More Zigzags and Pentagons

Here are the indoor wall paintings I completed between February to December 2018. This first piece, Binding Light III, is part of a conceptual series of paintings that I have been making related to my curiosity about the nature of reality evolving out of my Buddhist practices. The random angled geometric shapes that have been a long time part of my art have always represented individuals to me. What I am particularly interested in is how individuals are "inseparably interconnected" to one another. The illusion of reality verses what is really going on. Consequently, although the painting is abstract on one level, my intent is not abstract at all.

Binding Light III

24" x 40.5"

mixed media on board

2018

My zigzag work is less conceptual and more about playing with color, experimenting with their interaction, and trying to generate some kind of visual energy. As with much of my work, I am more interested in selecting color combinations that create visual questions more than to have something that is aesthetically pleasing. The title of this one, Orange and Philinga, is a reference to a tombstone I came across while wondering around an old graveyard in Morrisville, Vermont for Orange and Philinga Cleaveland. Orange died in 1889 at 88 and Philinga died in 1870 at 66. I know nothing about them other than what is on the tombstone but with such names I assume they must have been wonderful people.

Orange and Philinga

31" x 25"

mixed media on board

2018

Here is the tombstone the painting is named after.

The underpainting for Orange and Philinga and Breathless was made specifically to be painted on top of, whereas the underpainting for Redemption was made on top of an old piece.

Breathless

36" x 18.5"

mixed media on board

2018

Of all the zigzag paintings in this batch, Redemption (below) is the only one in which I painted over an older piece. With the others I created the underpainting with the intent of painting zigzags on top. I first started working on this piece in 2010, and brought it out again in 2017 before finishing it this year.

Redemption

18.5" x 24"

mixed media on board

2010-2018

Intuitive Induction

28.5" x 31.5" x 1.5"

mixed media on board

2018

Kale Summer

20" x 18"

mixed media on board

2018

Would That (below) is available through Cross MacKenzie Gallery in Washington, DC.

Would That

46" x 35"

mixed media on board

2018

That Which

29" x 48"

mixed media on board

2018

When I made Innocent Insolence I was interested in the wedge shapes created by the zigs and the zags so I decided to paint each of them individually. When I was done I realized I still needed something to hold it together, and to give the shapes context, so I painted the zigzags on top after removing the tape. This painting, as well as Orange and Philinga, is available through Helen Day Arts Center until December 29, 2018.

Innocent Insolence

46" x 41.5"

mixed media on board

2018

Here is a closeup of the piece. 

Innocent Insolence (close-up)

Future Perfect started as a practice board, a place to experiment with ideas before working on an actual piece. But has the ideas were layered on top of one another I eventually felt that it was interesting in its own right, so I decided to finish it. I found the result interesting and it served as inspiration for the piece that followed, Present Perfect.

Future Perfect

23.5" x 31"

mixed media on board

2016-2018

Present Perfect is a combination of the piece above, Future Perfect, and the first piece on this post, Binding Light III. Although, with this iteration, I'm thinking maybe that binding light touches all around the beings rather than just at the points between them. I don't know.

Present Perfect

23.5" x 30"

spray paint, acrylic paint, and shellac on board

2018

With this last piece of 2018, Jatonisti, I felt that it needed another layer of something when I was done and, more out of frustration than anything else, I decided to doodle on top of it.

Jatonisti

23.5" x 25"

spray paint, acrylic paint, and shellac on board

2018

Pick 'Em Up @ Exposed 2016

I am please to announce I have a piece in Exposed 2016 along with fifteen other regional and national artists. The show is an outdoor exhibit throughout Stowe, Vermont and is organized by the Helen Day Art Center.

Pick 'Em Up

latex paint on wood

77" x 210" x 4"

2016

My submission, Pick 'Em Up, is intended as a playful reinterpretation of the children's game Pick Up Sticks. I believe it creates an interesting contrast with the serious and austere historic New England architecture.

 Pick 'Em Up (closeup)

Because it is a historic building, I wasn't allowed to screw anything into the bell tower columns. To get around this limitation, I strapped boards in front and behind the columns then screwed column "blanks" into my strapped boards. I was then able to attach my "sticks" into my blanks. From the ground the entire contraption is not very noticeable.  

Pick 'Em Up (bell tower view)

I am very thankful that the curator, Rachel Moore, allowed me to install my piece on the bell tower. I know the Stowe Select Board was not happy about the idea of art being installed there and I am sure there will be additional "public relation issues" because of it, but the building does house an arts center so it is wonderful that the Helen Day is willing to push the boundaries a little bit in the service of art. 

Stick Colors

I bought red, yellow, blue, black, and white paints; and mixed the other ten colors on my own. Each sticks is 120" x 2.5" x 0.75"; except the red one which is only 117" long.

