Tuesday, February 3, 2009



The Corner

Watercolor on paper, 3 5/8" x 10 1/4"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
SOLD
As I mentioned earlier, from time to time I'll be posting dailies with varying size formats. I came across this scene in an out of the way corner of our local college campus. Click the image for a larger view.

10 comments:

Pierre Raby said...

Like the size. This image is magical,
a glimpse of springtime that put some warmth on a february day. Great work Don!

Sheila Vaughan said...

This is intriguing Don - the magic three - when shall we three meet again?? That triangle of snow increases the tension which I suspect may not have been there in a different size format.

Dogs by Bri said...

Nice work. Panoramic images are my favorite. I guess it's from all the time I spent behind a lens.

Kay said...

Hi, I enjoyed your "long-winded rant" on Sivana's blog, particularly where you said

"I tend to think that the best stuff that ends up in a painting is not a matter of intention or a self-conscious striving for meaning or vision; it is what an artist can't help but relate if they are painting honestly: the energy, force and spirit of their own being. You are already conveying that in your work, whether you realize it or not".

I believe that you are talking about what I call painting with "integrity". Sometimes a work just doesn't satisfy me, and I don't know why. Later I realise I was painting it for some reason other than that I really did want to say something, consciously or not. Technical skills are not enough. Even with commissioned work I have to find my point of entry, and once I have that I can paint with love, passion, excitement, tears... whatever it is that lets me make the subject matter my own.

What we do forget though, is that the viewer is bringing a completely different experience to the work, and may see something we don't even know we have put in there. We are rather hard on ourselves, but I suspect that that is also what keeps us honest in our work.

OK, rant over. I'll be following your blog when I can, please rant some more!

Leslie Sealey said...

That's a cool painting! Maybe you should call it,"Spring is Around the Corner." : )

Don Gray said...

Hey Pierre--thanks! Love that newest drawing on your blog.

Don Gray said...

Yes, Sheila--exactly! I was intrigued by the triangle of threes as well. And it did seem to need this long format. Thanks for your perceptive comments.

Don Gray said...

Hi Bri--thanks a lot.

Don Gray said...

Thanks for your "rant" Kay--very interesting thoughts, and I totally agree with you.

That "point of entry" is so crucial, isn't it? I recall the artist Larry Rivers once said something to the effect that a painting can be started for any reason, including ones that may be far from lofty. You may begin a painting because you want to impress someone, or even because you want to shock or upset. No reason is invalid, as long as somewhere in the process you locate a passion for what you're doing--that point of entry you speak of.

Regarding the viewer--the artist needs to have respect for what someone else may bring to the art. I've never cared much for work that tries to tell the viewer what or how to think; it quickly becomes controlling, self-conscious and heavy-handed.

That's my rant for today--thanks for yours!

Don Gray said...

Hi Leslie--why didn't I think of that?! Thanks for the visit.