Why We Need Art

......In an age of politics, where entire agendas can be hidden behind words and flimsy promises, the world of art is usually pretty lucid about its intended message. Indeed, it may appear in code, contained in metaphor or symbol, but art is a language meant to speak the things that can’t be said in mere passing words. In this way, art can provide a much more honest, immediate, and multi-dimensional means of expressing what we’re sensing, allowing awareness to spread more rapidly in its outreach. Art, now more than ever, is a necessity of life. It’s here to remind us, even in these confusing and rather unstable times, that there’s a reason to press on, to follow our passions, and to celebrate. Art offers authenticity in a world of duplication, honesty in a world of deception, and subtlety in a world of heavy-handedness; art offers a glimpse into another’s soul, which in turn will give you a glimpse into your own. These, I believe, are the central reasons why we are driven to create and to appreciate the creations of others. Art is expressive, expansive and evolutive. And it is spiritual and sacred in that it leads us to a deeper, broader, more honest awareness of what, and why, we are. The arts, if they’re properly fed, can help our world avoid a crash and burn; and if they’re not fed, and we do crash, it will be the arts that lift us back up again. Why? Because whether you are artist or audience, they open a threshold through which creative energy enters our lives. This is really why we need art. Creativity is the blood of the soul.

Part of an essay by John DeMarco, FineArtonline.com
April 27, 2012

Sadie and Herb – True Fans. The newest addition to my Women’s Series : Social Observation and Commentary

The Nighthawk restaurant known as the Frisco Shop has long been a part of my life, beginning when I was a freshman at UT.  At that time, there was a Nighthawk location on Guadalupe at 20th, which was the one I frequented.  Their hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings got me through many a cold night.  My all-time favorite meal there was a chicken salad stuffed tomato.  Through the years, they've remained in my top ten as their locations grew, moved and then began closing.  Today the only one that's still open is the Frisco Shop on Burnet Road, which moved from its original location at Burnet Rd and Koenig about three years ago.  While they have expanded their selections, the old familiar menu items remain.  Their expansion allows larger groups and families to dine there.  Anyone for a 'Down South'...?

Nighthawk's Frisco Shop is literally a sea of burnt orange on game day.  People have been going there for fifty years or more, which is visually apparent as you observe the regular clientele.  Many of these 'old-timers' wouldn't hear of attending a UT football game without lunch at the Frisco first.  One couple in particular, whom I named 'Sadie and Herb', stood out by their devotion to one another and the spirit they radiated.  On the day that is depicted here, I was intently observing them...certainly not to be rude, but simply because I found them charming and fascinating.  I left the restaurant at about the same time they did, and when 'Herb' realized that I was watching them, he lifted his hand in the 'Hook 'em Horns' salute.  The spontaneity and openness of the gesture really touched my heart.  He was making an effort to connect with a total stranger...a simple gesture that spans the generations and shares common experiences, in this case around years spent at UT and what it means to be a part of 'The Eyes of Texas' tradition.

I felt totally compelled to capture this on paper, so I took my reference photos of the signs of this iconic Austin landmark, and set to work, keeping it simple.  I wanted the spirit of this couple, as well as that of the place, to be represented succinctly by 'Sadie and Herb' and the neons.  I did a drawing from memory in my little sketchbook of the couple, and later checked it for accuracy when I saw them there again.

...and here's the first sketch on Arches CP 300-lb watercolor paper...

I began by applying the burnt orange of his cap, shorts, the burger bun and the restaurant wall, then adding the green of the grass and the lettuce of the sign.  Lastly, I added the lettering on the marquee.  As you can see from the message, the Frisco Shop has stayed up with the times...

The shadow play of the neon signs was very interesting to me, as well as being an integral part of their design.  I worked hard to capture the essence of the moving image.



I let it dry, basically for a week, then added the roof and the blue sky...

