Julia Mira
  • Home
  • Forest
  • Derelict Vehicles
  • People
  • Chickens, Fish, Etc.
  • Outliers
  • Drums
  • Artifacts
  • About & CV
  • Contact
  • Blog

Stopping

6/23/2016

0 Comments

 
When is a painting finished? 

Sometimes it's a matter of style. Hyper-realistic paintings are done when there is no canvas showing and all the details are complete. My style isn't that. "Painterly" paintings are supposed to have lost edges, where you can't tell where the outline of this or that figure stops and the next figure starts, and sometimes there are big chunks of canvas that have only a charcoal drawing on it, or "background" paint. This style is much admired but I'm not particularly a fan.

As an artist with no formal training but with a tendency to want to follow the rules, I often thrash around, especially at the beginning. What are the rules, anyway? "There are no rules" is clearly false. There are technical rules, such as how to clean brushes or how to keep paint from cracking off the canvas or how to mix paint without it getting muddy. There are thematic rules, such as the one my daughter encountered in art school, "Never paint anything that looks like a Hallmark Card," or the one that a shocked artist friend blurted out at me, "No, Julia, you can't paint your dreams. Never that, no." As a beginner I tried to keep everything in mind, as a more practiced artist, I no longer much think about what I'm supposed to go for.

In the search for my own style, I have gone to museums and galleries in various countries. I've noticed that paintings in galleries are often super-polished. The technical mastery of paint and varnish is daunting and seldom appealing. Pieces in museum collections, on the other hand, sometimes have looser styles, where bits of canvas show, and details are somewhat fudged. Too much technical skill, in our era, gives the flavor of computer generated art, which isn't an area where I can compete.

What I ended up doing was to paint a lot and discover my style through a process of uncovering and revelation, not through planning or even taste. My style is not particularly what I would have dialed up if I had had the chance to sit in Heaven and form myself as an artist. Which is pretty strange, but there you are.

And so this leads up to my question, how can I tell when I'm done with a painting? This one, for example, is clearly unfinished. What am I seeing that tells me that? The background is too saturated compared with the face. The face needs a touch-up, more contrast. His shirt has to decide what color it is, the bird has to grip wrinkles on his shirt. ... or maybe not? Maybe all that is part of what makes it work ...
Picture
One thing I have noticed, is that people take their cues from other people, quite noticeably when it comes to art! The very fact that I have announced that this is unfinished means you will find reasons for why it is. But, if I'd said, "This is an example of one that is complete," you might disagree, but you'll take my word that I believe it's done, and you'll look for the evidence that I must have had in mind when I said that. It's all a bit of a puzzler.
0 Comments

Procrastination

6/22/2016

0 Comments

 
For some things, like my online teaching job, I don't procrastinate. I make a list, mental or on a spreadsheet, of what needs doing, and then I do it. I keep working until I finish, with rare exceptions.

For other things, like housekeeping or gardening, I fold them into the ordinary course of living. When I go to the garden to empty the compost bucket, or to pick vegetables for my next meal, I weed a bit. When I get hungry, I cook, cleaning as I go. It's a natural, organic way of getting stuff done and I hardly notice it.

For some things, though; creative things, I procrastinate. This has been a life issue. As early as I can remember, I've always done my duty first. I seem to be able to expand my idea of "duty" kind of infinitely, and I've come to see that it's a way of procrastinating. If I have things I must do, like pay bills or work for pay, then I can fill my life with busyness, and nobody, least of all myself, can fault me for that. On the other hand, if I venture into the world of creativity, then what if what I end up doing isn't something awesomely great? Failure! Grief and woe!

This sort of toxic thinking is easiest to fall into when I'm tired. Since I get the "must do" things out of the way in the early part of the day, then I end up trying to paint when I'm tired. I may try to change this in the next few weeks. We'll see if a lifetime of habit can be overturned.

Today, I managed to paint a bit, which is good. When I procrastinated ... get this ... it was because I was listening to Cal Newport's audio book, "Deep Work, Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World." How hilarious is that????
Picture
0 Comments

The Last Evening in Norway

6/20/2016

0 Comments

 
First, a tea party.
Picture
Next, mutton stew with bread and wine.
Picture
And finally, Boggle. The cubes were made with our Boggle note cards. Each cube takes twelve of the cards, six per side plus six more to lock them. That makes 72 cards. So far. Astri, since English is not her first language, always wins.
Picture
0 Comments

Back in the Saddle Again

6/20/2016

0 Comments

 
I got a roll of canvas and some acrylic paint in Oslo! My work officially ended on Thursday and the sudden surge of energy was a bit of a relief. I never know if my lack of painting energy is due to the draining effects of work, or if there's something larger and more sinister at play. Watching Mom die of Alzheimer's was sobering to say the least! 

Then I did three underpaintings in quick succession (thanks for your living room table, Astri!). It's possible I'll go over them again in oils, or possibly not. One of them seems fairly complete. The other two might end up in the trash. Anyway, it was super-fun to be working again.

