Years ago, when I was a young whipper snapper and wet behind the ears, I would walk the streets of LA with my Nikon F and document things. I will sometimes go into the Lobenberg archive and pull out one or two of my odd shots to use as reference for a painting. To the left and out of sight was a hot dog window (these were photos I snapped at the Pomona State Fair during the summer with smog to rival Bejing). This little boy was waiting for his parents who were purchasing some dogs. The little girl was from another shot. I felt that she should be coming around the corner in my painting. I also added the debris on the ground and my initials on the wall. What does it all mean? I haven't a clue. Can a few of you out there in the blogisphere clue me in?
Friday, August 15, 2008
Dark Visions
Years ago, when I was a young whipper snapper and wet behind the ears, I would walk the streets of LA with my Nikon F and document things. I will sometimes go into the Lobenberg archive and pull out one or two of my odd shots to use as reference for a painting. To the left and out of sight was a hot dog window (these were photos I snapped at the Pomona State Fair during the summer with smog to rival Bejing). This little boy was waiting for his parents who were purchasing some dogs. The little girl was from another shot. I felt that she should be coming around the corner in my painting. I also added the debris on the ground and my initials on the wall. What does it all mean? I haven't a clue. Can a few of you out there in the blogisphere clue me in?
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40 comments:
I think it's called flirting.
There's gotta be some highly profound meaning to it all, especially with the magazine that bleakly claims "Dark visions". Aha - if you titled your paining "Dark Visions", it somehow connects to the boy wearing sunglasses and the girl coming around the corner with that omniscient expression.
See, if you did that, everyone would admire your ability to portray your vision in such a skillful way. No one would even think to stop and wonder whether you have a clue of the meaning...
David - this is an interesting and well painted piece. I do have two observations that, of course, I would not keep to myself.
1. Due to a few brushstrokes on the wall next to the boy's shoulder, it looks a little like he is sinking through the wall.
2. The light behind and above the girl don't seem like they should light the ball so far over on this side. I would think it would be mostly in shadow with some light on top and some reflected light on the bottom.
Nava - you should paint in oil or akrilik so you can make corrections like the rest of us. Plus, oil smells better.
I think it means this is a great little painting and that you're creatively inspired.
Seeing a subject to paint is just as vital as the painting when it's done.
I love the initials on the wall, pre-graffiti in our day.
Nice touch.
Great use of combing the archives of photos.... ( my first SLR was a Pentax Spotmatic and I too, still take out the box and look at my early B&W's ).
was going to blame it on some physiological reaction to the oil paint (i'm getting twitches i didnt used to have)
then i remembered you paint with acrylic. physiological reaction to water?? its good stuff keep it up.
Anonymous: Who is doing the flirting?
Nava: you are right! I need to title my piece "Dark Visions" instead of "Odd". In fact right now, I'm going into edit mode and change the title! I'm going from clueless to profound visionary or something to that effect. Time to be taken seriously!!!
Onpainting: Now that I have changed the title from "Odd" to "Dark Visions" (upon Nava"s brilliant suggestion), I can now say that I have my reasons for having the boy's shoulder merging into the wall and the balloon being brilliantly lighted. The reasons are way to complex to go into on this blog. I"ll just leave it to the blog viewer to make his or her own interpretation.
Thanks Bonnie. I'm almost done with a portrait painted with Golden Open. I'll be posting it in about a week.
Hey, thanks Mike! Yes, I'm oil and cadmium free! I've been told by my local art supply store manager that you can eat acrylic paint without poisoning yourself...hmm...maybe I oughta get a second opinion.
I think I know, David... This is a self portrait. The boy on the left is your left brain. He makes the marks on the wall, but is a bit shy to go into the light and critical of the environment. The girl on the right is your right brain bringing light and color into the shadows. The "dark visions" reference is your reptilian brain worried that things will get out of control in the mix with these two. But, you've shown that these two kids can get together and play nice on a canvas! Howz that?
I think without the little girl this painting would be extremely somber. The little girl is coming to bring joy and light into his life (big yellow globe, reminiscent of the sun.) He's ready, with his shades on. Nobody likes too much sun.
OR... it's what Melinda said. She's very perceptive you know.
I just wanna know why he's wearing golfing pants with a football jersey. Was his mama in a hurry?
I have to hand it to Melinda, that's a pretty persuasive picture she paints. Left brain: judgemental, verbal, mathematical. Right brain: big picture, spatially acute, timeless, non-verbally aware.
She also saves us resorting to Jung and Freud and what-all. Straight-up neurophysiology metaphors in a dream-like painting. Yup. I'd buy that.
For me, paintings (particularly of juxtapositioned people), seeming to tell a story, identifiable, yet ambiguous = pure art joy. Got any more?
Let me get this straight... menacing looking boy, sinking into graffitied and dirty looking wall, a tiny, innocent female tot holding large, bright globe about to enter boy's skanky space. You interpret this, Milinda, as two children about to play nice...the glass is not half empty here, it's half full. Thank you.
History lesson Silvina...I painted this from a photo that I snapped in the early 1970's... believe it or not, plaid pants were in fashion for children and adults...ugh! You are absolutely correct... too much sun in one's life is not good... a certain modicum of adversity builds character and helps us appreciate life and each other, and that's about as philosophical as I ever get! Dynamite paintings you posted of your husband fishing and surf/rocks.
Sorry Edgar, that's about it for Lobenberg's metaphorical, juxtapositioned, ambiguous art work. I have enough problems spelling those three words much less mirroring them in paintings. You and Milinda are brave people doing watercolor paintings, but it sure is a cool medium so stick with it!
PS - How did you make the link to Milinda's blog in your comment?
