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“God’s Own:” … what a marvelous creativity and sense of humor He has regarding originality …

Ok, here’s another fork in the road … “God’s Own:” … this thought gets down to basics … original creation vs. derivative creation. Many of us have no idea of the difference, and the absolute blessing that the gap between those two offer. That is a concept that is based upon a hierarchy: God has created ex-nihlio … and we create in derivative, blessed concert with that.

So, as I mentioned in a post a little while ago ( Back in the dark … Oct 28, 2022 ) I’m thinking of a series title I’ve taken for this, “God’s Own: xx”, is reflecting some things in nature that remind me of something else … some odd dualities that I get a kick out of. I guess it kinda gets to finding interesting visuals … humorous or coincidental or even serious … and letting that visual “create” something other. Ex-nihlio to derivative. Visual puns, perhaps. Puns are usually fun. Perhaps visual dualities … perhaps visual concepts that not only put me in my proper place, but also gift me with both fun and an informed partnership that helps me fulfill my assignments.

That gets pretty lofty, pretty quickly. Simultaneously, perhaps it’s not so heady a discussion after all. Maybe simple, street-level … God having fun me … interacting with my given sense of humor. I’ll take them both.

Stay tuned. My first image coming soon …

There are mysteries in life, to be sure. Some are good to solve, to fully understand the answers. Others, I like to retain the mystery, maintain the wonder. Sometimes, the chaos, the un-knowing, is actually more fun than the answer.

I came upon this as I began a post about finishing/framing art. I began to stumble over “mat” and “matt” and “matte”. Between spellcheck, my limited knowledge, and personal grammar consciousness, I become torn.

Let’s begin with “matte”. I determine the “e” is silent, so are we led to “matt”? Also one of the “t”s is silent (the first one, or the second one?). So, does that, then, lead to “mat”? Do we split the elements and go with “mate” … no, I think that’s a wife, husband, or friend. Or do we trust and accept the “e” and “t”s as quiet-but-needed … keeping to “matte”?

I’m pretty sure there is a correct path here. However, I’m going to keep in the dark, by choice. I like the mystery here. Are we talking a window cut in paper, or the absence of gloss, or a short moniker for a guy named Mathew … or something else … ?

Here, then, is my compass-rose sentence:

“Matt made a photo print on non-glossy, matte paper … then he put it in a mat.”

Now, I know truth is truth, and sometimes we need to know it. If “mat”, “matt”, and “matte” are needed to be understood, I’ll refer you to what I always said when speaking as a graphic designer, as a graphic manager, and as a graphics teacher:

“Editors are your best friend!”

And, have fun!

So, I was asked to paint a piece, not as a commission, but on spec. I was given the subject matter: a crow. So, I gave it some thought and came up with something that gave it a twist that I had fun with – the title “As the Crow Fries”. I pictured a crow with a bag of fries – living big!

Ran a few proof-of-concept sketches, playing with composition … bag standing-up, laying down … crow’s foot on bag or not … like best the bag on ground, foot holding it. Of course, this scene would take place at the curb, so I put a simple grass background ….… below, and detail …

FYI … this piece, “Artist’s Proof of Concept“, is for sale in my Watercolor Gallery … 🙂

And then, I went on to the sketch … below and detail …

FYI … this piece, “Artist’s Sketch”, is for sale in my Watercolor Gallery … 🙂

Below: painted it: “As the Crow Fries“, oil on canvass …. size about 20″sq, black floating frame, simple. This original painting is currently for sale at The Red Door Gallery in La Conner, WA. If interested: (360) 466-2000 or email cjmaddalena@yahoo.com.

Also, below, a companion painting by my wife (also about 20″sq and same, black floating frame), also at Red Door Gallery. If interested: (360) 466-2000 or email cjmaddalena@yahoo.com. 🙂

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Back, way back … maybe my first post, I mentioned I love b&w photography … silver gelatin, not digital. I know, it dates me a bit … well, a lot. But, that’s me. One day, I’ll post my thoughts re photography, Photoshop, etc.. but another day. Today, I’m happily dealing with getting back into the darkroom …

Though I have sketched and painted since a kid (I know, it doesn’t show), I also had a camera in my hand since my teens. It got serious in college when things switched to applying photo to fine art … dimensional photos, non-traditional processes, mixing photo with other media, etc..  and exposure to entering shows/galleries and the like. My work fell into the conceptual art bucket. Very heady and all. A lot of fun, and, at the time, very serious work.

Ok, back to today. I’ve a series of photo’s in mind I’ve begun to shoot, as-well-as a couple stand-alone images. First, though, I need to get my darkroom up-and-running (what’s with all these three-word-hyphenations all-a-sudden?). I turned my enlarger on a couple days ago and found the focusing rack was seized-up. After a good cleaning/WD40, it’s running like a champ now. (Ok, for any gear-types out there: Simon Omega D2/Schneider-Kreusnach/GraLab/Ilford/D-76/Dektol/etc… ).

Tomorrow, I’ll pickup a fresh deck of multi/poly contrast paper and maybe get back into the dark in the evening. We’ll see…

If so, the first couple prints will be for that series I mentioned … I think I have a series title I like: “God’s Own: xxx”. I’ve been seeing/sensitized to noticing some things in nature that remind me of something completely else … thus far, humorous dualities that crack me up. Well, I think they’re funny – not sure if anyone else will, but I get a boot out of them, and I’m pretty sure God does as well, I think He has an incredible sense of humor …

I saw this steeple, and was reminded, how I, too, need maintenance. Physical, emotional, spiritual … crosses, and I, need it all.

Good News: with effort: scraping, sanding and painting …. and with commitment: time, patience, and dedication … and asking: sand me, have patience with me, and fix me … it can get done.

