Beki Borman

I just wanted to point out some new work I have uploaded to the 2008 Gallery.  Particularly, I want to point out “Tree Emerging in Color” and “Tree on a Cool Morning, because I think these works indicate a more subdued direction.  As much as I love going crazy in color and abstract shapes, I want to get back to the subject and make an effort to use subtlety rather than noise to create a more powerful image.

I am currently reading Theories of Modern Art by Herschel B. Chipp.  It is basically a collection of letters and writings by artists such as Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, Kandinsky, Klee, etc.  This book is packed with lots of really good insight, discussion, and history.  I was most recently fascinated by Van Gogh grappling with the question of form vs. imagination.  In some of his letters, he insists that direct observation and study of the model is the only way to go.  However, after a brief visit from Gauguin, he is enticed by abstraction and working from his own mind.  He does later reverts back to his old beliefs but reading his thoughts while going through this process is inspiring.  Most artists, myself included, can surely relate to this common artistic dilemma.  I am savoring this book.

This passage was taken from the book:  Theories of Modern Art, Ed. Herschel B. Chipp

Imagination (a letter to Brnard, Arles, April 1888 (B3,p.478)

“The imagination is certainly a faculty which we must develop, one which alone can lead us to the creation of a more exhalting and consoling nature that the single brief glance of reality- which in our sight is ever changing, passing like a flash of lightning-can let us perceive….”

I chose to feature this quote because it is the essence of what I believe art should be.  I think that nature as a subject matter in painting can be a jumping off point for the human mind.  It is here that we can dicover our own creativity, purpose, and greatness. Nature, like us, is an organic manifestation that grows and transforms in reaction to the fluidity of the universe.  As being products of nature, we have that very same power in creativity, to see and redesign as we see fit.

The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands,but in seeing with new eyes.

-Marcel Proust

As artists, thinkers, and creators it is important that we never get too comfortable, or make assumptions in our exprience of the world.  In doing so, we filter out what could potentially be genius insights or life changing expriences.   It’s important to remember, but easy to forget. Our brains seems to want to somehow instinctively switch into autopilot.

I have posted some new drawings in the gallery that I am excited about.  They are mostly rough quick drawings, but they continue to inform my stylization and study of shapes.

“To reproduce the three-dimensional two-dimensionally, however, is an excercise in abstraction.  As with all illusions, two-dmensional art is a critique on the limits of perception.”

GeoffreyBent- “Let there be Giotto”

This quote is taken from an essay by Bent about Giotto published in Boulevard-Vol.23.  Giotto is a 13th Century Itlaian painter who is credited with breaking many of the traditions of art in that time and forming a movement in painting that gets away from the flat, two-dimensional imagery and aspires to create the illusion of three-dmensions. I think that this quote is a reminder of how painting is still painting. we are reinterpreting and transferring what we see onto a two-dimensional plane.  Therefore, we are always at the mercy of our own perceptions, no matter our intentions.

Image:

The Kiss of Judas

Giotto (1267-1337)

Fresco, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua

A good reference book to have on the shelf.  I have found that this book covers an important history of the relationships between art, science, and religion.  The author is Lynn Gamwell and her writing is both in depth and accessible.

This book on Amazon.com

One important concept I tackle in my work is that of nature vs. natural.  I depict nature, but not in a natural way.  I often postarize it, pulling out patterns and shapes in bright colors and high contrast.  As a result, there are multiple factors at play.  I am create something that is aesthetic and of visual interest.  I am also seeking patterns, dominant forms, and repetitions.  Finally, there is the underlying sense of nature and structure as both organic and free, but somehow designed.  I am perhaps the unnatural designer, applying artistic aesthetics to natural aesthetics.  This is what artists do, recreate the world in their own visual language.

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