'Sadie' came to life with my last painting session, along with more details such as shoes, socks, shades, shadows on the facia board, and I more clearly defined the base of the free-standing sign.  To finish, I 'grounded' them with a patch of asphalt.

May I present to you Sadie and Herb – True Fans...

Some might wonder why I would choose to depict this wonderful couple in an almost cartoon-like manner.  It's certainly not done with any lack of respect.  The style allows more leeway for my own 'editorial' expression than something done more 'realistically'.  A 'photographic' result would not allow me to convey what I see as the ageless lighthearted spirit that radiates from these two.

A new addition to my BIRDLAND USA series...

When visiting Rockport and Port Aransas, Texas, I was fascinated by the pelicans and photographed then profusely.  They are very funny birds, capable of almost human facial expressions.  When they're happy or pleased with themselves, they show it.  My newest addition to my Birdland USA series is one of those unforgettable birds.  Posing on the dock, he appears to be laughing at his good fortune in fishing that morning.

I began with a no. 10 round brush and grey watercolor to create my line drawing of this magnificent bird.  Mixing a grey-brown to capture his oily, waterproofed feathers, I began to give his body form.  I was amazed at how quickly the painting developed and how rapidly the pelican seemed to come to life...

I limited my second painting session to defining the background and adding a few details such as the birds in the sky behind my subject.  This gave the pelican center stage...

To really show the bird's expression, I had to give life to his beak and the twinkle in his eye.  Pelicans are basically shades of grey, allowing them to blend into their natural habitat.  What made this particular bird interesting to me was the vivid orange on his scooped-shaped beak.  The addition of this feature of his physiognomy made him stand out as a magnificent example of his species, a true individual character.  The wispy feathers along the back of his head and neck give him the appearance of an old, wise fisher-bird...a survivor, and proud of it.

To place him more firmly in a seascape setting, I further clarified the division between water and sky and details to several carefully-placed seagulls.  My laughing pelican is truly the master of all he surveys, happy in his domain...

The Laughing Pelican

Year of the Rooster

While I was in the process of posting the retrospective of my Zen paintings, I ran across the fact that I was born in the Year of the Rooster.  I had not painted in the free-form gesture genre in some time, and thought it would be fun to explore interpreting the lunar symbol of the year of my birth.  I wanted to create an ethereal atmosphere, and kept the background colors cool and grey.  Using a purple-brown, I made a bold, page-dominating sweeping stroke to represent the body of the rooster.  I then darkened the purple-brown stroke with black, and painted out the top corners to give the subject matter center stage.  At the end of the first session, the painting looked like this...

As a free-form painting, this was done very quickly, with decisions regarding color, form, placement and movement made instantaneously.  At this point, I left the painting and did a thumbnail sketch in pencil in a 3.5 X 5 notebook of the basic elements, as well as making a 'critical eye' photograph.  I determined that I could add a couple of gestures that would further define the subject without making it trite or overdone.  I also researched and found the Chinese character for 'rooster' and added it, along with the extra 'feathers' in Phalo Green to offset the red.  Now I felt the painting was finished.

Welcome to the Year of the Rooster...


This particular method is both challenging and satisfying.  It's challenging because of the limitations it imposes on the artist in terms of defining subject matter with a minimum amount of strokes and detail.  The speed of composition allows no time for second-guessing or corrective action.  I tend to paint rapidly, and I like to see results quickly.  This genre of painting gives me both, and is thus very fulfilling personally.

Looking back...

When teaching my watercolor creativity class, I wanted my students to explore gesture painting, without using drawing to define a form.  In creating an example, I realized the more I worked, the darker the painting became.  I kept working for awhile, and when I stepped back to analyze my progress, I saw that there were powerful forces at play.  I let the painting rest for further thought.  What I decided was that the Travis County jury on which I was serving was having a significant effect on my feelings as they manifested in my daily reality.  Emotions are a vital source of inspiration for the artist.  Thus began my journey into my 'Zen' series of paintings, where I have attempted to define these sensibilities, starting at their most basic level, giving my visual interpretation of their varied states.  This is the painting that began this exploration...