Crosses, and perhaps I/we as well, need maintenance.

… a detail …

… and matted …

… this painting for sale in my Steeple Project Gallery …

Been traveling and such lately, am behind in my posting. Gad, time is an enemy … or at least a fickle aquaintance.

Ok, so this post is a bit of a side track conversation. Well, maybe they all are. This one, though, isn’t related to an image I painted or created. This is one of those that are generally about housekeeping, intent and direction of this site.

I’m thinking time has come for me to turn this blog off Radio-Silent and into the open air waves. I’ve maintained it for a long time now, basically for an audience of me. Thinking maybe it’s time to move it out … of course knowing that, moving it out might only culminate in a visit or two, and not be much of a change after-all … a bit of a non-event as they say. Or, I might find it adds pressure to post more often, and with better content. 

So, one wonders what End-Game is. Truth is, for me, it won’t be a success if I get a thousand followers … nor a ton of sales. Success would be, I believe, some happy visitors who get some enjoyment out of it, or see themselves as fellow-travelers or artistic meanderers and relate to it in some ways. Could be, with my using the verbiage I have (peripatetic, desultroy, etc), most might just see me as a nut dropping words I’ve looked up. (Steinbeck, writing Wayward Bus … looking for a word to match Spanish “vacilando” … couldn’t really find one, they ended up with “wayward” (see Life in Letters, the notation below letter dated July 12, 1945 )…. Didn’t think of it when I began this, but it occurs to me that my peripatetic/desultory kinda all add up to vacilador … traveling somewhere but not caring if you get there or not … I like that too).

Anyways, I simply do hope these posts make some connection with those who are learning, varied in their artistic interests, and pursuing fun. And so, guess I’ll move out on this … over-the-top, lads!

To do so, I think I’ll do a couple things, neither of which are dramatic, save-the-date type of actions. First, I think I’ll simply start letting people I know (and those I run into meandering thru life) that I have a site and invite them to visit. Secondly, and hand-in-hand with that, I think I’ll produce a little business card that shows the site address. Purpose of the card is to avoid someone from writing down the wrong info, avoiding the pencil-less situations that forces me/them to rely on memory (Heaven forbid), and to avoid those inevitable times when I’d give the wrong info).

Here’s a couple card mock-ups: I’ll use the spinning top illustration from my home page. I think I like the caution-yellow panel at the bottom, but the “- PATIENCE REQUIRED BEYOND THIS POINT – ” needs to be larger like the top card. I think this will be a useful tool for me (instead of my memory).

🙂 and onward …

So, not sure “Mission Style” is architecturally correct … but I’ll stay with it at present.

The block-style cross window in the brick wall, an arched main building … the silver domed top probably means much to an architecturally-savvy person … somehow, it feels to me “mission style” … but a wiser viewer will correct me, maybe it is “Moorish” … but I hesitate to drop names of styles I am vaguely acquainted with, as-if they are good friends of mine. Probably turn out to be an early-this, pre-that mid-concept mutt. Whatever it is, I’m liking it 🙂

This is something of a departure for me, the bold color (bricks), and I’ve rendered the adjacent building off the page in a full (not vignettes) manner … all a fun and diverting change. I think, a very strong and attractive image.

And little detail …

FYI … this painting for sale in my Steeple Project Gallery … 🙂

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Ok, “Gotham”???

Ok, again, not sure how to architecturally title this … a very different church steeple from the ubiquitous white, lapstrake, conservative type that are most prevalent – and that I truly love. This one has an all-metal spire … green tarnished, not sure the metal type (copper/tin/??). But all metal, angular, very city-like (Gotham, but definitely not a NYC church) … and all topping a solid, no-nonsense tower of brick. So, I don’t know, but that’s where Gotham comes into mind.

The church has two beautiful stained-glass windows … both crosses … blue on top, red below (heaven/earth). A very powerful structure.

As for the painting, I like how the metal steeple turned out. I think I captured the multiple edges/perspectives to the structure (it’s not a simple 3 or 4 sided steeple: it angles in-and-out, probably 6 sided or so. I’m also happy with my sky/background.

All-in-all, a good effort for me, a very pretty and strong edifice!

… and a detail …

FYI … this painting for sale in my Steeple Project Gallery … 🙂

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This piece is inspired, not by a specific church, but rather is something of a culmination of many windows seen throughout my life. It’s the message.

I’ve tried my hand at building stained-glass windows (of course, “… peripatetic, perambulatory, desultory .. ” what is that word … ?!?!). I really appreciate the physical side of it: heavy, mechanical, structural … and the artistic as well: simplified images and color, planned/conceptual, simple, to the point. It’s a great media. And, in the hands of a real artist, art with a huge presence.

Here’s the initial sketch:

… and the final.

… and a detail …

I’m happy with this. The mosaic of stained glass windows is a tough, for me, path to take – but I’m happy with it. Funny, but I’m also very happy with how the pews turned out … simple, but reads well I think. Don’t get me wrong, I have not arrived at a place I’m truly happy with watercolor-wise … but am happy with my effort and progress to-date.

FYI … this painting for sale in my Inside: Looking Out Gallery … 🙂

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Painting the steeples, I often have thought of the beautiful church windows below. Some are stained-glass, some clear, some with arched shapes … all with a spiritual and practical role. In contrast to steeples, they are usually best experienced from within the church. While all, as windows, provide some degree of light, they also tell a story: stained-glass a pictorial story, clear-pained offer the story of the outside view … from within, looking out.

This first piece was inspired by an old chapel located in a peach grove. Beautiful, tall, arched windows framing an inspiring view of surrounding hills and trees. An arched piece of landscape art by the Creator.

… and, a detail …

FYI … this painting for sale in my Inside: Looking Out Gallery … 🙂

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