The contrast of "contained passion"
How permissive can I be without losing sight of what I want to say?
Did you like last week’s post by Michael? My new painting, "Romanza" was featured on Art Dealer Street last week. I have to admit it is exciting when someone writes about your work. This was the highlight:
"I am forging a painting language that my spiritual nature and my physical nature need to speak. The canvas becomes my muse and partner in a type of courtship take often takes on bold lusty moves and spins them into a delicate and nuanced dance." – Monica Rich
"The artist's statement is perfect to understand the nature of her work, which highlights spirituality and movement as the two key principles. The brushstrokes move across the canvas as if on a dance floor, tracing movements and harmonies. The colors dart in a spiritual dance."
I love the overall feel of this work. It's glorious ease and pent-up drama. I am teaching myself to manage these two ideas at the same time.
Here's what I mean:
While teaching The Way In Workshop, I highlighted the work of Martha Jungwirth, whose work I mentioned in this post, and Cy Twombly's work as artists I admired for their emotional content.
The ferocity and permissiveness in their mark-making fascinate me.
I looked up the word permissive, and this is the definition.
allowing or characterized by great or excessive freedom of behavior.
I am finding a balance in my painting process that allows me to paint what I can only describe as "contained passion."
I am fascinated by the idea of contrast—the contrast in color, masculine and feminine, and in the actual mark on the canvas. These smaller works make heighten the experiments since you have to edit your choices within a small space.
This work feels controlled and sensual. I am experimenting with untraditional palettes and using contour and transparency rather than giving all shapes solid form. Working in a more controlled manner in the studio can be an interesting and freeing journey. It begs me to ask myself, how much control do I need? How permissive can I be without losing sight of what I want to say?
This new work, which I eventually titled "Life of the Party," and I went on a harrowing journey together which I talk about in this Instagram post. I set out with a strong idea of how I wanted to lay down the paint in this work. While I thought it would be a dance of ease, it really turn into a wild night at the disco and it simply could not be contained in the end.
This work takes up space energetically; it seems to contain a complicated rapture within it that I find satisfying and perplexing simultaneously, but c’est la vie ~ That’s Art!
I’ll be in the Big Apple next week and report back the following week. You can follow along on my Instagram @monicaleestudios
