Monday 17 November 2008

Hilltop or the ocean

I find that the process of photographing pieces is always a useful one. In it's deceptive objectification the photo allows me to step a foot away from the piece - as if time has passed between painting and a new looking at it.

So, with the ACEOs something struck me. And it was again the line that kept me looking at it - the horizon line. And I wondered what the difference was between a hilltop against the sky or the line where the sea meets the horizon. And I remembered how Twombly's Poems to the Sea all have a ruler-drawn horizon line - the only straight line, the same throughout all 24 poems.

Where the sky meets the sea - the line - where it all happens - the Wild.

Then I played some more with the wild line in the distance: masked off the lower part of the board and painted in the sky. Played with the way the pigments come up, close to the line, touch it, or not quite.

Hilltops, oceanlines or fields of colour. Here are three more (seeing that I already sold two... thank you, P.!) for the Etsy shop:


See Study ACEO #6
See Study ACEO #6
Soft pastel on board, 8.9x6.4cm

See Study ACEO #7
See Study ACEO #7
Soft pastel on board, 8.9x6.4cm

See Study ACEO #8
See Study ACEO #8
Soft pastel on board, 8.9x6.4cm

7 comments:

Casey Klahn said...

Great colors in these recent little works! Bravo!

The horizon line is the nemesis of landscape paintings. You seem to have found a powerful abstract way of handling it in these.

Anonymous said...

These are beautiful and very inspiring!!

Philip said...

Beautiful work!

Gesa said...

Hi Joni and Philip, and thanks :)
Thanks, too, Casey - they are pretty 'not me', I must admit, those colours. In particular the pink... But it does something rather nice, I agree.
Ha... yes... horizon line: nemesis. Good point. It is, isn't it?! Marking and masking it out and then working around it was intriguing, need to try on bigger scale: tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

I love these horozon line paintings and the pink you use works well.
krt Jackson uses Horizon line to great effect and his recent project shows this well as it is of the my area, The Solent.
You may be interested in Richard Diebenkorn.

jafabrit said...

hiay, I will keep you mind about the can (probably after Christmas) trade. I LOVE your pastel landscapey stuff :)

Gesa said...

Cheers, Chris. Yes, KJ's book is on my table... it is fabulous! Don't know Diebenkorn, will look up. Thanks!
Jafabrit: :) that would be fab! Thanks! Can for pastelly landscapey thingey possibly then in the new year. Very cool.