Art ‘n’ August – 3

The only attitude (the only politics–judicial, medical, pedagogical and so forth) I would absolutely condemn is one which, directly or indirectly, cuts off the possibility of an essentially interminable questioning, that is, an effective and thus transforming questioning.–  Jacques Derrida.

New York, 2013. Labor Day weekend. A section from a giant paper collage. “The Grid” – based upon the way there is a thrust to create some sort of orthogonal “order” on our organic, sinuous landscapes and geographic contours, without consideration of natural processes, landforms or the fractal geometry and elaborate intricacies with which ecology and ecosystems work. Instead, planners in North America superimpose “The Grid”  – a network of roads, by-laws, zoning ordinances with little understanding of far more environmentally-conscious alternatives which could instead take the matrix of Landscape Ecology into consideration. And all this is done to appease the almighty Automobile and creating an illusion of “order” while enormous amounts of environmental waste is produced.

The collage was 3-dimensional with layers of images and cut-outs which could be lifted to reveal the layers within. I’d made it as part of a university urban planning art project in Canada. The following picture is a segment of the total piece.

“The Grid.” Collage. © 2000. Maddy (The Gipsy Geek) Click to enlarge.

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Art ‘n’ August – 1

Art ‘n’ August – 2

Art ‘n’ August – 2

New York, August 15, 2013. Some sketches from yesteryears.

I had started drawing, sketching and painting from the time I was a toddler, and was doing oils by the time I was 8 years old. Initially I started with cartoons (being an avid reader of Tintin & Asterix comic books and graphic novels as a kid) and then moved on to making art that had life-like realism, inspired by the old masters.

My current work is more mixed media with contemporary & surrealism thrown in – but abstract in pretty easy to do, once you’re already adept in realism, or so I think, because the latter takes far more work and powers of observation as well as focused coordination between hand and eye.

These are three still life renderings made with a mix of 2H, H, HB, B, 2B & 4B  pencils on cartridge paper from when I was very young. I have not included high-resolution scans as images on this site are often downloaded without my permission. The originals are roughly 60″ x 18″ in size each and very detailed.

Still life 1. Dry leaf. Pencil on cartridge paper. © 1990 Maddy. (gipsygeek)

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Still life 2. Old canvas shoe. Pencil on cartridge paper © 1990 Maddy. (gipsygeek)

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Still life 3. Half knob of garlic. Pencil on cartridge paper © 1990 Maddy. (gipsygeek)

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Other posts which have my artwork:

August Morning

Mad Scars o’ Madagascar

Barter

Oasis

Art ‘n’ August – 1

Time. Lapses. Limits

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Posts which have other people’s artwork or satellite art:

Random Acts of Unusual Films

Goodbye to a genius: Remembering Lebbeus Woods

Renoir in the Fall

Hello World!

Random Acts of Planet Earth

Starry starry nights

Come September

A slow September

Looney Tunes – Just moonin’

And now for something completely different

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Art ‘n’ August – 1

Art  ‘n’  August – 1.

New York, August 1, 2013. An acrylic, ink and paper painting/collage I had made earlier. Ici. It was a quick one – took about a couple of hours. (You can click twice to zoom in for paint and texture details). Since the blazing summer sun of August has been pulverizing the city, the work is named Áine’s Quilt, Áine being the Gaelic goddess most associated with the sun, or “brightness/joy/radiance/splendorous glory.” In Gaelic mythology, Áine represents the light half of the year and the bright summer sun (an ghrian mhór), and Grian the dark half of the year and the pale winter sun (an ghrian bheag). Which means I’ll now have to paint Grian’s Blanket at some point in the later half of the year as a companion piece…..

Áine’s Quilt. (Ink & Acrylic) ©Maddy, 2013.

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I was wondering after I made the painting, why I picked those particular colors while drawing a metaphorical image of heat, summer and a Gaelic goddess. I then remembered that subconsciously, perhaps, the colors of an image I had taken in Dublin, Ireland in 2009, had seeped through my memories and found a way through the paint palette. While making the above painting, I was also listening to some lively Celtic music. The photo’s inserted below. Strange how art and music can express our subconscious synapses, dreams or connections better than language ever can…..

Dublin, Ireland, an evening in July 2009, before a U2 concert (which I did not attend). Photo uploaded here exactly as I clicked it – no retouching. Really.

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Strangely, since this morning, I can’t seem to get Erik Satie’s piano compositions out of my head, especially his sparse, contemplative and singularly elegant Gnossienne No. 3. Here goes, and you’re welcome :)

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