Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
morning rituals II: I make up a dance. I wake up my partner and show it to her before I leave the house. Then she goes back to sleep.
As I watch all of the people flooring gas petals and scurrying across streets to get where they're going in the morning, I like to think that they've indulged in some ritual before they left the house to work all day. One of these days I'll ask them what their ritual is. I'll ask the neighbor who juggles 3 briefcases as she locks her front door. I'll roll down my car window and ask the man in traffic next to me, and the parking enforcement officer in the lot at work.
This is what I think they'll say.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
morning rituals I: I wake up my toes
As I watch all of the people flooring gas petals and scurrying across streets to get where they're going in the morning, I like to think that they've indulged in some ritual before they left the house to work all day. One of these days I'll ask them what their ritual is. I'll ask the neighbor who juggles 3 briefcases as she locks her front door. I'll roll down my car window and ask the man in traffic next to me, and the parking enforcement officer in the lot at work.
This is what I think they'll say.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
simple thought births a painting
a woman said to me yesterday;
to quit filling up the spaces in my mind.
so i let the spaces be like cavities
and then
like a yawn.
and soon
there wasn't any difference between the empty spaces and everything else that was brimming and bursting.
and the spaces unfurled like this.
and like this.
and like this.
and the only thing naming them was me.
to quit filling up the spaces in my mind.
so i let the spaces be like cavities
and then
like a yawn.
and soon
there wasn't any difference between the empty spaces and everything else that was brimming and bursting.
and the spaces unfurled like this.
and like this.
and like this.
and the only thing naming them was me.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Portraiture and Commissions: A Full Circle
There was a time when portraiture and commissions were the vehicle for an artist to support themselves through their passion. Time to bring it back!
Over time the practice of artistic talent for hire became known as a shackle, a deterrent from expressive creation and therefore a practice most "fine artists" shied away from. From where I stand it seems that the portrait and the commission have an opportunity to come full circle, once again providing refuge for artists to live off of their art and find space to create work that isn't in reaction to a temperamental contemporary art dialogue that has become ultimately self-reflexive.
The circle:
I realize that when you’re passionate about something the whole world seems to line up behind it, making it the most interesting and fascinating of subjects...and in this case, the most brilliant expression of love. I also realize that chances are I am much more passionate about painting than you are. But consider this; what could be more wonderful than creating a painting of someone that shows them as they love to be seen? A portrait gives someone an image of themselves at their best; in essence saying “this is how I see you, and even at your worst, this is how you are to me.” It gives a permanent reminder to a loved one that they have available to them at any moment the best version of themselves.
A painting is wildly different from a photograph. It is the ONE image of an individual that's been chosen and immortalized. In comissioning a painting of someone you are choosing to communicate a certain aspect or perspective on their beauty or their personality and then, you are making this aspect precious in a way that’s visible to everyone. We all see the people that we love in a light that magnifies their beauty and the unique qualities that make them more special than anyone else in the world. Chances are you’re one of the few, if not the only person that sees your beloved ones in this way. Creating a portrait of the ones that you love allows the rest of the world to appreciate them through your eyes.
Having a portrait of yourself painted is a magnificent and playful indulgence. It is the gift of allowing yourself to be represented as you’ve always wanted to be, in the strokes of a timeless tradition. It can create a reminder of how you most enjoy being, with yourself and with other people. It can be a source of playful laughter, an indulgence, an immortalization of a precious time, or a very real reminder of your vision for yourself and how you want to be in the world.
I’ve also found that through portraiture and commisions people allow themselves to be visionaries. Everyone has images popping through their heads, and most people I speak with have ideas of what they would love to see painted. One of my friends imagined a close-up of the back end of a rocket’s engine above his desk, one client imagined a painting of himself back at his old school, leaning against the Corvette he drives around the bay area. Others have written children’s stories they only need images to realize in print, or simply want to see an idea represented in the physical.
Some of the world’s most brilliant work was created during painting’s early eras as a result of commissions. Commissions allow for vicarious artistry. They are a vehicle for those who feel they don’t have the talent, the time, or the knowledge to be involved in the creative process, to be a painter-once-removed and watch an image they’ve conjured up in their mind’s eye come to life. Finally it gives them the experience of wrapping their hands around the physical representation of something they imagined into being, and hanging the real thing in their home.
I love painting people. I love everything about it. It takes days, weeks, sometimes months to pull out the full depth of an individual’s likeness in paint. Layers of color and traditional glazes pile on top of one another to build a creation of someone that is so satisfying to me…and here’s why... when an individual first encounters a painted version of themselves, the look on their face is priceless. It’s like a child or a pet encountering themselves in a mirror…curious, one side of the mouth will grin, the eyebrows raise, and eventually the face breaks out in a huge smile. They can’t stop looking at their likeness in paint…it’s like a doppelganger, like a monitor showing live video in a convenience store, placed right above the register. To me, there is nothing like it, it is a true passion that never fails to be ultimately rewarding.
