Bonne Année!

 

New Year's Day in the city of lights! This photo was taken from one of the windows in the Louvre by Napaleon's Apartments. The timeless elegance of this city is astounding. Even with the I.M Pei pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre you can still catch glimpses of a time gone by. 

This city inspires reverence for the old and beautiful while still infusing it with the energy of the new and experimental. Somehow it all stands side-by-side and remains simply - Paris!

Reduction and Seduction

Stretch by Taylor Barnes© 2011

This latest painting was an interesting journey into the land of simplification. I started out with a very complex line drawing and had perfectly painted every aspect of every jar and shelf ridge when I stopped and asked myself, "was that really what people should focus on in this painting?" The answer was "no" and the process of reduction and "seduction" began.

By "reduction and seduction" I mean taking away the details, leaving shape and some line. Then making that shape sumptuous using color, light and texture - seducing the viewer's eye. Working in guache makes this process go very quickly because the paint is so dry is sets up immediately and you can't change things too easily. I trained in oils and miss the time I had to push the paint around the canvas but working this way has made me much more decisive.

I can draw a correlation to this act of simplification and decisiveness to creating digital art. When I am teaching I often will tell my students that since I learned design in a pre-digital era I am much more organized and decisive about my ideas. Without a computer, making changes were costly and very time consuming. In the end I believe I am a better designer because I don't fall back on computer tricks - I absolutely know what will work. I feel painting in guache is giving me the same experience. When I return to painting large oils canvases I will know what works for me there as well.

Painting presents a new challenge with every piece but the process is liberating because the knowledge gained, opens the door to technical confidence and we don't have to travel that path again.

To Paint is to Love Again!

 Rebecca by Taylor Barnes © 2011

The title of this blog is taken from a book by Henry Miller. I don't know if it is even in print anymore but it seems appropriate for this place in my life. Henry Miller was an author who later in life found his way to painting and wrote about that journey in this book. I had no idea that after all these years I would stumble back into painting again and find the truth in that book title.

My 'awakening' began with a solo trip to LACMA for a quiet couple of hours contemplating and drawing in the French Impressionist painting gallery. I walked away with a spark that steadily grew inside of me. About a week later I woke up with an idea that was burning a hole inside of me. I realized that many of the painters, whose work I admired that afternoon had simply painted their environment. After years of living in Venice Beach, I wanted to chronicle the people of my community.

So I broke out the paints and dove right in. I love painting the people I come into contact with on a daily basis. Many of them are manning the espresso machine of my local coffee shop or cooking up my favorite Mexican food and they have no idea how much their gracious attitudes and friendly conversations contribute to my sense of community.

For artists a sense of community is a very important thing. Venice has always provided this for me. We often work in isolation, fueled by our desire to create. So when we venture out it is good to see a friendly face.

I wondered away from painting many years ago and I thought I would never find my way back but here I am. The wonderful things is that at this stage of my life I am a more evolved painter. I get it. I have something to say and it is just pouring out of me!

My mantra at this time is DON'T OVERTHINK! As a teacher I tend to lean towards over-intellectualizing the art-making process. Not this time - this time I am focused on the simplicity of the idea and preserving that. I am having fun with my technique.

In the spirit of connecting with my community I am posting my paintings on a separate blog - beyondtheboardwalk.blogspot.com - where I show the work and tell a small story of what this person means to me. The piece above, Rebecca, was the first painting I did in this series. It will be interesting to see how this grows and the blog will be a great way to watch the progression of this concept.

A Creative Healing

 

The Red Cow by Paul Gauguin

This painting, along with many other beautiful works of art, healed my soul today. This morning I woke up with a feeling that I was wandering with no clear direction. So I bought my usual morning latte at the corner coffee shop and started to change my routine right there. I decided to walk to the beach to enjoy my drink.  I live seven blocks from Venice Beach boardwalk but I rarely cover the distance just for the pure enjoyment of viewing the Pacific Ocean.

As I sat looking at the mountains rise above Malibu and the soft blue water I thought I should visit the museum for no other reason than to let my eyes feast upon some art. So I played hooky and ran off to LACMA. There, on the 2nd Floor of the permanent collection I found the modern painters and opened my soul to them.

I stood in front of The Concert by Georges Braque and marveled for the first time at the method he used to break apart the image and still retain some beautifully rendered areas of texture and modeling. This took my breath away.

 

The Concert by Georges Braque

I wandered through the galleries looking at the Picassos and the Rothkos. It all seemed new to me today and I considered this an incredible gift that after all these years I can still look at these paintings as if it was the first time.

So when I finally came to rest in front of The Red Cow I saw that little creature with a new level of joy. Whatever had been bothering me evaporated and I considered the power of art to heal and inspire. Then I had it - once again - the reason I can't stop making art. The right reason.

An Inspired Tribute to Steve Jobs

 

This simple logo design is pure genius! Jonathan Mak, a 19 year old Hong Kong design student, created this homage. It speaks for itself - don't you think?

Arrogance...

Yes, I said arrogance. I have been giving this some thought while I consider reinventing myself as a designer. I am amazed as I look around me how limited the thinking with some designers. If they have been designing for any length of time there is bound to be some arrogance, a sense of "I know what's what!"

I am guilty as charged but as I delve into the world of app design I can see, yet again, that all the rules are changing and I will never know "what's what." So today I encourage all of us to embrace change and open up creatively to all the possibilities of how we can create art in this new world. The are no absolutes.

The rules of good design still apply but the reasons we do what we do and the way we disseminate information is changing daily. It has been said that the digital world is a bit like the new frontier - a wild free for all. So arrogance will only be a hindrance if you want to grow as an artist. If you think there is only one right way to do things - think again.

I am the manifester...

www.iamthemanifester.com

I recently designed a book and a website for my wonderful friend Tobi Ellison. The journey I took while creating this book with Ellison has been personally transformational. It is a testimony to the power of personal visualization and powerful intention. Ellison's system for changing your thinking and accepting that the universe is constantly working to realize your requests is brilliant in its simplicity!

What I love most about his book are the personal stories of people manifesting their desires on small and large levels. It is inspiring to think how powerful the human mind and spirit is. One point that Ellison makes again and again, is that the universe does not care what you want it simply recognizes your intention.

I started painting again with the intention of resurrecting my love of creating with my hands and realizing a lifestyle that affords me time to do that. With that in mind I watch what I think on a daily basis now because I am manifesting at every moment!