Art Demands Bravery
My paintings are changing, and I'm kinda pissed about it.
Okay, I mean…maybe not all art.
But if you want to push your own boundaries, art demands bravery.
For over a year now I’ve been doing what a lot of painters do: painting basically the same thing, the same image, in myriad ways. I’ve been obsessed with the way the hyperlocal landscape has imprinted itself on my brain and I’ve been investigating that bit by bit, slightly different image by slightly different image, for over a year.
I can feel my work changing a little bit — not drastically, but in small ways. But it’s ways that feel uncomfortable. And I’m a little bit worried that it won’t resonate as much with those who’ve loved my work so far.
This new work has new colors in it, a deliberate exploration of the muted disrupted by the loud and brash. Quiet and peacefulness interrupted by so much red.
But the work feels like the right thing to do even if it feels personally uncomfortable.
But why would painting a landscape every feel uncomfortable, I hear you ask.
If you ever want to come to my studio and have a nice chat about the work you see may make — maybe over a nice hot cup of coffee (don’t worry, we have tea, too) — you’ll get the real story of my work out of me. The real story is that it’s only nominally about landscapes. What it’s really about is me and the way I grew up and the places I sought solace and sanctuary in when my normal environment was anything but peaceful. The places I sought solitude in were the forests near my home, and they were the things that said to me hey, it’s gonna be okay eventually, we promise.
And so my landscapes are changing, and I’ve gotta tell you, I’m kinda pissed at them over it.
I’d really rather they just stay quiet little landscapes, but they have a mind of their own (see: my newsletter about how they choose their own names). And they’re insisting that if I want to make honest art, I have to be a little more brave about letting them do their thing.
So that’s what I’m doing. And even though I’m kinda ticked off at my paintings I’m also kinda excited about the changes.
Let me show you the most recent result.
The Disobediences Yet To Come
Acrylic, pencil, and oil pastel on 28” x 36” gallery canvas
$850USD (plus shipping)
Available
Show News: CVG Show 2024
I’m happy to say that for the third year in a row my work has been accepted to the CVG Show 2024 at Collective Visions Gallery in Bremerton, Washington! This juried show runs from January 13 through February 23 so if you live in the area, definitely catch it.
Here’s the piece that made it in, along with all of the other fabulous work in the show (my favorite: Tuesday by Madeleine Bryant).
Until the Swift Immolation of Hubris
Acrylic, pencil, and oil pastel on 400g paper mounted to 30” x 24” cradled panel
$650USD
Available at Collective Visions Gallery
From the Archives
This smaller piece has been put in a spot in my studio where I can look at it regularly; it reminds that I really should return to this palette, I left it behind far too quickly.
This Is the Vessel
Acrylic and pencil on 15” x 15” gallery canvas
$325USD (plus shipping)
As I write this a storm is bearing down on us. As we sleep, the wind will howl and scream and batter rain-soaked trees and threaten to knock them to the ground. It’s both nerve-wracking (will my car survive trees falling? Will my art studio?!?!) and art-inspiring. I hope things are calmer where you are, friends, and we’ll chat again soon.
—Caryn
Issaquah, WA
January 2024