7.13.2011

Process


I've been working on finishing up paintings and drawings for a show in September. This last one has been sitting on my easel waiting for me to decide if it is finished or not. I had the idea of overlaying a net of ochre circles over the top of it, so I made the "sketch" you see above. I decided I will not add the ochre. Not sure, but I like the purity of this painting without any more detail. I've been getting into very painstaking work, too, like the top drawing. Very meditative. There is a dialogue going on in my head the whole time about what to do next, but then the answer comes after awhile, and I think it's working here. That's the pull of making art...I don't know what to do next, but I have to keep asking and experimenting with the answers I get. I don't have the satisfaction that comes with knowing how to do my job, but I do have the thrill of the challenge.

13 comments:

  1. TraceyJuly 13, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    Thanks for posting these photos with your process. I'm always 'dialoguing' with my art!! So I love to see others do the same!

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  2. UnknownJuly 13, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    I like it like this, but would've liked with the ochre as well. Then again, I always like your stuff!

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  3. kitty kilianJuly 13, 2011 at 5:11 PM

    Yes, yes, but what IS that shiny white stuff on the last picture? And how do you get such a neat pattern? I see the Golden pots standing around but what's in it?

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  4. Lari WashburnJuly 13, 2011 at 7:19 PM

    That is acrylic paint mixed with flow medium and put on with a squeeze bottle. Now you know all my secrets.

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  5. kathrynclarkJuly 14, 2011 at 12:10 AM

    Ah ha! I was wondering how on earth you did that. That still sounds really hard to do so you've still got some secret inside of you! These are my favorite pieces of yours, Lari. I can't wait to see them all hanging together (well, in a photo at least!) And I think you'll just have to do another piece with ochre. I wouldn't touch that last one!

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  6. Lari WashburnJuly 14, 2011 at 8:50 AM

    Thanks Kathryn...I appreciate so much your encouraging words! And thanks to you too Tracey, Joana, and Kitty! I depend upon you all.

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  7. Rob DunlaveyJuly 14, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    Do you know Anne Russinof? You might like her work: http://www.annerussinof.com/

    And, your loopy textures remind me of a process a friend of mine uses: do your paintings on glass and when the paint dries, you can carefully peel it from the glass and collage it like a decal onto your paper or canvas…? Just a thought. Happy Bastille Day!

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  8. Lari WashburnJuly 14, 2011 at 1:52 PM

    I'll check her out....and I'll think about that decal idea...hmmmm.

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  9. Sophie TruongJuly 15, 2011 at 10:27 PM

    i love that top piece, it's so organic. cat wait to see more. the show is goingto be great!

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  10. Gloria Freshley Art and DesignJuly 17, 2011 at 6:41 PM

    Wonderful photos of wonderful work! And I enjoyed your thoughts about working through the unknowns inherent in making art. Best...

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  11. VictoriaJuly 17, 2011 at 9:50 PM

    I identify with that whole process... the not knowing, the asking the experimenting. Your work is truly wonderful.

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  12. cynthia newmanJuly 18, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    Hi Lari,
    I just discovered your blog and love it! Thanks for sharing your process with us...I think that's the best part about doing art - the experimentation!

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  13. Lari WashburnJuly 18, 2011 at 7:37 PM

    Thank you all so much!

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