Tolerance

There's a fine line between information absorbed and that which is rejected in the process of finding one's level of tolerance in a particular situation.  I have attempted to visually depict that line of careful, conscious discrimination.

As a part of this process, I chose to use Chinese characters representing the emotion depicted within the painting.  A member of the jury on which I served had grown up in China, and was willing to calligraph a series of words for me.  Most of this series includes one of these.

Strict theological definitions aside, I see a 'state of grace' as living in enlightened peace and harmony with yourself, those around you, and the universe.  In contrast to the process of tolerance, I wanted to explore grace.  I see tolerance as an analytical process of discrimination, of paring down influences and ideas in order to get to what is 'truth'.  While grace could be defined as the ultimate level of tolerance, it encompasses so much more.  I imagine grace as being imbued with an almost blinding white light of pure clarity.  White light, to artists, is where all color originates.  As a colorist, this is truly where it all begins.

Zen : Grace


Zen : Grace II


Zen : State of Grace

Zen : Obstacles to Grace

After completing these four, I went on to give color and form to other emotional states.  I've often thought of a blessing as a gift, and felt this exploration was a gift.  The associated feelings of delight, joy and laughter followed naturally.  You will note lighter, brighter colors and forms come into play.

Zen : Blessing

Zen : Delight


Zen : Joy


Zen : Laughter

Authenticity is something toward which I have strived all of my life.  As I grew up, flashes of it would surface as points of enlightened thought.  While I would never deny the positive influences of life in a small town, I have chosen not to be limited by them, allowing myself to be open to different ways of thinking.  It's all about balance.  When I began to give Authenticity form, I specifically opted for a circular form in vibrant color.

Zen : Authenticity

In my mind, 'plenty' is synonymous with 'abudance'.  I gave it form by using the sun spiral .  It happens to be a symbol I personally like a great deal.  To me the pink color is symbolic of life-giving force.

Zen : Plenty

Strength is a quality that can be used for both negative and positive outcome.  Beyond the physical connotation, I believe that true strength comes from within, and is inherently a force for good.  Hence the value of strength of character, which can include loyalty;  strength of spirit, relating to a state of grace;  and strength of purpose, providing an individual with resolve. 

Zen : Strength

Relating closely to the qualities of strength is the concept of a hero.  We've all known heroes in our lives, whether everyday heroes or those from our history books.  They all have great lessons to share with us if we're open and paying attention.  In composing this painting, I considered several elements, including T'ai chi ch'uan (which I see not only a martial art, but a visual art form), as well as depictions I have seen of ancient Chinese warriors.  This image is one with which I really struggled, but I can see that, especially in this case, struggle is appropriate.

Zen : Hero

In closing, I want to be clear that I'm not in any way an expert in Zen philosophy.  However, I admire the qualities I have found in reading, and in other sources of information relating to Zen thought.  The simplicity of it, reducing concepts to their essence in order to better understand them, as well as myself, appeals to me.

Less is truly more.

Gerber Daisies...Spring has Sprung...!

In late February, the first to show their blooming faces were the Gerber Daisies.  The cadmium red-orange is my favorite color, and I photographed them to savor their glory and to use as a reference:

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to capture their vibrant color on paper.  Using a wet-on-wet watercolor method, I dropped in color to start the process and allow the shapes to emerge:

Red and green are opposites on the color wheel, and I felt the tension between them, so after looking at it for several days, I decided to soften the shadows and cool the painting by adding ultramarine blue.  I also decided at this point that, compositionally, it didn't work...so I cut it into three pieces.  I was fairly happy with the resulting three paintings, as I felt that they worked better than they had as a whole.  The original left side of the painting yielded two quarter sheets:

