America: the Beautiful Future

The Squad: Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley

The Squad has captured my imagination. Their expressive faces remind me that America is an ever-changing experiment. When I look at them, I feel that I'm looking into the future--an America that is new and different and beautiful. It is true that I have not dug deeply into their individual ideas. We (and they) probably don't agree on everything, but that is okay. They own more future than I do. 

     

Studying their faces to make these paintings, I could see how they are such a vital part of the America that I love. As immigrants and refugees have come to our shores, our ideas of America expand and become richer. For example, growing up in Lexington, KY, we had only one pizza place, Pasquale's Pizza and our Asian fare was limited to Wing's Tea House. Now, every part of the globe is represented in restaurants around Lexington. (This is a very superficial look at things, Lexington is richer in every way now.) Even from the beginning (and before 1960!) America was an expansive idea. As we spread west, new states were added to the Union and new stars to the flag. We have always been about expansion and change--it is just so American! Ilhan Omar is a new star in our country.

Reading about Rashida Tlaib, I learned that she is the oldest of fourteen children. People are a fertile resource for our country. I am not necessarily thinking about the need to create more people, but about the ways in which new people bring rich ideas and energy to our midst. I think about America, the Beautiful and its amber waves of grain. My husband is a mathematician, so I've been introduced to more than a few brilliant mathematicians who were forced out of their countries. I always wondered why those countries would let such a valuable resource go.

Green is one of my favorite colors. It represents new growth and springtime. I appreciate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinking up new ideas that address the challenges we are facing in our world today. The New Green Deal is a new idea, not a dictate. That is what democracy looks like--new ideas that are considered and even argued over until we come up with something that can work for us as a country. Refreshing and green!

The thirteen stripes on the American flag represent the thirteen British colonies which became the original thirteen states of the United States of America. It is a remarkable story that our country came to exist and that we became such a dominant leader in the world. We became a rich country and much that wealth would not have been possible without people being kidnapped from Africa and forced to work against their will. It was not their will, but their building of our country must be acknowledged and the vitality that their descendants bring to our present economies is undeniable. So much of what we consider to be American has African roots. There simply is no America without our African-American sisters and brothers. Ayanna Pressley's story is a reminder of that and gives me confidence in the future of our country.

Summer Sampling

A sum of my early summertime sampling

I have given myself permission to try some new things this summer, armed with a supply of canvas panels and all the media I have collected through the years. This was a rather vague idea/goal, but it came into focus when I heard a Think program on npr.  Krys Boyd was interviewing David Epstein about his book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. The discussion began around a comparison of Tiger Woods and Roger Federer and their childhood pursuits. Later in the program they cited 'grit authority' Angela Duckworth. She sang the praises of exploring different interests and testing new skills, particularly during the down time of the year, academically. Duckworth proclaims that "summer is for sampling." Aha! That is what I am up to!

Though I use the word 'experiment' to title many of my workshops and classes, and I am willing to try anything to get a certain effect, I have not spent an extended amount of time exploring new ways to use materials. My goal has usually been to prepare for the next show or to work on the next commission. Perhaps this is what happens when one works toward an MFA. I know artist friends without MFAs who still methodically set aside time to learn about color or materials and about what they wanted to create artistically. I've never done that.  Maybe now is that time for me.










One of the most exciting experiments has been using pastel as a kind of paint. An example is to the left. I am applying pastel directly to canvas board. Then, I apply matte medium over the pastel. It creates a kind of paint. This paint can be 'pushed' around with more pastel or Neocolor II or colored pencil. I add more matte medium. In this example, which I call Whistling in the Woods, the image appeared. I had no idea starting out what would develop.

The end result was full of surprises. My hope is to continue with this experimentation and to develop new ways of creating, being open to new ways of seeing as well.

Please stay tuned. I will be posting more of my experiments.

We Are All Connected

Sunday Afternoon, watercolor/pastel, 14 x 11"

I've been working on a sort of demo-painting for an upcoming watercolor/pastel workshop and it occurs to me that my approach to making art is consistent with my concept of how the world works; in a word, together.

The underpainting in watercolor, free with plenty of overlap

I like to start with an very free underpainting and I try to hold the whole idea of the painting in my mind. Everything must interact and be part of an ensemble, not isolated. Also, values are more important than color. The values give the image credence and make the job of laying on pastel so much easier. The other thing that happens is unexpected charms which can't be planned. This is grace--to which we may always be open.

Laying on the first layer of pastel

After I am satisfied that the watercolor has spoken fully and covered the ground sufficiently, I try to lay the pastel on slowly. I am listening to the dialog between the two media. They begin to speak and to relate, just like we do in our environments. The exchange brings up new ideas and possibilities. A new perspective reveals itself and I can see where things are off-kilter or perhaps an adjusted composition is called for which was hidden with just the watercolor. Color combinations suggest themselves or the watercolor insists on having a bolder voice. Slowly, definition is defined and refined; taking into account what exists and what wants to exist.

What happens is a dance between the planned and the serendipitous. If I lose the strong-arm, the resulting painting is filled with unexpected treasure and I can call it 'good'.