Directing The Eye Through Composition and Word

"The End Of The Pilgrimmage" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper, 22" x 30"

Directing The Eye Through Composition

Artists use composition to focus and direct the eye of the viewer.  You might find as you look at this painting that you first look at the figure that is in the highest position, and then move to the large figure in the center and then to the tallest figure further to the right. And then you notice the long line of figures moving from the right to the left at the bottom of the paper. Then back up to the figure on the upper left.  

The easy and natural path for the western eye to follow is from left to the right, the way we read. And so that figure up there on the left is perhaps the starting point of travel through the painting.  The figure in the center - the center being a hot spot - would dominate the painting were it not for the height of the figure on the upper left or the size of the figure to the right of center.  There is a balance and a tension between these three figures. Who they are and what they represent may not be specific but they are in positions - on the page - that suggest they have more authority or power than the other figures in the painting.  

Then we come down to the figures starting on the right side of the paper. They seem to be moving left, or rather, our eye is traveling left with them.  This travel goes against the grain - the opposite way of our reading habits - and this makes that movement strong, giving these smaller figures some strength of focus.

Directing The Eye Through Words

How the viewer looks at the painting can also be affected by the title. I came up with three possible titles for this painting.  Let's try each one out and see how it affects the way the painting is viewed.  

"Above and Below"

If the title is "Above and Below" the viewer is encouraged to see two levels and to make sense of it - the top and the bottom, the big guys and the little guys, the spiritual and the human... there are countless possibilities.  It focuses on polarity.

"Degrees of Separation"

The title "Degrees of Separation" allows the viewer to look a little more deeply into the painting. For example, it might lead first to an examination of the separation between the figures below and each of the figures above. And subsequently to an examination of the ways in which the upper figures are separated from one another - higher or lower, closer or more distant from one another. It also would lead to an examination of the obvious degrees of separation between the figures on the bottom as they relate to one another, and how they might relate or not relate to the figures in higher places.

"The End of the Pilgrimage"

This title does all that the previous two do, but adds some new direction for the viewers. It adds character and plot and meaning in a way that the other two titles do not. When I think of this as a snapshot of the end of the pilgrimage - that is, the pilgrims/travelers have arrived at their destination - I am led to look at the figures at the bottom in all of their positions, and I see that the positions indicate a state of being for each character - an attitude.  At the same time the figures above them also take on more human characteristics. What are they thinking now that they have their audience before them?  Are they a part of this or are they looking for something else?

Maintaining Ambiguity

I try always to allow plenty of room for interpretation of my paintings.  What this painting is really about is something that only the viewer can decide.  Though a "pilgrimage" is generally viewed as a journey to a sacred place - the pilgrims in the middle ages would travel great distances to view the relics of a particular saint - a pilgrimage does not have to be solely about the sacred.  It can stand as a metaphor for any journey of great import that we happen to be on.  What happens once we get where we are going?  The end of the pilgrimage is something to consider.  

TransFiguration: The Creative Process

"TransFiguration" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper, Mounted on Canvas, 14" x 11"

ISEA and NWS 2013-2014 Three Venue International Exchange in Wales EXHIBITION

Transfiguration: A Change of Shape or Form

"Trans" is the Latin preposition meaning, among other things, "across." We see it everyday in such common words as "transatlantic" "transmigration" "transportation" "transfer" "translation" - and now your mind is reeling with all of the "trans" words you know that I haven't mentioned, right?  

The word "Transfiguration" was first used to describe "the change in appearance of Christ before his disciples," but later its meaning broadened to include the secular -  "a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state."  

I think that this painting suggests the mysterious and miraculous types of trans-formation we might experience ourselves or witness in others.   And I think the relationship between the two characters is an interesting one to consider.  How does "trans-figuration" apply to each of them?  What is being trans-figured here?  

The capital "F" that I placed in the middle of "TransFiguration" has a purpose: to remind the viewer of "the Figure" and to suggest the notion of "figuration" - the act of drawing figures.  And, I also wanted to connect this painting with an earlier work that I titled, "Figuration."  

