Short Circuiting: The Intentional Mudpie



Landscape In Green, Oil, 6" X 9", inquire here for print.




Memories Of Oregon Ridge, Oil, 6" X 8", inquire here for print.



Shorting out monolinear thinking is a favorite pastime of mine.  Scribbling is one method.  Blessed mindlessness.  Let the materials do what they do.  Expect nothing.  One can observe the materials dancing in a sort of motion picture--highly entertaining--and get quite an art lesson as media capability gets stretched to the limit.  Or one can observe just who is the one doing the art.  This sequence is also instructive, ranging from mild curiosity to boredom to a kind of creative auto-pilot where there is no mind, only pure creative mode in perfect operation.  The results are always surprising, and once in a while, kind of nice. 

These are two examples of this involving the bypassing of any prep--no stretching, coat-out, drawing, underwork--just right to the paint.  The only parameter was to follow the simple visual rhythms as they presented themselves in composition and color, without all the academics.  I had an exhibit catalogue featuring antique photos of coal mine life in the late 1800's.  I tore the binding off and used each sheet as an instant composition (natural rhythm).  All detail was avoided and the paint itself became the subject.

As far as any finished painting is concerned, there are a lot of mudpies due to the intentional short circuiting stages, and not paying attention.  But when the auto pilot kicks in the results can be quite interesting--and the whole experience, liberating.  I was reminded of all this by the work of my new friend, Laura Tedeschi, although I can't speak to her motivations.  The approaches looked similar, though.

Wm