Wow I just looked at the date of my last blog
entry! I need to get back on schedule of posting... needless to say I have been
working in the studio, just not had time to blog. I've got some catching up to
do to say the least. As always, I'm working on a number of projects (I call
them projects because the type of art work varies from individual pieces to
series, from paintings to drawings, sculptures to installations so for me to
keep track of everything I call them projects). A project that I just finished
is the Blue Skies, Earth, Wind and Rain series. This body of work was an
off shoot from the Dark Mark project that I am still working on and basically
was inspired by all the crazy spring weather we've been getting here in Denver.
After So much late snow in March and April my inner spirit was in desperate
need of sunshine and blue skies... but just when I thought it was over then
comes more rain, intense wind and mud! And so was born the Blue Skies,
Earth, Wind and Rain series. Actually there are two sets the mini
series and the regular series.
#6 Blue Skies, Earth, Wind and Rain
Oil, Pastel and Gesso on Paper
6 x 6 inches
This image is #6 in the regular series and is one of my
favorites. As you can see, I'm still experimenting with Abstraction and working
intuitively with my mark making and brush strokes. The color palette for this series,
which is well represented in this image, is a combination of neutral tans,
browns, and tinted burnt sienna, white and pale blue. The strokes in #6 make me
think of the wind, which is seriously intense in Stapleton where I live
(Stapleton use to be an airport which perhaps explains the intensity of the
wind). So when I look at this image I'm reminded of the wind, and the clouds as
they move through the sky and the changing hues of the clouds as storms roll
in. The darker browns for me anyway represent the earth as it combines with the
rain and the run off of the water as it moves over the earth. The soil in our
area is actually heavy with clay, hence the use of burnt sienna and reference to run off... as I
learn to garden in my micro 'Putnam Farm' I'm discovering that clay does not
absorb the water as much as regular soil and so the combined earth tones and
the flow of the paint represents the contrast between the clay and soil in my
garden.
#7 Mini Blue Skies, Earth, Wind and Rain
Oil Paint, Pastel, Gesso on Paper
3 x 3 inches
As I noted above, March and April in Colorado can
be some of the heaviest snow months for us. In #7 of the mini series we again see the wind but
with more use of white, which represents the combination of snow and hail,
which usually starts out as rain, then moves to hail and or snow. Last year
Bella and I got caught in one of the most intense hailstorms that I've (we've) ever
experienced. My car windows did not break but I had over $5,000 worth of hail
damage and think perhaps I was traumatized by the experience because now
I try at all cost to make sure I (we) are home and the car is safely protected in
the garage if I know hail is in the forecast. Now if only I can figure out how
to protect the plants! I call this set the mini series because the paintings
are smaller, 3 x 3 inches and there are fewer in the set.
There are more in both series but rather than post
them all on the blog I'm going to post them on my website so if you are
interested in seeing the entire series go to kimputnamfineart.com and click on
Art work and then Abstracts. I will be updating the website after I finish this
blog post!
I'm pleased with the outcome of both series and I'm envisioning them
framed in light wood frames that are deep, floating on a neutral colored mat
so as to continue the environmental theme from artwork to frame.