​And tomorrow I fly home. Wherever that is. Things are in transition.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Oslo, Early Evening

6/18/2016

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Kultur-Historisk Museum in Oslo, Tuvan Shaman's Robe

6/18/2016

1 Comment

 
1 Comment

Kultur-Historisk Museum in Oslo, textiles

6/18/2016

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Kultur-historisk Museum in Oslo, Mary and Child

6/18/2016

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Kultur-historisk Museum in Oslo: Wooden Church Doors

6/18/2016

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

An Illustrated Story for Cats in Two Languages

6/17/2016

1 Comment

 
This typical household is owned by two cats. They have a servant who feeds them and prepares fine silks, wools, and linens for them to sleep on.

Denne typiske husstanden eies av to katter. De har en tjener som mater dem og ordner fin silke, ull og sengetøy som de kan sove på.



This dignified calico cat is sitting on the ironing board, where a clean, well-ironed rayon garment has been prepared for her.  

Denne verdige tricolor-katten sitter på strykebrettet, der et rent, godt strøket viskose-plagg er gjort klart til henne.
Picture
 Here is the servant in the kitchen, awaiting the other cat’s orders. The cat is considering what to do next. Maybe he will sleep. Maybe he will go outside. Maybe he will sit in a doorway. He is not yet certain.


Her står tjeneren på kjøkkenet og venter på den andre kattens bestilling. Katten vurderer hva han skal gjøre videre. Kanskje han vil sove. Kanskje han vil gå utenfor. Kanskje han vil sitte i en døråpning. Han har ennå ikke bestemt seg.
Picture
 In the mean time, the servant washes the dishes. She uses very hot water and dishwashing detergent. She carefully washes both the tops and the bottoms of every bowl and dish. This is very important to a cat. They like to have their servants prepare clean bowls for them after every bite. If the servant is too lazy for that, the cats will generously settle for clean bowls after every meal.


I mellomtiden vasker tjeneren opp tallerknene. Hun bruker veldig varmt vann og oppvaskmiddel. Hun er nøye og vasker hver skål og tallerken både oppå og under.. Dette er meget viktig for en katt. De liker å la tjenerne sine ordne med rene skåler for dem etter hver bit. Hvis tjeneren er for lat til det, vil kattene sjenerøst tolerere rene boller etter hvert måltid.


Picture
Here is the houseguest. The cats have decided to allow her to visit as long as she does not move suddenly or eat their food. She is useful when the original servant has gone out. She can open doors, close doors, open doors, close doors, and open doors. Sometimes she feeds them meals too, but she does not do it correctly. In this image, the guest is preparing servant fuel, which is called coffee.
 
Her er husgjesten. Kattene har besluttet å tillate henne å vaere på besøk så lenge hun ikke beveger seg plutselig eller spiser maten deres. Hun er nyttig når den opprinnelige tjeneren har gått ut. Hun kan åpne dører, lukke dører, åpne dører, lukke dører og åpne dører. Noen ganger gir hun dem mat også, men hun gjør det ikke riktig. På dette bildet er forbereder gjesten tjenerdrivstoff, kalt kaffe.
Picture
 Here are two doorways. One door is good, but two doors are much better.​

Her er to dører. En dør er bra, men to dører er mye bedre.
Picture
This is the workspace of the house guest. It would be better if there were freshly washed silk on the table, but the house guest does not understand proper behavior.​

Dette er arbeidsplassen til husgjesten. Det ville vært bedre hvis det var nyvasket silke på bordet, men husgjesten har ikke kjennskap til korrekt oppførsel.
Picture
 This is where the house guest has been stored. The bed is behind an Afghani curtain, with clean sheets and a down comfortor. Unfortunately, it does not smell right, and so the cats are unable to sleep on the bed any more. They prefer to sleep on the face of the servant.​

Det er her husgjesten har blitt lagret. Sengen er bak et afghansk gardin, med rent sengetøy og en dundyne. Dessverre lukter det ikke riktig, så kattene er ikke i stand til å sove i sengen lenger. De foretrekker å sove på ansiktet til tjeneren.
Picture
1 Comment
<<Previous

      

      

    Archives

    September 2022
    July 2021
    July 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    Categories

    All
    Apple
    Biocities
    Buoys
    Calligraphy
    Curating
    Cyanotype
    Driftwood
    Drum
    Edinburgh
    Florence
    Forest
    Framing
    Hanko
    Illuminated Manuscript
    Japan
    Kimono
    Kos
    Kyoto
    Leeds
    Madrona
    Manhole
    Mind
    Mixed Media
    Museum
    Nature
    Oil Painting
    Painting
    Plants
    Pottery
    Reflections
    School
    Sea Life
    Sendai
    Shoyu
    St Andrew
    St Andrews
    Studio Shot
    Taiko
    Tea Ceremony
    Technology
    Temple
    Tokyo
    Vancouver
    Venice
    Watercolor

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly