Monday, February 8, 2010

The film I wish I'd made in art school...

Another quiet, productive week. I don't know...you finish a painting, you like it, you feel a sense of accomplishment and relief...then the art critic starts up again asking me is this really the best possible way I could have approached this thing? So I went to the Stanford Art Museum this weekend (a small, two hour kind of museum with a decent number of works by artists like Whistler...
Degas, Picasso, Kandinsky, O'Keefe, etc.) both to get out of the house and to look at what others have done. Like these for instance...
They have a wonderful disregard for accuracy and beauty. Not that I like them all that much.
An interesting approach to the family portrait. How would I portray mine? My dad would probably be a crab or some other unpleasant creature you don't want to get too close to. My mother would be a bird or a cat, something that's either loving or dangerous depending on her mood. My sister...a dog, or something like no-nonsense Mr Rat from The Wind In the Willows. My brother...maybe a fox or a slippery fish. Nothing is ever on the surface with him. You have to keep asking, brushing things aside, extending an open hand and...never mind. Creative drama is the only drama I want to deal with these days. What would your family portrait look like?

On a (slightly) different note the dead mice are still underneath the stairs. Cat did not snack on them after all. And the underpaid gardener, who I assumed would sweep them away as part of her job, didn't. So I get to observe the process of death whenever I walk by that way. Still gruesome yet fascinating.

On yet another note, for those of you who aren't into examining art or dead creatures and might need a laugh today...
Love this video. Almost makes me want to get back into animation.

11 comments:

  1. Isn't that a part of keeping the creativity alive? Looking at your work from all angles and exploring ideas for other works? I think the video is adorable...

    Decomposition... interesting in it's own right!

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  2. Great post. I got a kick out of the video.

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  3. Hi Shanster, it is, which helps me from repeating myself (I hope) but also makes me want to paint over something until I get it right. Awful idea, getting it right. All part of the creative process...

    Yeah, it is really interesting. Wanted to do a daily photo thing and make a time lapse animation (such an adolescent boy thing to do) But kept forgetting about it. Oh well...

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  4. Thanks Elizabeth, me too!

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  5. Glad to know you're still productive and creative!

    And thanks for the video- I needed a laugh today!

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  6. Getting out of the house is always good – either for inspiration or simply for some fresh air. Makes one feel human again…
    Loved the video – needed a laugh and a smile!

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  7. Looking at others' works, finding a style... Ancient painters found a style (or repeated an exisiting one) and stayed with it. Picasso changed styles all the time. I believe however that most of contemporary artists would stay with one style, once they have found it (and the market for it), but it must be DIFFERENT. Or? Difficult dilemma.

    You made a nice family portrait, even in words! Maybe a painting to come? :-)

    No comment about the mice!

    Yes, the video is really charming!!

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  8. Great to hear you've had a productive week, Cheryl. I think it's good to have a sense of the inner critic as it keeps you on your toes, searching for new techniques, and looking at the old ways to generate new or different ways. Keep exploring and experimenting and enjoy the journey. It is truly cosmic. :-)) Bright wishes, dear one. xx

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  9. awesome vid!!! i love ur idea of a fam portriat, why domt u do an animation about a crab falling in love with a bird and then they had a fam? ponder that!

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  10. Great video. You seem like you're open to constantly reinventing yourself, which is the mark of a truly creative artist.

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  11. Hey Cheryl, hope you don't mind me plugging my blog on your comment section, but I couldn't find an e-mail for you. I know you love everything creative so I thought you might get a kick out of my last post. If you are up for participating it would mean a lot to me. Thanks.

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