Chasing my tail

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Chasing my tail

I did end up working on the River Cross Station Dawn painting (above) for what it's worth. This week I'm just chasing my tail and can't seem to get anywhere. It appears that my leeriness of painting these scenes was justified. Below is the down and dirty revision of River Cross Station Dusk that I did this afternoon -- removing River Cross Station and changing it into a boulevard for no improvement, but since I'm painting as a student: it counts as practice. (Both 16x24" 40x60cm acrylic on hardboard).

Finally, since I had time, I decided, what the hell, I'd do a quick study and take a peek at how tomorrow's paintings might work out in order to avoid even more tail chasing. At least I have the rest of the evening to think about this one.

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What I'm Up To

I think artist’s statements are largely needless. Paintings speak for themselves. And yet, here I am set to rattle on about my approach to painting. Now, if you're of the same opinion as I claim to be, skip this and enjoy the paintings, but if you want a hint as to what I’m trying to do, here’s the words.

I approach painting via two different roads that arrive at the same place. The first is that I paint only “studies” or sketches. Back in the day artists painted quick studies to get the colors and features down to use as a guide to paint a finished studio painting. Funny thing is of the paintings I’ve seen together with their studies, I’ve always preferred the loose and spontaneous studies over the stiff and polished finished painting. For that reason I’ve chosen to paint only studies.

My second approach to painting is inspired by a quote from the writer, Raymond Chandler: “I guess maybe there are two types of writers, writers who write stories and writers who write writing.” He considered himself of one of the latter, as do I which is to say; writers who’s words are entertaining in and of themselves, independent of the story. Perhaps painters could be divided the same way: Painters who paint pictures and painters who paint paintings. While I don’t consider one type superior to the other, I aim to be a painter of paintings. I want to paint paintings that capture a moment, inspire or recall a memory or mood, but which, viewed longer or closer, or with one's glasses on, prove to be clearly paintings: paint brushed into shapes on a surface. That these mere shapes can create an impression they’re something else, for a moment, or at a distance is the independent interest I would like my paintings to possess, not because they realistically reproduce branches, or water or what ever, but because they don’t. What I don't want to paint is places or post card scenes, even though landscape are the medium which I use for my painting.

The Day's Work - Paintings of C. Litka

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Chasing my tail

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