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"The Moment Before Tomorrow" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper, 15" x 22"A New Beginning: A 30 Day Challenge
Today I am agreeing - apparently along with another 259 artists - to another of artist Leslie Saeta's 30 day challenges. I jumped on this bandwagon because I really enjoyed the challenge back in September 2013, and I am hoping that a second round of this will lead to a consistent practice of blogging and painting. That I enjoy both painting and blogging ought to be enough of an incentive, but facing a challenge and doing it with a great league of artists is a whole lot of fun.
I am not one who knocks out a painting a day, starting from scratch. In the September 2013 challenge I decided to take the many "starts" I had lying around the studio, and finish them. And once again, I am going to adjust the rules some. For this challenge, my goal is to "complete" 30 paintings in the month of January. I generally work on a painting for days, often days spread out over months. That is, I may start a painting and have it nearly finished and then leave it for weeks - months - before I return to it and finish it. I surely have 30 "not-finished paintings" lying around this studio, and it is time to address them. I may be working with some paintings that are almost finished.
The Moment Before Tomorrow: Just Sign It
Signing a painting is a ritual. When I sign it, I am saying that the painting is finished.
Confession: I didn't paint this painting today. I just finished it by signing it.
And that is one reason why I chose "The Moment Before Tomorrow" as my first painting for 2014. First, it only needed to be signed, and I thought it would make a point that the artist's signature is the finishing mark. Second, it would let me off easy on January 1, and I think today is still a holiday. The real and greater challenge starts tomorrow for me. Today is the day before tomorrow, the day before my challenge begins, and I want to pause for a moment before I enter fully the new year.
I think that the painting is also a good choice for the first day of a new year. The central figure is in a place of transition. Again a figure that is paused in the present, in between but moving on - leaving something behind and looking at something ahead. Among other things I think the image and all of its parts contribute to a metaphor about meeting life's challenges, the moments of discovery, the decision-making, and the fortitude to take action.
It's an ancient story, isn't it?
Happy New Year, 2014!
See... I just signed it.
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Wednesday, January 1, 2014
The Moment Before Tomorrow and Another [30 Day] Challenge
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Beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathryn!
DeleteLove this!
ReplyDeleteJim, Maybe selecting an easy painting to finish was really the completion of the relationship between the artist and the creative flow for this painting. The moment before the signature is the last time you will be in the communion with each other. You and the painting might just agree that it is time for your signature. With your signature, the two of you are denoting acceptance, love and an ending. You are both transitioning from this relationship. For you, it's reconnecting with the flow of creativity by beginning or completing another painting. For the painting, “A Moment Before Tomorrow”, it is having a relationship with others who want to have the experience of being in the present moment.
ReplyDeleteJim, Maybe selecting an easy painting to finish was really the completion of the relationship between the artist and the creative flow for this painting. The moment before the signature is the last time you will be in the communion with each other. You and the painting might just agree that it is time for your signature. With your signature, the two of you are denoting acceptance, love and an ending. You are both transitioning from this relationship. For you, it's reconnecting with the flow of creativity by beginning or completing another painting. For the painting, “A Moment Before Tomorrow”, it is having a relationship with others who want to have the experience of being in the present moment.
ReplyDeleteJackie, wow. YES! I had not thought of it that way, but it is true. How interesting that the creative process - the relationship between the artist and the work - is reflected in the meaning of the work. The metaphor rings true. Thank you for this insight!
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