Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sex and the Still Life


Here is a painting I started 17 years ago before I was married, it was a line sketch taken form a gravure from Nicholson's Mathematics. I wear glasses now, I did not then. I wondered how Norman Rockwell wore glasses and achieved a finite line. I'm guessing he didn't wear glasses in his earlier years.  The earlier whites I had painted months ago to see if I would enjoy what I used to dream of only doing with a Frazetta Nude, have yellowed. I hence have repainted the whites with a non yellow Zinc White or Titanium white. The greys are a charcoal Grey so with two colors I am attempting a Monochrome.  I have made tonal mistakes early on and with just two brushes and some mineral oil have managed to get this far.  Whenever I read How To or other Oil and Paint magazines I always wondered what the artists studio looked like, where the light came from how many brushes how much paint.  All I can offer at this time is I scanned this ancient 1800 book and posted the actual size page right and left for reference, I blew up a look on top. I have changed the perspective size of some of the objects as they appeared to be wrong in comparison to the original.  I thought I only did this with portaits changing the size of the head to match the size of an eye keeping all within proportion.  With portraits I would use a grid, with this painting at the time of the original sketch I didn't need a grid as the perspective lent itself to proportions easily enough.

 I am believing that overachieving can be a way of life, and maybe the only way to surviving the onslaught of my mid 50's.  At 53 I am returning to writing and painting and athletics all at once, I don't think I will die of a heart attack but I do think that the positive attitude about accomplishment will see me through to a better life.  I am midstream in my Short Story Fairy Tale, I have begun to find time to pick up the brush and put down the brush with accomplishment. I use to not want to paint because I didn't have 8 Hours straight to do it.  In college I would draw for 8 Hours non stop at a time and enjoy every minute.

This is a large canvas 4 foot wide by 3 foot high, I'm sure by the end I will have learned a great deal in technique.  There are mistakes as I have said in tonal balances in which I am aware and will correct..

The light I use is not placed correctly, my first easel has assuredly turned out to be a dud, in which I will give it to my daughter to be used for her High School Projects.  I can not afford a better easel yet. I recently bought a Lawn Vacuum at an incredible high price, don't tell my wife. The Vacuum allows me to have more time in the Studio because I finish the yard work in 1/5th  the time, what used to take an afternoon and 5 Hours takes barely an hour.

 I still want to add more to my overachieving like not only finishing a short Fairy Tale starting two more of which I have the ideas for begin a collaboration of a multicultural Feature script.  Of which I have two cultures in Mind.

So in answer to Punk Chopsticks questions why do men still go to Strip Clubs because Sex and eating food can both be Orgasmic.  That's Obvious, you can be on a diet and still look at the menu. Salad anyone... or a still life.

11 comments:

  1. LMAOO!!! Thanks so much for answering my question (and being the ONLY ONE so far to do so xD)

    This post is fantastic! Though I did blank out a bit during the terminology. I tried my hand at drawing some time back - boyfriend was an artist of sorts (admittedly with disastrous consequences)but this looks really good!

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  2. Punk,
    thanks for the visit. I've always heard to be a good filmmaker, a teller of good stories you should know how to draw well. I think Fellini said that in an interview with Inga Karetnikova.

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  3. I wouldn't enjoy a strip club, but of course I don't enjoy anyplace where a lot of people congregate. I guess I don't get the connection between wearing glasses and drawing a "finite line." I don't even know what a finite line is since I rather assumed that all actual lines are finite.

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  4. Maybe what I meant to say Snow was How Norman Rockwell drew such fine lines. I could make the argument that a finite line was one that didn't squiggle or vary from a line of true straightness. A line can be a curved line or a straight line. It's true Finiteness is in its lying next to another line and being discernable from the one that it is lying next two. An eylash connecting to an eyelid, its tonal values significant, eyeshadow or not. In animals a Whisker connected to and crossing over the fur and hair and still being able to see the skin pore it derives from.
    A Finite Line. The objective with perspective is lines that are diminshing into a predetermined Horizon on multiple planes. With a realist perspective of Cubism, one looks past the absence of finiteness yet equivically defines its purity in the absence of a breach of borders. More simply don't color outside the lines my friend, keep your shading and lines finite. Tell me if I'm wrong.

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  5. Oh, so that's what you meant. I was simply thinking in mathematical terms. I didn't know there was another definition.

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  6. Hey, buddy, just thought I would drop by and see if you hadn't new up.

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  7. Once a fellow creates a really good post, why write another one? After all, excellence is excellence.

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  8. Snow, I of course have been overwhelmed with other things, but your persistence and good will is unending and inspiring.

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  9. Why, thank you, Tusk. I wouldn't want my blog friend to feel forgotten.

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  10. Tusk, I love your painting..your writing...any and all attempts at being creative. I have been busy these last few years at being editor of a weekly newspaper and NOT doing much personal writing. I'm slowly getting back into it, and have been adding to my own blog...little by little. ...I hope to talk to you again soon...

    Jeanne

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  11. Hey, Tusk, what's this thing you have about denying the world your brilliance and insight by hardly ever posting anything?

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