JUST PAINT

"Just Paint" - once, these words implied to me the pulling out of brushes and canvas and painting - daily, with abandon, with purpose, exploring, creating, learning, producing - and now, these are no longer words of action, but of description. In non-objective works, there is 'just paint" on the canvas. There is no image, not ever.

Lila told us of her experience in a class she took some years ago. All of the students were required to paint an 8' x 16' raw canvas. In a few days when their canvas was completed, the instructor appeared and asked "Where is the painting?" as she looked at each canvas. She would examine the raw canvas and find the painting - as small as 4" x 4" in size. Cropping is okay, Lila said. Some painters crop sections of failed paintings and make them into cards. A different concept I think.

I laid a small mat on various sections of some of the practice sheets made during our Non-objective course at the college and then took photos. These two, were my favourites.

Though I have dabbled on small canvasses, there has been no serious painting this week. I miss it. The sun is not shining and rain is predicted for most of this week but if it holds off long enough I hope to get outside and paint madly, filling another sheet of paper with 'just paint'.


The members of Art Group 6+1 have been given a challenge, two as a matter of fact.
-The first is to be a painting of something from our childhood. My first thoughts were of the train bursting through the underpass, steam blowing all around us as we sat on the ledge above waiting for this exciting thrill. I feel that excitement as I write. Could I abstract that?
-The second is to do a self portrait to be displayed on the website. A doodle? A photo can be submitted to have it cartooned. That alone would be fun.




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