I continued to work on these as individual paintings, neutralizing the blue shadows with a burnt umber glaze.  The changes are subtle, but I feel they're effective, and I'm much more satisfied with the results.  These are the finished versions:

I continued to work on the right half of the original composition.  I thought that it needed to be warmed up, so I added other flowers from the garden, bringing orange, yellow and rust into the mix, finishing the painting.  Then I hung it and photographed it to do my usual 'eye-edit'.  After looking at it for a couple of days, I still felt slightly frustrated with the design elements, so I cut this half in two as well, winding up with four from an original single work.  Here are the results:

So...if anyone asks me 'How does your garden grow?', I can reply 'With silver bells and cockel shells, and Gerber Daisies all a-glow...!'

Inspiration for 'Wave up to the Shore'

When my friend Larry Looney asked me to consider creating a CD cover for his album of Irish and Scottish ballads, I was flattered.  Having never been to Ireland, I set out to research and glean photos from friends and Irish Tourism on-line.  Larry talked to me about the atmospheric look he desired, and I had him cut several pieces of watercolor paper in the dimensions of the cover.  I did a preliminary watercolor sketch that I didn't like, and decided as a warm-up exercise that I would do full-sheet watercolors of the Irish coast.  The first to be completed was The Emerald Isle.  I kept it loose and focused on the colors of the shoreline.  I think the cloudy sky really makes the colors 'pop'...!

The Emerald Isle

I hung it up for the editing process, and began the second large watercolor of a small house nestled by a creek near the shore.  The creekbed gave me rigors, as it was difficult to make it 'read' correctly in the eyes of the viewer.  I think I got it right.

Irish Fishing Cottage

For the third painting, I chose as a photo reference a dramatic view of the beautiful Mountains of Moher as they 'run down to the sea' (as the old song by Percy French goes).  I loved the vibrant colors of the minerals within the rocks, exposed by the drop-off to the ocean.  Because of the details in the topography, this one required significant drying time between painting sessions.  That gave me the opportunity to begin to work on a series that led to the actual CD cover.  At this point, I wasn't sure how the large paintings were going to be used, or, if indeed they would be used at all.

The Cliffs of Moher

In the meantime, I was looking through old photographs I had taken for painting reference purposes, when I spotted a panoramic shot of Santa Cruz from a beach, near the Monterey Peninsula.  Amazingly, the mystical colorization of the land, sea, sky and figures was just what Larry had in mind for the cover.  I suggested he use the photograph, which he considered.  He decided to go with his 'purist' instincts and held out for a fourth watercolor.  This took some work.  I did it as a miniature from the start, being the actual size of the CD booklet cover,  and it took several months to evolve.  Patience paid off, and we were both well-pleased with the result.

Wave up to the Shore

...and here's my photograph, which served as a reference for the painting...

Santa Cruz Sunset

As you can see, I 'Emerald-ized' the landscape in order to give the painting a more vivid 'sense of place', in tune with the Irish theme.  We actually used the left side of the photo for the rear tray of the CD, and it works very well as a background for the song titles and other printed information.  The colors of the photograph and the cover painting compliment each other so well that some people have, on first glance, thought that one was a continuation of the other.

I am very proud of the creative results, and of being a part of this endeavor.  Larry's music is beautiful, and I thought you might enjoy hearing an example from the album.  The song is 'Kilkelly', named after a town in Ireland (Cill Cheallaigh in Gaelic), in Co. Mayo.  It was written by two Americans, Steven and Peter Jones, and is based on letters from their great-great-grandfather, Bryan Hunt, to his son John, their great-grandfather.  As Bryan was illiterate, the letters were actually written by the local schoolmaster, Patrick McNamara, who had been a friend of John's.  Its haunting lyrics and melody are overwhelmingly melancholy, like so many things about Ireland and its people.  To hear the song, simply click on the orange arrow below...



The next time I paint the Cliffs of Moher, it will be on location on the Emerald Isle...!