TGIF

Ahh even though the week never ends for artists I make sure I have no posting on the weekend.  Let's people catch up or just ignore the phone or computer.   Enjoy your weekend!!!!!!!!!!!

20 x 18  "Spumoni"

like on fb it is throwback thursday!!!!!!!!

well since this is throw back thursday I will post two I posted and now they are photo'd appropriately...

#1. Sea Dance 36 x 48

#2 Intent of the Heart 30 x 30

ENJOY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soft and strong at the same time

In my current work I like to put in the element of a strong under painting and then softness over it.
It gives the viewer a time to rest.  Not all pieces are done like this.   I am also in love with Franz Kline's work. It's soft and yet not, and only hints at color. So by next week I should have two new
pieces with his influence.  Until then ENJOY!!!!!!!!

18 x 20   "It Never Entered my Mind"

Decoding Abstracts-- This is a good read

by Dian Parker • August 25, 2015

Vernal Pool by Jessie Pollock, Oil, Cold Wax, Copper on Panel, 12″ x 12″

“Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colours, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential.”

- Wassily Kandinsky

It’s a bewildering time for the art viewer. Abstract art is a mystery, certainly, but it can also be an electrifying experience. When you see paint that is boldly applied to a canvas with confidence and authority, by the likes of Joan Mitchell or Jackson Pollock, it doesn’t matter that you don’t ‘understand’ what it means. In fact, what it means fades into the background because the work speaks. It sings out and touches you personally. It may not do the same for your partner or best friend. But that is the beauty of art. It is your own personal relationship with a work of art that is what matters; it is an intimate and private affair.

Peter Schjeldahl, the New Yorker art critic, said, “Painting today is not dead but it has lost symbolic force and function in a culture of promiscuous knowledge and glutting information.” This is the difficulty. We are over-populated with art because, well, there is over-population. So many people. So much art. So much money for art. Recently, at Christies, Barnett Newman’s abstract painting, Black Fire I, sold for $84.2 million, while Mark Rothko’s Untitled fetched $66.2 million. Andy Warhol’s Race Riot went for $62.8 million and Monet’s water lilies painting,Nympheas, for $27 million. Picasso’s Le Sauvetage, sold for $31.5 million. The art market has moved far beyond borders and become global. Asian countries are now dominant players, particularly in contemporary art sales.

Who in Solitude by Janis Pozzi-Johnson, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 24″

Those are only a few examples of the prices being paid for abstract art these days. So what do we make of all this? Not much. The realm of the art market is quite different from the inner world of the art observer. A world inhabited by those of us who gravitate to paintings and sculpture because we gather much joy in absorbing art. We have an emotional response to the work that often we can’t explain. And it doesn’t need explaining. What one is drawn to in art is often inexplicable, sometimes complex, and deeply personal. Our love for a work of art is an intimate affair, which is why we long to own the work so we can live with it- touch it, move it around, and have it as our own. When the work is abstract, there are endless reasons for our attraction.

Abstract art is an abstraction. It does not represent anything. It is nonobjective. Instead of depicting what we recognize in the world of objects, people and nature, abstract art is concerned with color, line, form, and texture. It is not reality-based but emotionally-based. It is expressive and gestural. When an artist paints or sculpts, they are driven to express what they see and feel. And because no two artists see or feel in the same way, we have a broad spectrum of presentation. Couple that with the viewer and alchemy takes place. The emotion in the art synergizes with the evoked emotion of the viewer and voilá, you love the work, hate it, or remain cold. When viewing the work, you may feel dreamy, or hyper tense, float with a buttery pattern, or grow dizzy in a geometric structure. Clean lines, drips, swathes of color, loaded canvases, arched steel, holes in stone, towering monoliths of brass or tiny boxes painted in colored grids; the range of abstraction is infinite.

Picasso said, “There is no abstract art. One always has to begin with something. One can then remove all appearance of reality; one runs no risk, for the idea of the object has left an ineffaceable imprint. It is the thing that aroused the artist, stimulated his ideas, stirred his emotions.”