Aha - I've just noticed it now: in case you've been driving yourself crazy looking for a missing half-full tube of sanguine-ish paint, it's at the bottom left of this painting.
Maybe flirting is too strong of a word. That was my gut reaction.
Both are curious, but hesitant and shy; each hiding behind the wall. He's in a blue, grittier world, hiding behind his glasses. She's surrounded in warmth and light, guarded behind her ball. A little yin-yang tension.
Given enough time, I'm sure they would both come out of hiding and play.
P.S.
Sorry, I forgot to say that the newspaper between the two kids perhaps adds a bigger, adult dimension to your painting... as this is sometimes the same dynamic that you see in the world between different cultures and countries (suspicion, division, walls going up, protective stances, eventually peace, etc.).
I love the fella's plaid pants. 1970's?
David,
I hand coded it:
<a href="http://www.url.com">Melinda</a>
to do it,
1) change the URL (always include http://) inside the quotation marks to your target page
2) change 'Melinda' to say what ever you want the link text to say on the screen.
3) don't forget the closing </a> after your link text.
I find it easiest to just open the target page in another window, copy the URL from the navigation bar at the top, then paste it between the quotes in my comment. That way, you get the http:// and all.
The symbols in the example above are all required, including the greater than and less than brackets, quotes, colon, slashes and equal signs. The only 'space' required is between the first a and href -- but you can have spaces in your link text.
Damn, Nava!...I've been looking for that tube of paint for over a year, and there it is in my painting. Thanks!
Yep, Anonymous, plaid pants were the rage in the early seventies, and as we all know, only dead men wear plaid.
Ya know what Edgar?...I'm gonna leave comment links to your expertise...I'm 61 frigin yrs. of age for god's sake!
David- yeow! 23 comments on this one! You hit a jackpot- maybe studio painting from old photos and your imagination is a niche and you just filled it.
61 frigin' years old - very funny....
I love this piece, David...and you are most welcome for the info!
Bonnie: Congratulations! You are the 24th comment and therefore have won a trip to my studio in glamorous Sacramento, Calif. You must book your own airfare, however, on US Air Credit. Their fares are relatively competitive aside from a few in flight charges. On my last flight to Turlock, Calif., before take off, the stewardess demonstrated how to swipe our credit cards to deploy the overhead oxygen masks in case of a sudden decrease in cabin pressure (a $10 fee, but I believe, well worth it). Have a safe and hopefully inexpensive flight on your "free" Lucky Lobenberg Studio Tour!
well david...I think you put the girl in the pic because it wouldnt be as much fun if it was just the boy. what would he be doing? the girl makes you think that maybie thats his sister and hes waiting for her. she make a complete scene, instead of a scene that make no sense.
heather
Love the painting, and the comments are a hoot! Interesting how some see so much and others so little.....
At $10 a swipe, you can be sure we'll all be putting the mask on ourselves before helping any one else!
Doesn't mean I'm not coming, however.
It's the first thing I've won since I hit the stuffed koala at Coney Island.
Cadmium free, flying, expensive.
So I'll be booking the Banana Boat shortly.
Wow, I love winning stuff......
i like a good story and you painted this one well,very odd!
That's a good interpretation, Anonymous...he's waiting for his sister. I think he's pissed that he had to wait so long and is plotting revenge, hence the title "Dark Visions".
The banana boat is the only way to fly, Bonnie. I'll seeya...later than sooner.
Thanks, Rob. Keep those fantastic race car paintings coming.
Hey, Joann: Thanks for dropping by. Yea, we got a great exchange of comments happening here.
Very interesting, and I especially like the wall
Nick, the talented painter AND musician: Glad ya groove on the wall!
Hey David,
Thanks for your comments on my drawing of the boy. I can see why you related it to this piece of yours. I have a question. Did you add the elements like the no.12, the white glasses, and newspaper, or were they in the original photo? And what is that thing in the foreground. I'm just trying to help you understand yourself better here per your request.
Lisa
Onpainting (Lisa): I don't think I'm very "deep" as an artist. The 12 was in the reference photo as were the white glasses. The thing on the ground, left foreground, I did add. It's a tube of acrylic paint. I also added the Sunday newspaper arts insert. It was an article about a fabulous artist who worked through the 50's to about mid 80's painting huge oils that depicted dark visions of modern, mass, non individual, industrialized life where people did not relate to each other. I also added my initials as graffiti on the wall and the little girl holding the balloon that was from a reference photo I took at the Pamona State Fair in the i970's. Gee it all must have some sort of subconscious meaning. I'm afraid to ask, but if ya want, interpret away! I'm hoping in future posts, you will go further into what your drawings are all about.
This painting actually reminds me more of my drawing "The Perfect Braid" which is about how children these days are pressured to be perfect, to grow up too quickly, and often do so at the sacrifice of their childhood. If I had to read something into yours, and I'll get creative here, I would say it is about the same; the newspaper--children don't read them and the headline "Dark Visions" is about the foreboding future of a child forced to grow up too quickly; the tube of paint--a career; the twelve (should have been a 21)--obviously an age older than the boy; the glasses--hiding behind the fact that he is a child; the girl--the coming relationship.
How'd I do? Now add my initials to that wall. Change the 12 first.
Onpainting (Lisa): A superb analysis! I agree, kids grow up too fast. They are even truncating recess in the schools now! Most kids hate reading, and why not with most of the dull-ass literature they are forced to read, especially in high school! See? Ya got me hot under the collar!
I would love to add your initials to the wall and change the 12 to 21, but I'd have to break into the home of my painting's owner and snatch it from off their wall. I'm not sure what room it's in and would probably be shot while looking. Please forgive me, and if I ever do another wall in one of my paintings, your initials will go on it.
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