"Figuration" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper, 9.25" x 17" 

"Figuration" has always made me think of "the figure" being created from out of the chaos.  We start with chaos and somehow manage to pull out of it - "draw out of it"? - some meaning, literal or figurative.  

It's good to be back!  

The Shared Scene: Solitude With Others

"Shared Scene" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper 7 1/4" x 11"

Day 30 - Painting #23 - The End of the Challenge: A New Beginning

Well, here is my last painting for the challenge designed by Leslie Saeta.  When I started this 27 days ago I had no idea whether or not I'd be able to do it.  I guess that is what a challenge is all about.  You take a risk to meet the challenge.  Artists need to be willing to take risks. Isn't there the risk of failure every time we pick up a brush or put our work on display?  

I titled this painting "Shared Scene" because I noticed that the figures are in position for a shared scene on the stage.  That triangle can shift the focus from one character to another with the slightest of movements.  Right now it looks to me like the figure down left (viewer right) has the focus. The figure in the back is looking toward him.  Just imagine any one of these figures turning their gaze, shifting the focus from the figure down left to the figure down right, or to put even more emphasis on the figure in the center imagine both figures turned toward him.

What is the point? I just want to suggest that the story being told in this painting is ongoing. That the three figures each have a certain amount of power to take focus and to raise questions about who they are and what they are considering regarding themselves and one another. They are separate but they are in this scene together, much like the 400 artists in Leslie's challenge. It is through opportunities like this that we get to breach the solitude of the studio and share the scene with our colleagues.

I have to say too that this painting, and the challenge itself, makes me think about not abandoning our muses, or, perhaps more to the point, about not fearing that our muses will abandon us. They are present - maybe not always easily detected - but they are present. We may need to dig deep to find them hidden away in some ancient cavern just waiting for us to call on them for inspiration. I am reminded of that when I look at my 23 paintings from this challenge.

I will continue to paint daily and to blog - not daily - but to blog often.

Congratulations to all of my art buddies in the challenge!  Phew!  We did it.

Taking A Break From Doing and Entering Into Being

"From  A Distance" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper, 11" x 7 1/2"

Painting #22 Day #29 In the 30 in 30 Challenge

I have been so busy preparing for the opening reception for my show coming up on Friday Oct. 4, that I have not been able to paint for two days.  I've been busy with the framer, with my inventory list, pricing, post cards. Well, you know how it just goes on and on.  

I will admit to worrying that my colleagues in the Challenge and the friends following me would think that I was shirking my commitment, but I felt like I had no choice. The show must go on.

I won't go into details about the utter craziness of the last 48 hours of "doing" in prep for the show. Let it suffice to say that at about noon today all of the concern was put to rest and I was able to have a nice lunch and relax.  At about 4 o'clock I went into the studio with the plan to mount some of my paintings on canvas, but I had 2 starts waiting for me to tackle for the challenge and I thought, "Why not!  You need to paint. It is still light out!  And, it will make you feel better." Painting is more about "being" than about doing anyway.

"From A Distance" is the result of deciding to paint - of deciding "to be" in the creative process -  before getting down to "doing" the business of gluing paper to canvas. That I finished it in record time - I didn't even get through my Flamenco Guitar cd more than once - and that I was able to sign and photograph it before sunset... well it's all shocking to me.  The broad outline of the large figure, the curve around him, and outlines of several other figures were there in "the scrubbed-out start" which I had abandoned many months ago.  It was all blue.  And I had no idea when I started working on it where it was going to go.  

I can't help but be mystified by this painting. How did it happen so fast?   Was it because I was too tired to think or to worry about restrictions?

When I look at this painting I keep hearing Bette Midler singing "From A Distance" in the background.  I don't know quite what to make of that.  After all, I was listening to Flamenco music when I painted it.  

Solitude: Keeping It Simple & The Creative Spirit

"Solitude" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper, 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" 

Ah! I need solitude. I have come forth to this hill at sunset to see the forms of the mountains in the horizon — to behold and commune with something grander than man. -Henry D. Thoreau  [Journal, 14 August 1854]

Painting #21 Day #26 in the 30 Day Challenge - Solitude!