Fully Get Away by Val Rossman, Pastel on Paper, 15″ x 15″

How can we possibly know the heartbeat of the painter, the angle of their body when they work, the tension they feel, the anxiety in their actions, the months it took to make that particular piece of art? Everything goes into a painting. Every thought, emotion and experience is in that stone, carved out of the sweat of the sculptor for us to see and touch.

It is not easy to paint abstractly. It takes years of learning the craft before an artist can let go of the “real” world and be free enough to allow their whole self to enter that canvas and paint what is inside of them. The arc of steel or the hole in the stone isn’t necessarily about anything we know in the world, but it is certainly inside that sculptor. It is their expression in material form. Heart and soul, anxiety and love- it’s all there.

The range of abstraction in art is wide. From the impressionists giving impressionsof things, such as Cezanne and Van Gogh; to the Fauvre painters, like Matisse, those “wild beasts” with their radical use of color (so unrealistic!); to Picasso and cubism that saw the world from many different view points; to abstract expressionism with the action paintings of Jackson Pollack and the color field paintings of Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko – all these so-called movements were breaking the rules of what came before. But really, at the root, they are the dance of the artist with his or her medium. Picasso said that when cubism was invented, the participating artists had no intention of inventing cubism. “We were simply expressing what was within us.”

Hold Still by Krista Harris, Acrylic, Stabilo Crayon, Plaster, Glazes on Linen, 52″ x 42″

Whether it be canvas, felt, stone or steel; whether oil paint or water, ochre or red, big or small, encaustic or monoprint, bronze or wood, etching or gold leaf; the artist finds and manipulates the materials to express his or her self, to find their own language.

“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world. The paragon of animals.”

Hamlet

That about sums up a work of art as well. Any art, be it abstract or representational: it is all about the being behind the brush, the soul behind the steel. And the only way to get to the crux of it is for us to spend time, alone, taking it in, absorbing it emotionally to get to the truth of what went into it. And don’t even try to name it.

thoughts on abstracts

any museum-goers think abstract works can be completed without much thought.(Interviewers question to Gerhard Richter)

"Actually, the abstract paintings take quite a long time. I begin, it starts looking good, I go back to it three days later and think, “Actually it doesn’t look good at all,” and the next thing you know four weeks has gone by."  Gerhard Richter

And that pretty much sums it up for me.  I start a painting with maybe a thought or no thoughts just start.  I put on a layer of paint and maybe another and then I'm sitting because I'm lost and forgot how to do this.  I question whether

I ever knew how to paint like this.  What the heck am I doing and the board is huge.  I think some more and know that my go to salvation is color.  So I start to balance the colors, cools, warms, darks and lights.  Then I think about 

some marks and motion.  Lots more thinking and sitting in front of it wishing it would just start to speak to me.  I give up go and knit.  That's even more frustrating as I can't stop thinking about the painting.  Finally after what seems to be a short while and really is about 2 weeks I see something that catches my eye and off I go. Slow at 

first as it starts to emerge then with a mad frieze it I can not put one more spot of paint on as the piece is screaming I'm done STOP>>>>>  and then the name comes like a flash and it really is complete. The conversation

has ended and the story and passion is complete.

32 x 36   "The Fray of the Night Sky"

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!

Fall seems to finally be here

The a/c is turned off and its dry and sunny.  It's the best time of the south.  I feel for others as they begin the onset of winter and snow and cold.  Not that we can't get a cold or freeze in Florida but it
is only a momentary day and one that helps you forget all that humidity and heat of the winter.  The
pool sits idle and the dogs know that the warmth of an 84 degree pool is now in the 60's and soon to
be in the 50's.  I do love even Florida's change of seasons.  Well enough about weather.  It's art time.

Here is a new piece.  I'm very excited about the direction my art is taking.  I have been so moved by
Joan Mitchell.....

the above are two of Joan Mitchell's work.  She uses all the colors that

I love, pink, yellow, and blues.  Even when she painted in a man's world 

her colors were soft and feminine.  What's not to love.  So here are my pieces.

Hopefully you see that I too enjoy painting in these soft color with depth .

Enjoy!!!!!!!

"Every Day is New"  24 x 24     Coldwax/oil on board

10-20

No I am not asleep at the wheel.  I have new pieces to photo and I'm just in the proverbial slump.

