One Hundred Objects

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  Reality Check...

  Posted: 6-November-2011, 2:17pm EST by Karen Jacobs

  

  Unfinished Rocks - 48x38

  
  Last week we learned what a TIA is... Joel had a minor stroke and we never suspected he was at risk. This makes you focus on priorities in a big way! I'm still in the studio most mornings but the rest of the day I think about our future and our options. The military taught us to plan ahead... literally... when the B-52's left periodically for SE Asia, wives were instructed to know who to call and what your next steps would be should you be told that your husband would not be returning. And that's what we've always done, always considering our future options. My mother said I had a "delayed reaction" to bad news, I'm good in a crisis but fall apart or go into a depression after the fact. She was right and I hope I can always count on this trait.
  
  So this week we've dealt with a number of things... most irritating is a monitor Joel wears for a month which only malfunctions after hours when the help number is not available. Beeping incessantly and causing stressed cursing... twice it's been put in the garage for 'time out' so we could get some sleep! It helps to have somewhere to direct our anger and frustration. I haven't thrown the damn monitor against the wall yet but have come close. (Have since learned of an 'off' button... who knew?)
  
  Focusing... have been decluttering files, drawers, closets... was doing this in a casual manner way before the TIA incident since it's really about downsizing. The plan has long been to sell the main house and move back to the lake house (only an hour away) once the local g-chicks are driving and we aren't needed for carpool, etc. So that would give us three or so years to get this house ready to sell and the smaller house ready to receive us. I'm feeling a bit more urgent about at least streamlining possessions and paperwork that have taken years/decades to accumulate. Also looking forward to major renovations at the older, smaller lake house to make it more 'home' and less 'cabin'. My new hobby is measuring furniture and collecting kitchen ideas suitable for someone who prefers to stay out of it.
  
  Reality checks continue... what about my career? Well, must admit, in spite of some great sales and positive show results this past year, the overall picture is not encouraging. If ten years younger I would have jumped on the self promotion wagon and would be sending out e-newsletters and brag packs to new galleries with gusto... but after awhile, new beginnings aren't so exciting, I just want to paint without the pressure. Creative exploration rather than simply producing more work. My mind spins with new ideas... some I get around to and some I don't.
  
  Joel is, thankfully, doing just fine... the small stroke was a warning and we are heeding it. He has returned to a regular weight routine at the Y and when the electrodes come off his chest, he'll be back in the water swimming laps. I have a strong suspicion that when he stopped his regular swimming routine (he had a few distracting years with accidents, etc) his body didn't know quite what to do about it... so now we know... got to keep the blood flowing with exercise! Good advice for all of us!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Balancing Act...

  Posted: 29-October-2011, 8:31pm EDT by Karen Jacobs

  

   A family vacation in Arkansas... on the last day with everyone busy elsewhere, I found myself stacking rocks... and more rocks... higher and in more daring configurations. Maybe 12 or 15 balanced cairns (one rock balancing on top of another, not mounds of rocks as most cairns are) of varying sizes, some decorated with driftwood or fresh picked wild flowers. When it was time to go I quickly went around and took iPhone photos... which left much to be desired in quality but you can at least see that I had a lot of material to work with. They are amazingly stable and I like to think I would find remnants of at least a few if I visited today, four months later. I even hope new visitors to the campsite would enjoy and make more of their own... but no matter...

  
  

  
  

  

  
  These granite river rocks came from a trip to Maine, the angular marble types are native to Alabama. I've been moving these to the lake house where, surprisingly, there are next to no rocks (different story just a few miles east.) This configuration of round rocks will last for weeks and there are no shims for stability...
  
  

  

  
  

  While chatting with friends around a picnic table I absentmindedly picked up a few pebbles from the ground and began stacking.

  
  

  
  

  

  With my iPad, I started playing with the ArtRage app and have been using it to make my summer stacks stand out from the original photos where they are hard to distinguish.

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
   Not exactly an art form, simply doodling and thinking... a fun way to become familiar with the paint program and I liked the possibilities.
  

