great that your guitar has made it to Stephen's blog... shame the posting was by an Angela Brown... a Brown Angel?
I hear the mystery. "The Fourth Foot":) Would make a great mystery crime, no?
The painting is going to be great, thanks for showing us the process here. love the way you did the grass. And oh, the house looks so beautiful, with it's different volumes.
Awesome. Can't wait to see the finished product. The underpainting alone is pretty funky. May seem like a foolish question but why pink?
KJ: Happy to oblige and hello to you, too.
Ellen: I know! I just discovered recently that nearly all of Canada's most heinous crimes of the past 25 years have occurred here. So much for living in paradise.
Jan: Thanks -- and it's totally intriguing, isn't it?
Dinah: And so little of it will be in the final painting...
Caro: The Brown Angel is the webmaster. People of Substance don't do their own techy work.
C'estandrea: Just what I was thinking.
Melody: The colour is actually darker than it appears when flash photographed -- slightly more purple. The house is going to be yellow and there's lots of green surrounding it, so I chose that as a good complementary to both. Doing the underpainting in a complementary colour gives it a little more punch.
Severed feet? creepy...
I'm fascinated by your painting technique!
This is so cool to get to see this in progress. I love it already :-)
i thought it was funny that even though the first three feet were all right feet, it's speculated that these feet are all from drowning victims...because you know, fish hate to eat right feet. the rest of the body, yum! right feet, gross! toss those suckers ashore!
what are you using to create the white lines in your art in progress?
Cynthia: And I thought art making wasn't a spectator sport. Actually, that gives me an idea for a post...
Nadine: Whew!
Lah: Ha! I know -- it is the weirdest story and I really hope there's no logical explanation. I draw the white lines with conte -- a little spit gets rid of them at any point in the process, which is great (euw) and it goes on great over acrylic paint.
I really enjoyed "Once" as well - such fun, spontaneous sounding music. I was pleased that it did so well.
I'm having a hard time picturing appealing art based on washed-ashore-severed-feet... (which is incredibly strange... Where'd the rest of the body/parts go?) but if it makes you happy....?
How did you decide to do the background this way? I love the color. This might be my favorite of your work yet. Beautiful!
my boss called me Lah by accident once in a note and it became a nickname. :-)
thanks for the conte tip!! i love to spit on my art!
One thing I can say is that your posts are never dull. ;)
A foot heh!
Love when you show works in progress. You are going to show the rest right?
Tara: Who said anything about 'appealing' art! :)
Deborah: Thanks -- but there are major changes coming! (I hope you like it then.) See my response to Melody above. I will write more about my process in my next post.
Leah: oops. I'll call you Lah from now on, shall I? :)
Toni: Nah. I thought I'd just leave you hanging. :)
Gorgeous! Thank you for showing the work in progress. Oh, and thank you for keeping me abreast of all the important news in the world. I didn't even know about the first three feet.
Well, I can think of quite a lot of "art" that deserves to be spat on! Not yours, though.
And re the foot....how about one of your 12"x12" gallery wraps titled "A Square (Spare?) Foot"?
Oh, alright, I clearly haven't had enough coffee yet!
Another blogger recommended that movie "Once" a while back and we rented. I agree. It's pure magic and I was thrilled to see those talented young musicians win an Oscar for their work.
Congratulations on your fame with your post on Stephen Frearing.
With regard to the feet: Shudder. Maybe you can adorn the painted lawn of Nadine's painted house with severed feet?
I love seeing your progress in this painting. Do consider the foot angle. Not.
Kiki: I am bearer of ALL the most important news in the world. Severed feet are far more important than Paris Hilton's wardrobe and Hillary Clinton's political demise after all.
Dinah: Groan. Need I say more? (She says while secretly gessoing up a 12" x 12" canvas...)
San: The thrill at being on the CBC website was tongue-in-cheek, but not my thrill at being on Stephen's. And you are wicked. If the painting wasn't already finished... :)
I hadn't heard of the "feet" but my first thought is that people always want to go somewhere, take a journey, do some soul searching, but we rarely ever do. It made me think that our feet get so fed up with our head and they just go and leave on their own, you know, a journey leads with a single step sort of thing. Just me, rambling away.
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