When you get to a painting that actually seems to paint itself I feel an artist has reached a new
plateau as far as their skill set.  Lots of times after this you feel like you fell off a cliff or a horse
at the very least.  But as hard as it seems one must get right back up again and move through this
and on to the next cliff.

I have often thought that we will just not have to do this forever.  Forever it is!!!!!!  I believe we
will be trying to paint that elusive master piece up until we get ready for the great dirt nap.
So I have a little one I can post until I have scrambled back up for the ledge and have paint all over
everywhere.

20 x 17  Remembering Your Embrace

Moving always in a forward motion.....

Like all artist that show up and paint and paint and paint some more, I have found what I first  painted is changing.  Not only is color important and sets my mind in motion but I have found

that the artist in the earlier abstract expressionist, ie Frankenthaler, Tombly, Pollock , De Koonig, 

Joan Mitchell and of late Mary Abbott have always been very thrilling and paint just a bit different. I kept coming back to their work and to dissect it to see why it is so moving to me. 

It's all about the motion.  I have a new piece which will be posted

next week and asked my son to come in and have a look.  This time I watched his eyes and saw that

he moved around the piece.  Houston I have lift off!!!!!!!!!!  I finally am on the verge of saying what

I hope will be heard.  

Of course Amazon being the good steward that they are with all the books you have bought showed

me that I purchased a book in 2006 on De Koonig.  So abstraction was always there for me.  Just needed to be brave enough to wing all the rest and dive in.  

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

30 x 30  "When the Sky touched the Earth"

What's in a Name

Names...... What's in a name of a painting.  For me it speaks of the artists general overall personality. I'm a romantic at heart.  I watched old mussy movies and musicals when I was growing up.  When I'm in the zone and painting either a song comes to mind or a phrase in a song.  I would love to hear

how y'all pick your titles.  I do see paintings titled "Untitled" and I wonder how they keep them separate from one another.  I wonder was there any passion in the making of the piece of art.  I would hope so.  

20 x 17  "Remembering Your Embrace"

10-13

Well I am still fighting with what to put as the headings for my posts.  Any ideas are welcome.  I have lots of new work I will be posting and soon this is where you will get to see it all instead of on
numerous other places.  Trying to be more efficient.  Posting everywhere is so time consuming.

30 x 30  "Save the Last Dance for Me"

10-11

"Fog"   14 x 20  Coldwax/oil on Board

An older piece sold and just trying to make the blog do what I want.  Isn't that the way
with all things.

10-9 TITLE???

Okay so I understand if I'm going to do less on Facebook I have to do more here.  Seems like a job to me.  LOL   I do hope that everyone reading this does sign up and you are free to comment here.  This is where I would love my feedback.

32 x 42
"Wild at Heart"

This piece sort of deviates from my norm but I feel it is more about free motion and movement on a piece.
And of course its all about the color as always.   Enjoy your weekend and I will have news next week.
It's my sons birthday tomorrow so it's all about the cake and steaks.  Til then..........

How Much Is That Artwork?

This is a blog post from Lori Dunn. I feel it hits a very important part of art no one seems to want to talk about.
Thursday, 6 June 2013



How Much Is That Artwork?



One of the biggest complaints artists have about some of the patrons at art shows is the one comment we hear constantly, and often rudely; "How can you charge so much for that?" Or my personal favorite from one man, heard loudly grumbling the same sentence through the entire venue; "Who do these artists think they ARE, charging these prices?"






Who am I? Well, I am not "just an artist". I think some people have this perception that artists are sitting at home doing something fun and not really working so they should be putting lower prices on their art. I am an average joe, but I am also the sole owner and operator of a small business. Of course I love what I do, or I wouldn't do it, but it is still a job and requires hard work.