Although the word solitude can have some negative connotations, like loneliness and isolation. There is something positive to be said for seeking solitude from the business of the world. Thoreau leads the way in explaining the benefits of seeking solitude.  

This painting was a struggle.  I wanted it to be something much more elaborate and perhaps a bit more colorful, but it would have none of it.  As I've noted before my paintings seem to have a mind of their own and don't care much one way or the other what I want.  The paper has been through a lot of painting and scrubbing. It was in every orientation at least once and populated with many figures, but none of them were satisfying.  I was very close to abandoning this piece of paper forever.  I suppose a little bit of solitude would have helped both the painting and me at that point.  So I left and had dinner. 

When I returned to it I decided to start on a new piece altogether but I kept being called back to this now aged piece of paper.  I had two figures in it, superimposed and not very successfully.  I kept thinking "get rid of one of the figures" and then argued with myself "but if you do that there will be only one figure and there's nothing else going on in that painting." Then I thought about several other paintings in which I had just one solitary figure.  And I thought, "Keep it Simple, Jim" and so I said to the painting, "If that is what you want to be, then so be it."  I proceeded with the idea that this was going to be a simple painting with simple shapes and a simple neutral palette.  And now, I sort of love this painting.  

Suspending Action: Ponder, Poise, Balance

"Poise to Ponder" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper, 7" x 9"

Painting #20 Day #23 in the 30 in 30 Challenge

I can't believe this is painting #20.  How interesting it has been for me to watch these small paintings take on various formats and configurations.  

The title of this painting is "Ponder."  To ponder means to weigh something mentally before making a decision or before coming to a conclusion.  The three figures in the painting may be poised to make a decision, although I see some slight movement in the third figure on the right, as if he is moving to a place to think on his own.   Interestingly enough the root of "ponder" is the Latin verb ponderare which means to consider or to weigh [mentally.] Weight is in the balance here, in terms of the composition of the painting as well as the meaning of the words ponder and poise, both of which trace their roots back to words that relate specifically to weight and weighing.  

The main character in this painting is the figure on the right.  He is he one whose pondering we are being asked to consider.  He is facing the viewer; one can make out some expression on his face.  He seems to have more weight than the other two figures combined and seems to be closer to the viewer.  I see him as moving into position - a little further to the right is where he will finish, and then the scene will be balanced.  But for now he is suspended in motion, poised, and likely will move after a moment's pause.  At least, that's how I see it.  Are my days as a stage director showing?  

The Creative Spirit Has A Mind Of Its Own: The Emissary

"Carolyn & Bill" by Jim Carpenter, Acrylic on Paper

Painting #19 Day #21 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I know that this seems like quite a departure from the rest of my paintings in the challenge -- letters, numbers, words you can read, and the couple in a kiss.  But, there are some things it has in common with the others. The figures are abstract.  The palette is identical to all the others.  There is written text on the wall that looks like it has been carved into over the years by the two lovers. And the entire painting has a feeling of having been around for a while. 

I actually love this little painting...  And it appeared as if by magic.  I was unable to attend the 50th Golden Anniversary celebration of my dear friends Carolyn and Bill because their party was 900 miles away and taking place on the same weekend that I was to receive my Signature membership in the Florida Watercolor Society.  When I say that this painting appeared as if by magic, I mean exactly that. This painting was something else entirely before it became what it is.  The painting that was twice as long - and was about "journey."  In fact, I had actually written a blog post to go with it (written while I was trapped in a garage for 5 hours while my car was being serviced!) But, as usual, as I was finishing up the "journey" late at night I made an adjustment to the central figure, and then everything started to shift, and in short time I understood where the painting wanted to go and what it wanted to become. 

I am beginning to believe that if we can relax and let the creative energy flow, that our intentions will come to fruition.  In this instance, the Creative Spirit just swooped in and created something that I could send as an emissary for this special weekend for two very special friends.