Having a Hell of a Good Time

Posted: March 10, 2011 | Author: sassonzr | Filed under: Artwork, Inspiration! | Tags: artist statement, beaches, bodies, contemporary art, fabulous fatty things, florida, oil paint, romanticism, spring | Leave a comment »

Dear Sweet Blog,

How I have missed you! I recently came back from Florida, and I am now enjoying a relaxing spring break in North Carolina. My current pastimes have been cooking and drinking wine. Oh yeah…and I have been working in the studio (somewhat)! I know–this always happens–I get too caught up in my life to slow down and just…breath. I honestly think that journaling (or blogging) is one of the healthiest activities, and I think more should participate in this recreation! Yet, I don’t make nearly enough time for it. I sketch constantly in my paper journals, but I am still not able to articulate my concepts to the best of my abilities. This is what the blog is here for!

Ah yes, being able to speak about art…I marvel at those who can stand in front of a room and speak for hours on end about their process. I have been having some difficulties. For one, I am in the midst of writing a formal artist statement. And then, I recently gave my first “artist’s talk”–if I am not counting my presentation at the Women’s Studies Conference at Guilford College last spring. I have had some success; but alas, my problem is ALWAYS that I tackle too much at one time. For instance, my current inspirations are ranging from Renoir to 20th-century feminist artists like Louise Bourgeois, to more contemporary painters like Cecily Brown and Alexis Rockman, to 19th-century naturalists like Thomas Cole! One could say that I have to narrow down my thought process…But one could also argue that this is the perfect time in one’s life to compile an assortment of influences, until one’s head is spilling with ideas! So, maybe to make this entry less confusing, I will state my current process a little more simply:

I am studying the human body, in its physical form, but also exploring its potential as a symbol–drawing definite inspiration from the 19th century Romanticists–I aim to show the figures in a purer and unrefined state. By releasing my energy into these representative forms, I strive to discover certain truths–raw human desires, fears, and dilemmas, if you will–and to exhibit these temperaments, as the characters interact with one another and evolve, emerging or dissolving within their natural environments!

Phew, that’s a mouthful! It felt a little easier to articulate than it has in the past, but as you can probably tell, my ideas keep changing on me. It is supposed to be confusing. If there was an easy answer to all of this, I wouldn’t be doing it. The battle is truly half of the fun.

Now, I will shut up, and show you my babies. Do I really have to title them?? Ugh, yes. I suppose that I do.

This first painting is the only piece that I showed as “finished” during my midterm critique. It’s funny–but now that I revisit this painting, I realize that it is definitely not finished. The working title is Regenerate.

Here are a couple of details:

Please, tell me what you think–I would love some feedback about the “finished” quality of this painting.

NEXT, I will show two paintings in progress. The first is a very young baby, and the second is a teenager, going through a very awkward phase (pimples, braces…you name it).

Are you ready for more? Let’s progress into the drawings. These next two are “studies” that I did when I was feeling especially anxious and a little blocked. I appropriately call them my Anxiety Drawings #1 and #2.

And finally! The biggest babies that I have to show today are part of my epic-landscape-series. They take an incredible amount of inspiration from the Romantic landscape painters, and yet, they depict the same characters that live in the paintings. I suppose you could call the large drawings together a diptych, since together they are one unified piece (5′ tall and 12′ across). They currently live on my studio walls, divided by a corner–but in the final show, there will be no corner dividing them.

I have decided to leave the large drawings black and white–Simple, yet classic!

That is all the work I have to show for today. Stay tuned because this ALL has to get finished in the next FIVE WEEKS, with the addition on ONE MORE PAINTING (which I need to start this week, yiiikkees). Also, within the next week or so, I should have a finalized artist statement, which I will post for all viewers to see.

I hope that I will have time for this blog in the upcoming weeks, but alas, I’m a busy woman who is about to graduate. I am trying to remain in the present, so as not to stifle myself with stress. Future plans? Jobs? All I want to do is think about the ocean….

And on that note, I will leave you with the lovely beaches of Florida.