Art as Therapy, “Branding” or not?

acrylic paintings, art, contemporary art, contemporary painting, female artist, figurative art, portraits, portraits of women

One visitor to my studio remarked (or was it a complaint?) that I have “too many ideas” — I should stick to one idea and develop it. I got the same advice (or complaint) in art school. One of my art professors was a painter of directional signs. His work was shown in one of NYC’s best galleries. I recently looked him up online to see if, forty years later, he was still painting directional signs. Yes! There they were, painting after painting of arrows. Arrows pointing up, pointing crossways, pointing down, etc. So, he had a brand — to borrow from corporate marketing — easily identifiable, uniquely his. And me? Do I have a brand?

Child Looks at the Dance of Life (Munch) 16 x 24 inches

Give him flowers (studio view) each 10 x 12

Me? I start from the inside. I focus on whatever’s bothering me. Or what intrigues me. The past year, for example, I was faced with an upcoming court date and constant, nightmarish anxiety. How to alleviate my anxiety? I was tempted to throw paint against the canvas – expressionism!

Instead, I discovered a simple therapy: I focused on details, tiny intricate shapes, dots, triangles, stripes, using my trusty ink pens and fluid acrylics and acrylic markers and occasional watercolor pencils. Will I go on “developing” my “patterned” paintings? Probably not.

Like the Mirror when Nobody’s Looking

acrylic paintings, art, contemporary, contemporary art, female artist, male portraits

It’s as if you’re dead and looking at life through a veil, someone said to me at my recent solo show of my work.

Not a bad analysis — because I don’t paint from life.

My companions in my studio are fluctuating moods and passing thoughts and squelched memories bubbling to the surface.

I paint because I like being off-balance.

Teacher

Leave your sleepy rivulets to trickle down my wrist,

Teacher. Put up a mirror for an answer

so I can ask the same question

twice

Seal shut last year’s envelopes, your lesson’s feral cabinet,

Say, The mirror is facing the wall, your secrets are safe

Don’t ask me,

“Dear little cobweb: why so brooding, mysterious, and quaking?”

Don’t say, “I’ll seize this and this and this”

Leave everything alone as is

like the mirror, when nobody’s looking

Silence of Nowhere

acrylic paintings, art, contempory art, female artist

“Silence of Nowhere” — my latest series, still ongoing, of the inbetween, in limbo, etc. Landscapes, seascapes, people… Some of these are parts of 2 panels…like frames of a film (not all pictured here).

Landscapes are a new adventure for me, and a solace. They should mirror the inscape, not just add to the canon of pretty-pretty. Some of these paintings are a combination chalk pastel and acrylic and ink.

Ashurst30.48cm x 40.64 cm 12 x 16

30 x 20 Ice Flow

Silence of Nowhere 3

40 x 40 Silence of Nowhere

16 x 20 At Sea

Gutelius, Halleluyah, 20 x 18

16 x 28 Family.jpg

The Art of New Beginnings, 2017

contemporary art, female artist

Moving into my attic studio for the winter, crowded with old discarded paintings and storage items.

Still, it’s a place to work, yeah. And it’s time for me to post new beginnings! Some from my pool-hall series, one attempt at a landscape, a continuation of my Family series. “Valentine” is one of two companion works that are companions of my poem “Valentine” (widely published these days).

Last, but not least,

as always, a nudge from the angsty political landscape.

“Coming Soon,” acrylic, 39 in. x 22 in.

“Blonde Bait,” 38 in. x 22 in.

“Easy to Pick Up” acrylic on canvas, 39 in. x 19 in.

“Demo” acrylic on canvas, 40 in. x 25 in.

“Land and Sea” acrylic on canvas, 28 in. x 22 in.

“Family” acrylic on canvas, 38 in. x 39 in.

“Valentine 2” acrylic on canvas, 45 in. x 31 in.

Untitled, charcoal drawing on paper

Paintings to round out 2016, Friends, Family, Dreamscapes, Costumes

acrylic paintings, contemporary art, figurative painting

Dear Dreamers, Liars, Truth-seekers, etc.,

Whatever the new year brings, let’s never stop creating…

Hereby, some latest efforts … friends and family and pets and all things lovable

“German Visitor,” acrylic, 46″ x 12″

“Tamed Radicals,” (Postdam), acrylic, 40″ x 40″

“Hudson River,” acrylic, 45″ x 35″

“Overlook” (Winter Solstice”), acrylic, 45″ x 25″

“Digital Street,” acrylic, 26″ x 40″

“Overlook,” (Summer Solstice), 23″ x 40″

“Family Discussion,” acrylic, 40″ x 20″

“Matrix,” acrylic, 32″ x 28″

“Statue of Liberty,” acrylic, 44″ x 32″

Studio Visit, Q&A with me and Sarah Butler

acrylic paintings, art, contemporary art, figurative art, political art, studio visit

STUDIO VISIT: JOSEPHA GUTELIUS

Studio location: A garage (without the car!) semi-attached to my house. The only natural light is west, which makes for interesting shadows, ideal for my purposes.

How long working here? I moved in early August this year, so the studio hasn’t been mucked up much. I’m still trying to keep it clean and neat. Give it a few months.

THE SPACE

One advantage: I can paint large, larger, largest and cart the canvas out the garage door. Of course, having a new studio feels like a fresh start. I finally have more floor space—my method is to work on the floor, kneeling.

And I have wall space: that’s amazing! The first thing I did when I moved into the new studio, I hung up about 30 of my paintings, it was like seeing them for the first time.

Challenges: Electricity? Yes. But no plumbing: no sink, no toilet. So I do a lot of trudging back and forth.

THE WORK

I tend to work on several paintings at once and revisit old paintings accordingly. And especially now with the fresh new context of the studio, I see everything differently. I’m thinking I want to go toward interior scenes. Figures, of course. But I haven’t done much with objects, and I plan to.

Recommended Reads?

Ross King’s The Judgment of Paris. Immensely detailed, with a sweeping perspective on what King calls “the revolutionary decade that gave the world Impressionism.” King’s starting point is Meissonier, the Andy Warhol of the 19th century (and coincidentally Salvador Dali’s favorite painter). A brilliant illustration of the relativity of the canon.

Another seminal book: Lothar Lang’s Expressionist Book Illustration in Germany, 1907-1927. I’ve pored over that book for years—the drama of the line, the black/ white contrast, the spare use of color as “gesture,” an art of protest. Raw and brutal stuff; those paintings can’t be tamed. The basics for me are content and drama.

And the inimitable Lucy Lippard, the art shaman. I don’t necessarily like the art she likes, but I love looking at art through her eyes. I See/ You Mean is a phenomenal novel.

https://assets.tumblr.com/analytics.html?6e0fdc56f5c8cc16ff619972cbbaf1a2#http://athenslaundry.tumblr.com