I’m reading an interesting book about artists. Legend, Myth, and Magic in the Image of the Artist, by Ernst Kris and Otto Kurz, is densely packed with interesting ideas and information. For example, throughout history, chance has come to the aid of the painter, since time immemorial. Stories abound about chance and the artist. Giorgio Vasari, a […]
Symbols are important. The slide show that Tom Hanks gave in the beginning of The DaVinci Code provides a good summary of symbolism. Symbolic Images by Ernst Gombrich is on my reading list for a more serious treatment of symbolism throughout art history. However, my current grounding in symbolic representation falls more in line with the work of Mel […]
I started with a smallish circle. I’m not sure when I decided to make it a toe. I may have toyed with the idea of making it a finger, but ultimately toes won the day. The last time I saw my grandson, we played the Piggy Game. I’m not sure how common that is, but […]
The next lesson in the Tate Watercolour Manual, Lessons from the Great Masters by Tony Smibert and Joyce Townsend, the book I am studying, addresses composition. The authors chose to feature the work of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot to demonstrate balance of design. The art historian Ernst Gombrich notes (The Story of Art) that Corot strived for ‘clarity and balance’ […]
What I refer to is… Thinking about spring cleaning. Once again, my wife Joy and I are thinking of moving south to be with the kids in the Los Angeles area. In order to do so, it would make a lot of sense to divest ourselves of possessions and ‘lighten up’. I’ve posted about this […]
Although I started my daily blog on January 19, 2013, tomorrow is New Year’s Day and, in the spirit of ‘carving nature at it’s joints’ I feel that this is the time to commemorate my first year in the blogosphere. Original mission statement Part of my mission statement was a pledge to offer my thoughts […]