For this reason, I know that the art of the commission, the portrait, the hired artist will return. Contemporary art encourages a type of theoretical commission; that is a work made at the bequest of the contemporary market so that the artist may be included in magazines and galleries. This is as much art for hire as a commission or portrait, but with less real world relevance. It sacrifices creative expression in favor of a conversation behind closed doors. The conversation is interesting have no doubt, but what's happening on the street is just as poignant and sometimes far more brilliant.
I have recently renewed my portraiture and commission painting practice, because it is something that truly brings me joy. Please spread this news and the link to my website to individuals in your own communities who may be interested in commissioning a portrait or work of their own. Inquiries can be made directly through the website at marielewallen.com
Cheers to rampant imagination!
Marie
Over time the practice of artistic talent for hire became known as a shackle, a deterrent from expressive creation and therefore a practice most "fine artists" shied away from. From where I stand it seems that the portrait and the commission have an opportunity to come full circle, once again providing refuge for artists to live off of their art and find space to create work that isn't in reaction to a temperamental contemporary art dialogue that has become ultimately self-reflexive.
The circle:
I realize that when you’re passionate about something the whole world seems to line up behind it, making it the most interesting and fascinating of subjects...and in this case, the most brilliant expression of love. I also realize that chances are I am much more passionate about painting than you are. But consider this; what could be more wonderful than creating a painting of someone that shows them as they love to be seen? A portrait gives someone an image of themselves at their best; in essence saying “this is how I see you, and even at your worst, this is how you are to me.” It gives a permanent reminder to a loved one that they have available to them at any moment the best version of themselves.
A painting is wildly different from a photograph. It is the ONE image of an individual that's been chosen and immortalized. In comissioning a painting of someone you are choosing to communicate a certain aspect or perspective on their beauty or their personality and then, you are making this aspect precious in a way that’s visible to everyone. We all see the people that we love in a light that magnifies their beauty and the unique qualities that make them more special than anyone else in the world. Chances are you’re one of the few, if not the only person that sees your beloved ones in this way. Creating a portrait of the ones that you love allows the rest of the world to appreciate them through your eyes.
Having a portrait of yourself painted is a magnificent and playful indulgence. It is the gift of allowing yourself to be represented as you’ve always wanted to be, in the strokes of a timeless tradition. It can create a reminder of how you most enjoy being, with yourself and with other people. It can be a source of playful laughter, an indulgence, an immortalization of a precious time, or a very real reminder of your vision for yourself and how you want to be in the world.
I’ve also found that through portraiture and commisions people allow themselves to be visionaries. Everyone has images popping through their heads, and most people I speak with have ideas of what they would love to see painted. One of my friends imagined a close-up of the back end of a rocket’s engine above his desk, one client imagined a painting of himself back at his old school, leaning against the Corvette he drives around the bay area. Others have written children’s stories they only need images to realize in print, or simply want to see an idea represented in the physical.
Some of the world’s most brilliant work was created during painting’s early eras as a result of commissions. Commissions allow for vicarious artistry. They are a vehicle for those who feel they don’t have the talent, the time, or the knowledge to be involved in the creative process, to be a painter-once-removed and watch an image they’ve conjured up in their mind’s eye come to life. Finally it gives them the experience of wrapping their hands around the physical representation of something they imagined into being, and hanging the real thing in their home.
I love painting people. I love everything about it. It takes days, weeks, sometimes months to pull out the full depth of an individual’s likeness in paint. Layers of color and traditional glazes pile on top of one another to build a creation of someone that is so satisfying to me…and here’s why... when an individual first encounters a painted version of themselves, the look on their face is priceless. It’s like a child or a pet encountering themselves in a mirror…curious, one side of the mouth will grin, the eyebrows raise, and eventually the face breaks out in a huge smile. They can’t stop looking at their likeness in paint…it’s like a doppelganger, like a monitor showing live video in a convenience store, placed right above the register. To me, there is nothing like it, it is a true passion that never fails to be ultimately rewarding.
For this reason, I know that the art of the commission, the portrait, the hired artist will return. Contemporary art encourages a type of theoretical commission; that is a work made at the bequest of the contemporary market so that the artist may be included in magazines and galleries. This is as much art for hire as a commission or portrait, but with less real world relevance. It sacrifices creative expression in favor of a conversation behind closed doors. The conversation is interesting have no doubt, but what's happening on the street is just as poignant and sometimes far more brilliant.
I have recently renewed my portraiture and commission painting practice, because it is something that truly brings me joy. Please spread this news and the link to my website to individuals in your own communities who may be interested in commissioning a portrait or work of their own. Inquiries can be made directly through the website at marielewallen.com
Cheers to rampant imagination!
Marie
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