No.13 Six by 6 x six
In which choosing between representational or abstract is abandoned in favor of letting boundaries bleed and blur
You’re going to see what you want to see, anyway. It’s all Rorschach.
So, taking the decision to ignore the need for a decision frees me up to let the ink and water lead the way. That’s not to say I don’t impose myself on it; clearly I do. Yet I’m trying to do it less— leaving my rational brain out of the room when I paint leads down far more intriguing paths and byways.
The six little paintings above were the ones (of nine) that survived to tell the tale. Four of them are bound for Rochester Contemporary Art Center’s annual 6X6 fundraiser, wherein artists are invited to donate four 6" square works, to be shown and sold in the gallery space and online. Each work is priced at an eminently reasonable $20, meaning they sell a lot! And raise both funds for and awareness of the Art Center. A worthy undertaking, and one I enjoy participating in each year.
Following the 6x6 ink session last weekend, and more today in the concertina book shown above, I decided it was time to freshen up the piece of luan* that protects the surface of my desk. Spring cleaning in the studio on a Saturday of rain rain rain rain rain. ‘S looking very nice now— and inviting of further ink play. Because it strikes me that perhaps… it’s rather too clean now. Looks more like a set; surely it’s a ruse. Makes one question whether anything at all gets made in this studio!
Splashing about with ink and water has been extra fun the past few weekends, feels indulgent. This is because I have other art to-dos that I’ve been neglecting. I have new things to photograph and add to my shop— not the sort of admin I’ve been in a mood for. Instead I’m spending time editing some bits of footage of my inking-in-progress. I’ve been toggling between that and this while I await test renders.
As such, below is a short video of some of said messing-about-with-ink-and-water from today (sound on for some Mozart). This by way of mentioning that I have a Youtube channel, where you can view more of my paintings-in-process if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
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*Luan is apparently also sometimes spelled lauan.
(Noun) A flexible thin plywood used for covering flats, also known as “doorskin.” (Aaand now I’ll be looking for any possible opportunity to slip the word doorskin into casual conversation.)
According to the internets, its use is declining because it’s sourced from environmentally unsustainable resources in the Brazilian rainforest. Full disclosure: I did not buy this piece of luan; it was a sidewalk find that I originally intended to use to make painting panels, but as evidenced, it proved much more useful as a doorskin† in the studio— or in this case, a deskskin.
Thanks for reading; as aimless and meandering as this has been, it has been enjoyable to write, and I hope you’ve likewise enjoyed reading it. As always, if you have and queries or comments, hit me up in the comments, or by replying to the email if that’s how you’re reading it.
x Liz
† Told you so.