Simplicity of Form

New work exploring the reduction of the human form to some basics in shape, color, texture and movement. As always I would love to hear what you think.

Named from top to bottom, Leaving, Reclining Figure, Sad Man. and Sisters

Don't Loose Your Art in the Studio Mess

This past week I was with some friends at a local coffee shop, all right it was Panera's, and we got on the subject of how much inventory artists have. This of course led to how do you keep track of the stuff. Not surprising most artist don't keep track of their art or they hope their spouse or partner will magically do it for them. Personally I run about 50 50 on the subject. At least I did until the beginning of this year. I was surprised by multiple sales of sculpture and paintings from the gallery that represents me, and while this was a great thing, I realized I didn't have a clue as to which ones sold. I know that sounds silly but somewhere along the line the gallery and I had different names for the works. It took weeks of searching through computer files to match up the sculptures. It was then I decided that this was NOT going to happen again.

So I devised a plan to inventory my work in a coherent fashion that would not be labor intensive. After all I'm an artist and my mind tends to wander to more creative endeavors, meaning art marketing overwhelms me. You can make up a spreadsheet for this but I don't keep a computer in my studio. Besides I thought a basic handwritten log would be a good starting point. My laptop is way to distracting. However I do  try to transfer this information periodically to an Excel sheet which I'll go over at another time.

• I created a naming convention that works for me. Year-Month-Number, which looks like this 15-o6-001, (2015, June, first piece)
• I place this number on the back of a work in the bottom right corner WHEN I START IT!  Wherever you put it be consistent.
• Now for the really hard part. Copy the number in a cheap composition book. You can add more information later.

I need to interject a small note here. YOU WILL MESS UP THE ORDER OF NUMBERS ON THE BACK OF ARTWORK. So what, its your reference, you don't get marked on it. I wrote the same number on 3 separate works and had to go back and change them. No one laughed at me. So if it makes you feel better go ahead and list a bunch of numbers in the book now but skip a line between them. That way you can jump to the rest of the information you need to record. Let's look at that now.

• Weekly I go back to the book and next to the art works matching number I add the medium, (acrylic, oil, watercolor, etc)
• Next I list the substructure, (canvas, art board, watercolor paper, etc) You can make up your own abbreviations, just be consistent.
• Then I list the size which is about the last known piece of information.
• I leave the title and description for last because you know the work can change overnight. 
• Once the work is done I write the title and size on the back.

It takes a little work but if you start now with any new work you can go back and tackle all that other stuff laying around. Remember these do not need to be in sequential order. This list is for you to inventory your work. It will be important later! 

Imagination is never still. The marks we make are verbs!

Harn Museum of Art Review

If you have the opportunity to stop by the Harn Museum of Art on the University of FL. campus, I would definitely suggest you DO SO!
We were there this past week and while it was between major exhibits, the displayed work from their permanent collection did not disappoint. Being a Sculptor and Painter I was excited that the first piece I saw was a Frank Stella work, Zandvoort, 1981. This mixed media wall hanging was alive with colors and shapes.

Another thing I've always wanted to see up close is the work by David Smith. The Museum had 2 on display, Hi Candida and Zig I
  
                
Paintings were not in short supply either. There was Florida Lake by Milton Avery, Jim Tadell's Place by George Bellows, Pulling Turpentine by Ellis Wilson, Flute Player and the Watermelon Eater by Picasso just to man a few of the 9,000 works of art in the permanent collection.
          

The Harn museum has eleven galleries on one floor and admission is free. So take a day trip and enjoy a wonderful museum.

New Paintings

I have been exploring the personality of paint by layering acrylic paint, papers and a variety of other textural surfaces. I have combined this with surrealistic conceptual works that delve into astrology and symbolism. Feel free to let me know what you think. Taurus (24 x 36) is about my sign and how I feel about it, Once the Bird is Released (16 x 20) refers to the symbol of a bird released in a painting referring to a woman releasing her innocence and She Has Always Danced With Fire (18 x 24) while an erotic work is also related to Native American culture.

Exercise in Texture and Space

In an effort to allow texture to create tension, I have limited my palette and included a variety of material. Overlapping along with vertical and horizontal placement reinforces some of the spatial depth.

Mono-Transfer, Strappo

I have been providing lessons on how to create a Strappo and realized that I have modified the technique in a natural progression that I thought I would explain here.

 Briefly, Strappo’s are a monotype from a dry acrylic transfer. An acrylic painting is developed and painted in reverse on a clear glass plate. When the image is fully formed and dry, to thicken the acrylic skin, successive layers of acrylic gesso are added. For the transfer process, fresh coats of acrylic gesso are applied both to the back of the glass plate and on the sheet where the image will be placed. The plate is placed on the prepared surface while the fresh gesso surfaces are still wet. Weights are placed to insure contact while the gesso layers bond. After the acrylic layers are bonded, the image and attached surface will be peeled from the glass. It is exactly the image as painted. The image, a monotype, is now transferred and the glass plate is clean. The surface of the image is smooth because it was developed on the smooth surface of the glass. A great advantage is that it does not require the use of a press.

The modifications are created when I add collage and drawing elements to the mix. By first coating the glass surface with a polymer (and letting it dry thoroughly) I am able to create a surface that I can draw on. I use permanent markers to sketch out gestural images and objects and I have also experimented with crayons and lithography pencils. I then coat the surface with polymer and again let it dry.

When I want to add collage elements the layering process starts again. For the Floral pieces I create, I use acrylic paint chips from dried pigment on my palette. This is great for the leaves and blossoms of plants. They are set in place using polymer and then coated with the same medium. Wallpapers in rooms are often designed with pre-painted newspaper or magazine clippings. These collage elements are treated and adhered in the same way as the floral works, alternating layers of polymer with the pieces of ephemera.

 The only other adaptation is that after all is said and done instead of adhering the glass to a surface for weights and drying, I peel the image from the glass and then apply it to a new surface. This can be paper, material and even an existing painting. And while these are still Strappo's I have begun to refer to them as Mono-Transfers.

You can see additional pieces along with additional artwork at www.donaldkolberg.com and feel free to email me with any questions.

Lines in Art, Mark Making Explored

I am ending the year with the beginning of an exploration into line and its relationship to mark making. Here are a few of the basics that underlie what I know about traditional concepts of line. I know it’s simplified but I needed to start somewhere.

The diagonal line displays a strength and intensity and suggests elements like depth and movement. On a picture plane these dynamic features attract the viewer’s eye.
To create a static or immobile sense of structure you would turn to horizontal or vertical lines.
When you use these types of line in concert, creating a linear composition, you find using small amounts of diagonals will offset any large application of horizontals and verticals.

There is also the creation of curved and straight lines to take into consideration. If you are looking for a dynamic feel that supports a sense of depth you will turn to the naturalistic curve with its inherent emotional characteristic. If you are looking for something with less contrast that stands strong yet passive look for straight lines. They can provide what you need to create a structure that holds a picture plane in place.

 (noun) - A line is a basic element of art, referring to a continuous mark, made on a surface, by a moving point.

A line is long relative to its width. It can define a space, create an outline or pattern, imply movement or texture and allude to mass or volume. It is absolutely essential in creating art, the line.

So now that we have all this we’ll look at what I’ve started to examine. I did not move a point to create a line. I created a space that represented a moving point. I did this by creating a 3 dimensional line placed on the surface. I then painted over it with what was essentially a 2 dimensional line and then removed or deconstructed the original line. These new lines, shapes and space now exist in relation to a negative space that was created behind the lines.