  
  

  

  
  

  So... I figured that was that...it had run it's course. But last week a strange muse took over... couldn't get the rock stacks out of my mind. This studio photo shows four of the six or seven in progress... there will be many variations before they find their own voice. But right now, this seems to be exactly what I need to be doing. (The orange vertical was a finished work which I'm using as an underpainting... the others are from scratch.
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
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  Advice

  Posted: 19-October-2011, 11:47pm EDT by Karen Jacobs

  

  AUTUMN ASSET - 18x18 - oil and cold wax on board

  
  

  

  TIMBERLINE - 18x18 - oil and cold wax on board

  
  Over the years I've often been asked by younger artists what advice I could give them to further their careers. I feel pretty inept at giving advice because I've always considered luck the most important constant in my career. But it is said that we make our own luck... and it's a good idea to believe it.  But as to advice, the two words I suggest are BE READY! You don't know when an unexpected door will open and there is nothing sadder than a missed opportunity.
  
  
  That said, I realize I'm not following my own advice lately. Have been fooling around, trying out different techniques, mediums and ideas and not finishing anything... not updating the website with new work and it looks stale... and now I've directed two important connections to take a good look. It's like all of a sudden you've got company coming and you look around your house and see it through their eyes... ARG! Embarrassing even if there's nothing to be embarrassed about... you just want it all to be the best it can be... and you know it isn't... you didn't plan ahead and... you aren't ready.
  
  The above paintings are two of the cold wax technique I've been playing with at the lake house studio... two that I did finally decide were finished. There are at least a dozen more that are in various stages of exploration. Neither the oil medium nor the subject of trees are new to me but it's been a long while so it feels new. Whether they make the cut or not remains to be seen... I'm simply enjoying the process.
  
  But now... to get back to work and finish a bunch of acrylic abstracts in the other studio!
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  Finding Bokusho History...

  Posted: 29-September-2011, 3:23am EDT by Karen Jacobs

  

  
  

  B.NENDO (clay) - 36x36 - mixed media

    
  I don't use the elements of Bokusho in my work the way I once did, usually just a portion of the canvas will feature the abstract ink calligraphy that I spent several years studying and developing... but the muse is not entirely quiet and given the time needed to focus, I do hope to eventually work in this manner again. (Available series images here.)
  
  
  

  I was delighted to find this article from the Japanese Times, which includes the art of two early practitioners of Bokusho.  As those who have followed this blog over a number of years know, one of the 'side steps' in my painting was time spent developing an abstract calligraphic technique which I associated with bokusho after a good bit of on line research. Google Alert lets me know when the word pops up but it's usually connected with rock bands, etc. Very seldom does it give me this type of gem! This is a clip of the article that pertains to two artists included in the exhibition.

  
  

  Tradition that hides in abstraction
  

  By MATTHEW LARKING

  
  

  (...) In the calligraphy world from around 1945, the lexical foundation that served a communicative role for millennia became subject to fissuring. Morita Shiryu (1912-98) is taken as the representative practitioner of bokusho (ink images) in the present exhibition. He thought the abandonment of the lexical basis of calligraphy to be universalizing and that it rose to the challenges presented by the black-and-white abstractions of American painters such as Franz Kline.

  The character for "so" in "So" ("Deep Blue") becomes almost visually unrecognizable, though it retains enough of the direction of the brush to suggest the stroke order with which viewers may retrace its governing character structure. Appending a title to an artwork ? as is the art world convention ? however, returns Morita's abstractions to their lexical basis that ostensibly he was attempting to dissolve.

  Lyrical calligraphy: Insho Domoto's "Symphony" (1961) shows a move from hard-edged abstraction to a softer, calligraphic one. KYOTO PREFECTURAL INSHO-DOMOTO MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

  The focus of this exhibition centers on the abstractions of Hisao Domoto's uncle Insho (1891-1975)that began from the mid-'50s, though the works on show are less the geometrical abstractions of that time than his more elegantly lyrical ones of the early '60s. The shift from hard-edged abstraction to a kind of lyrical calligraphy is again ostensibly at the suggestion of Tapié who, on his 1957 visit, saw Insho's traditional screen paintings of gourds at Kyoto's Toji Temple and subsequently sought out the artist. Exhorting that the world was enamored with Japanese calligraphy and the spirit of Zen, Insho's work became more calligraphic and he gave his abstractions Buddhist titles. (...) 
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  Plans...

  Posted: 24-September-2011, 10:04pm EDT by Karen Jacobs

  

  "...FOREST FOR THE TREES"  - 38x50 - mixed media

  
  

  So here's the plan... more blogging, less Facebooking and an effort to find my comfort zone on Google+. My plans, like my paintings, have a way of taking on a life of their own but they still require some kind of forethought to get them off the ground, so here we go!
  
  Mist rising off the lake this morning, meaning the air is cooler than the water and is a sure sign of change of seasons. Met my Thursday paint group at a remote, scenic lake, and the consensus was... everything's too green! Well, I bet not for long! Alabama football is on TV right now... another sure sign we're entering the best time of the year! Perfect for outdoor chores/projects/excuses to wander around and enjoy. Roll Tide!
  
  So... of course, the art season also kicks in and all those preparations were supposed to be taken care of when it was too hot to go outside, right? I did... I delivered around and was relaxing when a call came to update all work in Atlanta... they just checked my website, viewed the new work I took to NOLA and they LOVE it... want some of that! Well... that's always good news but that means more time in the studio when I'd rather be digging in the dirt! The painting shown here was one they particularly liked... one of a number of tree paintings I explored this summer. I have no complaints!
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  Pylon Update

  Posted: 3-September-2011, 4:05pm EDT by Karen Jacobs

  

   TEMPO - warm side   -  48" - 60" - 40"  -   TEMPO - cool side

  
  For background on the painted boxes I call 'Pylons' check out this link for a few previous posts. And my website page featuring the whole series. The more recent post involves a freestanding set of three which I call 'Tempo' and feel are finally complete after several attempts to wind them up... you can imagine that a four sided painting (times three) can have a mind of it's own which keeps offering up new ways of expression. Sometimes you just have to be firm, put a final coat on it and sign the darn things!
  
  

  

  Anne Truitt installation

  
  

  I've mentioned before that this is not an original thought... we all know there is no such thing, but in my search to at least find an expression that doesn't follow a well worn path, and also isn't totally bizarre, these long, skinny boxes serve a purpose. The artist Anne Truitt made her mark with this type of structure/sculpture way before I thought of it... and in a large NYC gallery they really look spectacular! I know my slightly off-road path isn't going to carry me that far but it's fun to imagine. Anyway, I can't be that minimal, no matter how I try... and that's were the real class is, IMHO.
  
  

  

  FRAGMENTS, GARNET and GOLD - 48" - wall pieces  - texture buildup process

  
  Usually, my pylons are wall hung in sets of two or three... though created as sets, often are sold separately. My most recent pair were wall pieces and I decided to use bits and pieces of textured paper and cloth to build up the painting surface. This really took control of the options left to me so after many applications (necessary in my process anyway) I went with a rather simple glazing, allowing the texture to be the main focus. They received the ultimate compliment before I made it home from the gallery the next day ;)
  
  I've order more boxes from my in-house carpenter... this series may evolve... not sure how, but it's not over yet.
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  The Crest...

  Posted: 14-August-2011, 12:49pm EDT by Karen Jacobs

  Up in the right hand corner of this blog are a few words as to the purpose of it all... "My view from the crest of the hill."  And that's pretty much what it's been... a look back over my career as an artist, mostly high points and a few not so high. I've accomplished much more than I ever thought I would and there are few things I feel I missed out on. It's been a good run. In some ways I feel I'm still at the crest, not yet on that slippery slope that is easier and faster to descend than it was to climb. There are times when I feel the inevitable pull of gravity and time... but I shake it off with new ideas and determination and head back to the studio.
  
  Didn't have a problem with this until a couple of years ago when my several of my best galleries began closing and sales slowed in a not surprising way. But one rep in New Orleans had a steady drumbeat of sales (NOLA always marches to it's own beat and the city had recovered and was buying art again!) So 'retirement' eluded me, keeping my position on 'the crest' secure. It takes more than one strong gallery, however, and I've always had several to count on. So, for what it's worth, I'm hoping things will change but you know how that goes. One thing social media (Facebook, etc) has shown me is the vast number of very good artists out there... all wanting the same thing I want... good wall space at a good gallery! We'll see. I may need to just be satisfied with what I have... and that's still much more than many are able to enjoy.
  
  So... I have two fully equipped studios... lots of materials at hand... a constant supply of inspiration... the mind boggles with new series I want to produce. And I have the time to work on it. Maybe the economy is slipping past it's crest but so far, I'm not giving up my spot even if it means fewer sales!
  
  Joining a weekly life drawing studio this week... I'll be sketching, not painting... but many thoughts on how I want to do this...
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  Dusting Off...

  Posted: 15-July-2011, 3:08pm EDT by Karen Jacobs

  Cobwebs around here... my bad! Can't believe the last post was written back in Feb, so much has happened, not to mention the drastic change of temperature between then and now. But we won't go there.
  
  Had a really terrific April solo show at Carol Robinson Gallery in New Orleans (corner of Napoleon and Magazine, should you be visiting the city.) Really terrific in that she knows how to hang a show and sell it! I've been avoiding solo shows for a few years and that's not only bad for the resume but also for creating "reaching points"... most important to have good goals. Installation pics can be seen on the right hand side of this page.
  
  Spring weather had J and I finishing up the elaborate step project at the lake house... we built the first steps when we lived there in the early 80's and are now replacing them with a much easier, and pleasant, assent up that steep hill. That deserves a post all it's own so I'll get to that later.
  
  
  
  My summer project has been to set up an oil painting studio at the lake house. It's the same space I used as my studio 25 years ago. The walk out basement has great lighting and views of the lake... have to keep my back to the windows in order to get any work done! I've worked with oils on and off and a couple of years ago I loaded up on paints and supplies determined to conquer the beast (acrylics really make you lazy, so easy to mix and clean up after.) I also have a gallon of cold wax and hope to make it work for me as a medium... but who knows. This project also deserves it's own blog post (series, even) so will follow up soon.
  
  Summer means lots of visiting and visitors... also much g-kid carpooling to work around. August will be especially busy. Time spent at the lake house without wifi and cable TV reminds me of how much time I spend in the computer chair when at home where I don't get nearly as much done that requires physical activity... which I need more of, not less!
  
  

  
  

  So... I signed on to the new Google+. ARG! Hey! I've got this curiosity that must be satisfied! I'm just looking... and my website soooo needs updating, redesigning, even... but now, off to the studio! The acrylic one...
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  Rolling Along...

  Posted: 18-February-2011, 8:32pm EST by Karen Jacobs

  

  
  

  ROLLING - 48x72 - 2009

  
  

  I left high detail realism many years ago, in search for all things abstract... found that mode and have had a nice career painting simple essences or juxtapositions. But every now and then, a line wobbles and suggests a horizon... a shape fuzzes and becomes a grouping of trees... and being the permissive type, I let it happen, I even take advantage and go along for the ride.
  
  As we travel by car around the southern states, the rolling hills constantly change and intrigue. I've photographed many from the passenger seat and have sketchbooks filled with scribbled, glimpsed views, perhaps incorporating several scenes into one. It's not surprising that I should find one of these experiences showing up on a canvas... with way more reality than I usually allow. But it was such a fun change of pace I couldn't bring myself to paint over it, as I usually do when my efforts don't really fit the current genre.
  
  So, after a proper length of time at an out of town gallery, I made plans to bring it home, wondering what it's future would hold. At about the same time, a collector who selects art for Alabama Power Company chose "Rolling" from my web site to be placed with my other three in a redecorated space. Today I delivered the painting and saw the new space... love the assorted wall colors which break up the hallway and highlight various entryways and especially how well the three earlier painting look in this space. I understand they had not been hung together previously and the hallway had been an industrial putty color... much improved!  The bigger painting will go at the other end of the well traveled hallway on the opposite wall... they promised a photo when it's installed. Love it when they say "It looks even better in person than on the website!" ;)
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
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  Happening Again...

  Posted: 15-January-2011, 2:48am EST by Karen Jacobs

  

  SPACE - 26x26

  
  

  So... there I was, dismayed about a potential project that seemed to have left me behind... and then I find that I'm still in contention. I decide not to say anything here until something definite happens one way or the other... but that's a laugh! It's dragging on and I'm obviously going to be presented via Power Point to the decision makers, those who write the checks... along with who know how many other artists! So I swing from "I don't need this" to "Who am I kidding, I need this" mode, understanding that it's a way bigger job than anything I've previously done, going from fear and trepidation to assured and confident... plotting how I'll do the job and convincing myself I'm in full control and totally capable.
  
  I'm not ready to fully disclose the project but will say that it's International... and I've fully researched the gallery in charge and they are quite viable, as is the person I'm dealing with. This is the real thing as opposed to the scam proposals that come our way from time to time. The only thing I don't know is how many artists this person is proposing for the job... and/or how many reps are in contention... this gallery may not be the only option to provide the large number of paintings for this corporate lobby. They have, however, spent a great deal of time explaining the project to me and mapping out what needs to be done.
  
  In the meantime, I continue to prepare for my April show in New Orleans. It's a marvelous distraction from the email drama going on right now. I'm on a roll in the studio, good stuff happening, just need to be sure it's all finished and ready to wrap before I get the go-ahead for this other deal... should that become real and contractual. And if it doesn't, so be it. Spring is right around the corner and it's my favorite season!