The reception will take place on July 23 at 4:00 pm. People will meet at the art center and then start to walk around town with brief comments by each of the artists. The walk should take about two hours. The exhibit will be up through October 15.

Box of Courage

I have a new piece on display in Stowe, VT through October as part of Helen Day Art Center's Exposed exhibit. There are twenty-four sculptors and four writers participating this year with art displayed through the downtown and along the bike path.

My piece, Box of Courage, is designed to be interactive. I want people to climb in and become part of the art. I feel that the piece isn't complete unless someone is inside. The great thing about a work of art like this is that it is always changing with infinite possibilities/combinations. With every new person, or group of people, and every new position that they take -- and even as time passes with people frozen in place -- the piece changes. In addition, because of the irregular shape and irregular polygon painting on it, the work also changes depending on the position of the viewer.

Box of Courage

plywood, exterior latex paint

84" x 84" x 47"

June 2013

I painted it with primary colors because I want it to look like a playground object but I also added black because I felt it would add a little maturity and take the edge off the pure playfulness.

Box of Courage (second view)

I titled it, Box of Courage, because I feel the piece deals with the emotion of courage on several levels. First, for most adults, it take courage to interact with a box such as this and enter inside; children, of course, don't have this issue, they react fearlessly and know how to play with it. But adults are much more inhibited and will tend to refrain from letting their inner-child out. Second, anytime we face and overcome a fear, we become more courageous so the act entering in the box adds to a participants overall courage. And finally, once inside the box, it provides a protective shell which, in itself, gives someone the freedom to be more courageous.

Box of Courage (as a finished piece)

I look forward to seeing how people react to it throughout the summer. Conveniently, it is situated next to a bench so I can casually over hear their interactions. Helen Day Art Center is also encouraging people to take pictures with the art and posting them on a Flicker account, so hopefully, I can see documentation there as well.

Clark Derbes' Shapescapes @ Helen Day Art Center

Since seeing Clark Derbes' wood sculptures this summer at the Burlington Art Hop, I've been a big fan. So I was really looking forward to his solo show at the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, VT and I'm happy to say I haven't been disappointed. Clark calls this new series of wood sculptures "Shapescapes." I asked him why and all he said was that it is the name that stuck. I can see his point, their erratic, warped cuts, and random angles makes me think that the piece is changing form in front of my eyes. It is an uneasy feeling as if I'm looking into a world in which I have know idea what I'll see around the corner. Each movement creates a shift in perception so that you are continually looking at a new sculpture as you move around a piece. It is very different than any other sculpture that I've ever seen. As a result, I've needed to post many more images than I normally would so that readers can get at least a small sense of what the pieces are about. 

I'm particularly captivated by Time Traveler III. Being on a pedestal and being able to walk around it accentuates its dramatically different viewpoints.

Time Traveler III

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Time Traveler III

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Time Traveler III

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Time Traveler III

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Looking at these five images now, it is hard for me to believe that they are all of only one sculpture. If I hadn't been to the show, and known that there was only one checkered sculpture on a pedestal, I wouldn't believe that it is the same piece.

Time Traveler III

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Though you can't walk around the wall pieces, they still playfully test the viewers perception of perspective.

Time Traveler IV

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

As you move to the left, the piece seems to warp in front of your eyes, as if light doesn't behave like you expect it to.

Time Traveler IV

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Time Traveler IV

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Another thing I like about Clark's work is its approachability and casualness. In addition to the playful approachability of the optical effects, the rough cuts, the wearing down/"antiquing" of the colors, and the natural checking/splitting of the wood result in art that creates a relaxed and fun environment. Though fun art can sometimes be saccharine, the abstract subject of these gives them a more cerebral quality.  

 Time Traveler IX (seated portrait)

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Time Traveler IX (seated portrait)

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

The black and white pieces as well as the colored triangle ones have a Stella-esque feel in design if not aloofness. The triangles even seem to cause another perspective bending effect as with Time Traveler X, the point of the triangles conflict with the actual angles of the sculpture.

Time Traveler X (seated portrait)

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

 Time Traveler X (seated portrait)

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Time Traveler VIII (seated portrait)

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Time Traveler VIII (seated portrait)

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Clark doesn't go to a lumber yard for his material, he gets it by chance. If he sees someone cutting down a tree, he'll ask for some pieces. He then cuts the green logs with a chainsaw. Because the lumber is still very wet, it splits as it drys. The effect creates and irreverent aspect to the work. It is another way of saying that fine art doesn't have to be precious to be appreciated.

Time Traveler

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

Again, it is hard to believe that these two images are of the same piece. I'm simply making an assumption based on their proximity from my camera download.

Time Traveler

carved and polychromed poplar

2011

I had seen this piece previously at the Art Hop show. Being ash, it is quite dense and heavy. Clark estimated that it weighed about 500 lbs. I think it is the most approachable sculpture in the show, perhaps because its unpainted and scarified surface. It seems to beg to be joined in repose.

