A Few Favorite Artists

Lois Mailou Jones - As an African-American woman struggling to become a professional artist, I was glad to discover the art work of Lois Mailou-Jones about 15 years ago. After reading her biography from cover to cover shortly after that time, I felt proud of her accomplishments as a prolific artist, her achievements and awards and most of all, her dedication to documenting through painting, her travels to Africa, Haiti and France, among other places.

In 1998, I was fortunate to view her work at an art exhibition in Birmingham, Michigan, the same year that she passed on at the age of 98. Seeing her work up close was thrilling, to say the least.

The paintings of Haitian and African culture held Mailou-Jones' style in a manner that spoke of originality. Looking at her paintings, it was clear that here was work which has influenced many of today's painters of African-American culture. I found myself thinking, "Hmmm...so this is where it all began."

I am sorry that I did not get a chance to meet Lois Mailou-Jones at that exhibit. I have enjoyed viewing her work very much.

Stuart Davis - After seeing Stuart Davis' work in many of my art books, I bought his biography (on sale, of course). I wanted to know more about his complex abstract art renderings, most of which look like jazz on canvas.

I wasn't surprised that he was a jazz lover, a fact mentioned several times throughout his biography.

Stuart Davis probably influenced my interest in abstract art more than anyone else. I didn't know why I liked his work so much when I first saw it. I just did. And I feel the same way today. I don't know why I like it . I just do, and that's okay. Maybe it's the obvious confidence of his painting style.

Franz Marc - Of all the German Expressionists in the Blue Rider Group, Marc is my favorite. I love his semi-abstract paintings of cows and horses. The paintings of blue horses and the yellow cow are wonderful. When I first began experimenting in abstraction, I tried to paint like him, but my work eventually evolved toward it's own path.

I'm out of time, I will write about other artists another time. I have uploaded a video of Robert Henri's paintings that I didn't know existed (the video, not the paintings). I know he had other paintings, but being so enamored of his writings and teachings, I somehow never focused on his paintings. Tell me what you think about them.

Mixed Media Musings

My enjoyment of Japanese animation began when I first watched the movie, "Spirited Away." I loved the quality of the graphics, as well as the wisdom, adventure and fantasy of the production itself. This particular movie experience was later followed by other Studio Ghilbi movies including "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Kiki's Delivery Service."

Of all the movies from that studio, my favorite was "Howl's Moving Castle," which I have watched at least twenty times in recent years. One of the reasons I'm so attracted to this particular movie is because it never fails to allow me to leave the outside world behind and forget my troubles. Another reason is because I love the theme song, by Joe Hasaishi, conductor of the Japanese Philharmonic Orchestra.

The theme from "Howl's Moving Castle" has been one of the few pieces of music that always gives me a feeling of happiness. This is the one descriptive word that comes to mind whenever I hear this theme.

Regarding fine art, the visuals that coming to mind when listening to this piece is a clear lake on a spring day, a family of birds flying through the sky or a quiet pastoral scene from some unknown location. This musical composition is light blue, white, pale green with other mixed greens......this composition gently swepts me to another place and time.........How does this musical composition make you feel?.......

The ArtMusic Connection

"All art aspires toward the condition of music."


The above quote is one I have written many times because I believe in its truth.  The condition of music, that is, its rhythms and forms, is the foundation from which all other art flows.  Further, the various feelings which music evokes, are the same as those an artist might feel when making art or when a viewer sees art.

In my poem, "All Art," which is posted on my companion blog, "ArtSoPotent," I mention that all art is the same, but experienced in a different vein.  By this, I refer to a different sensory vien.  The music we hear is often capable of giving us the same feelings as the art we gaze upon.  Many musicians and visual artists I've spoken to are keenly aware of this connection.

An aware visual artist often can "see" the rhythms, cords and licks of a composition that is playing.  His brain might intuitively transform these musical elements into visual ones, without necessarily being technically aware that he is doing so.  The elements become colors, lines and forms.

This rather abstract concept can be most naturally applied to the genre of Jazz, relative to Abstract Painting....although most painting contains some abstraction...more about this later, as I am writing free-form here......