So for those who were wondering (or grumbling )... when you buy an original work of art, here's a small sampling of what it pays for:
My wage for the artwork itself. If it takes me 4 weeks to complete a piece, then the price reflects what I would expect to earn at any other job with a moderate wage in a month. Compare that to your own monthly salary...
My expenses in creating the artwork. This includes all materials used in the creation of the artwork itself, camera gear for reference photography, framing and shipping fees ( for the materials)
My show/exhibition expenses. Includes, but not limited to; membership fees, booth fees, shipping fees, gas, hotel charges, meal expenses, parking, all banking fees related to processing credit/debit transactions, and vendor permits.
The materials for my booth display - lighting, backdrops (usually custom), tents, tables, chairs, rugs, fabric, easels, labels, hardware, tools
Commissions. This is all the money the show/gallery gets - anywhere from 20-50% of my total sales. Keep this in mind when pondering my first point about wage. If a show is taking 40% of my wage, I may have to increase the price of the art by 40% to make sure I get paid.
Promotional materials - professional photography (required for juried shows - at least a hundred bucks an artwork), brochures, business cards, website hosting fees, signage, any renovations to my home in order to house a studio/gallery , also includes donations of artworks to fundraising events.
Advertising. Social media ads, magazine ads (huge $$), ads in other publications
Banking/Accounting/Taxes. Small business fees are ridiculous. I don't think I need to say more....also the fee for the accountant when dropping off a giant box of receipts for them at tax time and whatever I have to pay the government if I actually sell anything.
Transportation. Investment in large storage vehicles to haul booth display, equipment and artwork to shows, plus all the expenses that come with owning said huge gas guzzling machine.
Time. The years spent in classes/workshops/schools honing and developing my skill, the 5 to 10 years it took to grow the business without earning a penny, the countless hours spent working on artworks and the business even when working other jobs and still trying to maintain a home and, with luck, a relationship. The endless days and nights and stolen moments spent doing accounting, building a website, building a social media following, writing articles and/or blogs to promote myself, making labels, editing photos, travelling to shipping outlets, galleries, framers, photographers and other business related places and countless weekends away from family and friends to attend shows/exhibitions.
Cultural, emotional and monetary value for you. Historians studying past cultures use several ways to come up with a theory of how a particular civilization existed. Written text, archaeological evidence, stories passed down through generations, and the artwork of that time are often indicators. Artists have, over thousands of years, provided a lasting record of events, beliefs, sights, and emotions. We continue to do so and the work you buy has cultural significance as a result. As well, when you buy an original piece of art, you are not just buying any old object like a shoe. Granted, one could argue, a shoe has a purpose - I need it to protect my foot. But once that shoe is worn out and tossed, there is nothing left - no personal connection at all. The opposite is true of original art. Before you buy a piece there is an emotional connection to it - maybe you have been to that location and had a great time there, or you love elephants, or that bike looks like one you owned as a kid etc. Some people find emotion in simply connecting with the artist themselves Thursday, 6 June 2013

moving towards a new way

17 x 15 "Walk with Me"  $900

I am giving notice that I will be taking down my ctcumminspaintings as I have a blog and that is where I would love for ppl to sign up and see more of what I do. the blog is ctcummins.blogspot.com and comments and interactions are welcome.

Thank you

This was my post on Facebook.  Love the three groups I post in and the artists there are very inspirational.  I am trying to direct people here so that when I have a sale or a painting that is

available for a special purchase this is where I would like people to come.    I'm not sure why people

do not make comments.  I must be strange as I comment on everything.  LOL.   We have become so

driven by the technology age that we really are not stopping and taking the time to interact.  Sad really.

This is also where I will be posting my prices and if you are interested in a piece we can discuss and I can send you a pay pal invoice and it will be yours.

10-7

24 x 36  "Ebb and Flow of our Love"

This is a different size and one I'm not likely to redo.   I believe in all art that
you are trying to have a conversation with the viewer and although this is an
adequate space for that I feel a linear conversation just loses interest in the viewer.

thoughts any one????

10-5

want to add this post

“Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colours, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential.”

- Wassily Kandinsky

10-5

 AHH Monday and dreary.  Its hard to get the juices flowing with grey days.  Makes me want to paint in extraordinary  color.  I'm think bright blues, acid greens.  I miss the sun.

32 x 32   "Accidentally in Love"

10-4

Sunday and I'm posting in advance.  Its a good day to get the photography out of the way as my wonderful husband is in charge of the animals.  So I easily obtain a no cat and no dog zone.

16 x 18  "Fire and Rain"