Time Traveler XI

carved ash

2011

Time Traveler XI

carved ash

2011

And finally, I normally don't include non-wood art on my blog but I'm making an exception for this encaustic piece because it looks to be a painting of one of Clark's wood sculptures (earlier series). What a great subject -- a figurative painting of an abstractly painted abstract sculpture. Besides, I really love the texture and colors.

 

Concentric Hypercube

encaustic

Beyond Good and Bad

Typically, when I make a piece or even when I'm looking at art, I'm always thinking, "Is it good? Do I like it? Why? What is good or bad about it?" I feel a constant process of judgement and evaluation. With my own work, I'm also often thinking whether other people will like it and whether I can sell it. With this new piece, What Is, I had the same thoughts for months. I had roughed out the piece back in March and had it hanging for six months while I ruminated about what my next steps should be.

What Is
shellac on blistered maple
31" x 48" x 1"
October 2011
©Robert Hitzig

My primary question was what to do with the small live edge remaining at the bottom after I had camfer-ed most of it away. In the end I decided to leave it as is because I really didn't like any of the dozens of solutions I came up with, or that were suggested to me.

What Is (closeup)

So I went ahead an painted it with red, yellow, and blue underneath many, many coats of black, as I had originally planned, all the time wondering if the piece was any good or if I was doing anything useful. However, as I approached the end, the point where I felt there was nothing more to do, and as I hung the final piece, I decided that this piece is really beyond judgement. At this point, a declaration of "good" or "bad" is beside the point. I really don't know and, truthfully, I really don't care either. I've take the idea as far as I can, done what needs to be done, and it is what it is. All I can do is accept it and move on. Maybe somebody will like it, maybe someone might even want to buy it, but I really don't expect anything more then it becoming a permanent part of my personal collection.

By the way, I recently bought a used Nikon digital SLR, the D70, and I took these images myself. Because I don't really know what I'm doing, the above images seem too light relative to the actual piece, it is really much more black than purple. Below is another image taken with less light that is closer but probably too dark. Normally, I would care more about the accuracy of the colors but with this piece I don't believe any image would be all that useful any way. My experience with seeing images of black paintings and then seeing the actual piece is that they are generally too subtle to capture in images and this one isn't an exception -- you'll just have to see it in person. Conveniently, it will be on display during the month of December at the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, VT.

What Is (normal lighting, normal wall view)

Addendum 1/3/2012: I figured out the key to capturing the correct color is to use lights that have the correct color, which I did with the image below, but now I notice that this latest image doesn't capture the figure in the wood that you can see above. I guess my technique still needs work. 

Saw Horse Horses Installed

I just got back from Stowe, VT after installing the saw horse horses that I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago. They are part of the Helen Day Art Center's annual Exposed! show which includes 19 sculptures by mostly regional but also a few national and international artists (one from Japan and one from Montreal this year).

Saw Horse Horses
9' x 10' x 5' (each)
19.1 hands (77" to the shoulder)

Though very large, they are significantly smaller than the world's largest horse, Poe, of Tupperville, Ontario, who stands 20.2 hands.

I'm glad I posted the earlier image because I received some good feedback before finishing and installing them. Specifically, someone suggested that I make them "horsier" by adding ears and a tail. The thought had crossed my mind earlier but I hadn't come up with a good way of adding them that would both go with the piece and be repairable -- the suggestion inspired me to give it more thought. I ended up using some scrap red cedar shakes for the ears that slip into a sliding dovetail joint so they can be easily replaced if someone breaks them. For the tail I used a metal chain that is bolted into the back so it is both secure and repairable.

I am surprised how menacing the one on the right became when I added the ears. I had thought it was more passive than the baying horse but now it looks more devilish.
While installing them I got a lot of positive feedback, especially from the 5 to 8 year age cohort (my target audience), so I think they are successful. It will be interesting to see how they change over the summer. The wood should become gray and much of the metal will rust, adding more contrast.

Sneak Peek

Here is the first of my two saw horse horses that I am making for this year's Exposed! held in Stowe, VT and organized by the Helen Day Art Center.
I need two of them because I don't believe that anyone, in the history of humankind, has ever made just one saw horse. It's big, 8'6" x 10' x 5', constructed with northern white cedar so it should easily last over twenty years without any treatment. I'm a little surprise that I couldn't find any examples of anyone else making a saw horse horse though a Google search. It seems like a pretty obvious subject. With the second one I'm planning on having the head point upward. I think they will be inspirational, as in, making people ask, "What can I make with two really big saw horses?" My own question right now is whether it looks horse-like enough. It has 4" nails along its neck for mane but is the head too big or should the neck be longer? I need to find a six year old and get some feedback.