Theme Thursday: Passion

The Theme this week is technically "Passions" but I choose to post the newest work of passion by my husband, fine art photographer, Cole Scott.  The image is singular as is my title.

Trees and Clouds I

Cole Scott

For more Theme Thursday, go here.   For more Cole Scott Photography, go here.

Lily Pad or Pac Man?

Untitled by Cole Scott   2012

My husband took this shot late summer but just recently posted it so it is new to me.  I had to ask him what is the object captured?.  I initially viewed it as an abstract water color style shot of something unknown.  He said it was a lily pad in a little pond he was paddling.  I think it's startling!  It reminds me of something the fabulous Bauhaus artist, Paul Klee, might have painted.  

Or a Pac Man.  

What do you think?

Fish Magic by Paul Klee  1925

Rembrandt Light

Rembrandt Light 
by Cole Scott

My husband has been working on this for a few days.  He has new studio equipment, lighting fixtures, backdrops, and many items I cannot name.  His mother has a bust of herself sculpted long ago by her best friend.  I've always liked it but never so much as now.  I'm not allowed to tell his secrets.  I don't know them anyway. The bust is not cracked and it is not in color.  

Summer's Wane

Summer is on its way out. Images by Laura Trevey remind us of its bountiful pleasures.

The Art of John Brack

Collins Street 5pm by John Brack 1955

Months ago I did a Theme Thursday on the artist, Otto Dix, with whom I was previously unfamiliar.  I spent days doing in-depth research because I was so taken with his work. 

Recently, on iGoogle, "Collins St. 5 pm." popped  up under Art of the Day.  Again, unfamiliar with this artist, I wanted to know more.  His work brought that of Dix' to mind because of his unusual portrayal of people, his use of color, his depiction of everyday life.  He's one of Australia's most famous artists.

By the age of 16 years, John Brack was working in an insurance office in Melbourne, one of a crowd of daily commuters who trod the pavements to and from their offices. On one occasion in the city, he saw a Van Gogh reproduction in a shop window, and he was so captivated by it that he enrolled in night classes at the National Gallery School. He went on to paint Collins St, 5 p.m. (completed in 1955, and acquired by the NGV in 1956). It is a graphic example of his ability to observe and to communicate not just a scene, but its mood. It is a compelling image. It invites us to wonder about it. John Brack’s intention was to have the painting work on different levels of meaning while appearing deceptively simple   dgdesignnetwork

Brack once said he recalled part of T. S. Eliot’s epic poem "The Wasteland" when working on Collins St, 5p.m. John Brack Education Resource National Gallery of Victoria.

Unreal City
Under the brown fog of the winter dawn
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many
I had not thought death had undone so many.
T. S. Eliot, The Wasteland, ‘The Burial of the Dead’, 1922

Brack first achieved prominence in the 1950s. He joined the Antipodeans Group, which protested against abstract expressionism, a genre whose notable artists were Jackson Pollock, among others.

The Bar (1954)

 ... The Bar is widely regarded as the companion piece to Collins St, 5p.m. The painting marks a time in Melbourne when hotels were forced by law to close early (first introduced during World War Two and continued until 1966 when 10 o’clock closing became the norm). The phrase ‘six o’clock swill’ was used to describe the behaviour of patrons who crowded around the bars to get a last drink before closing time. In this work, John Brack cleverly uses the device of a mirror behind the bar to make it possible for us to see both sides of the bar at the same time. We stand with the patrons facing the barmaid as she waits on her customers. She looks tired and seems resigned to deal with this unruly crowd and the urgency of their demands – ‘One more beer over here, love!’  dgdesignnetwork

"The Bar" struck me immediately with it's similarities to one of my favorite Manet paintings, "A Bar at the Folies Bergere". According to Wikipedia, John Brack's style was notable for his use of drab colors in his early works.

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 The Fish Shop 

(1955)  left

The New House

(1955)  right

                                                                                                        

I find "The Fish House" disturbing. But I love "The New House". My favorite painting is this one. It reminds me of a Fiftie's ad for a men's clothier.

Men's Wear   (1953)

 Brack began using brighter colors in his later works.

The 1930s was the era of the Big Bands and Swing music. In the late 1960s it was ballroom dancing competitions which prompted John Brack to create a series of works. He was intrigued by the willingness of human beings to try and master absurd ritual movements to a strict dance tempo. What was this strange behaviour really about? Brack’s stunning use of fluorescent colour highlights the theatricality of these farcical events. In the painting, Latin American Grand Final (1969), Brack can stay behind the canvas no longer, and he paints himself standing at the edge of the dance floor continuing to observe.  

Latin American Grand Final 1969

There is so much more to see. His style changed with the times but he remained unique. The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne held a major retrospective of his work in June 2009. It was the first in twenty years. For more information and insight into his work, there's an excellent NGV Education Resource.

 La Traviata   1981

                 

Moody Landscapes

Cole Scott, the photographer and my husband, loves dramatic variations in dark and light, known as chiaroscuro.   His latest work exploring that approach are below.  All but "Trax" are new this year.

Moore Reservoir

Trax

The Savannah Theatre

Two Geese

For more photographic images by Cole Scott, go here.



Weekend Respite in B/W

My husband is a gifted photographer. His work is evocative, lonely, joyous, complicated, simple.  Because I am a literal person, I sometimes do not understand what he's trying to convey and find myself asking the meaning of a particular image.   I probably drive him crazy but I also help him clarify as do other photographers who critique and help him hone his craft.

Here are some recent images. 

Faucet With Leaves
(a new favorite; he feels a visceral connection to this one)

Branches Over Black Water
(Florida Everglades off the Tamiami Trail)

Free Range...
(where chickens are raised..."not your grandpa's chicken ranch"
metal things lined up in front are full sized tractor trailers!)

Wind III
(he liked the "unusual clouds & the way they {mimic} the tree")

Directions
(Virginia Beach in January
striking in its solitude)

St. Marks River
(Big Bend region, Florida)

A Rose Is A Rose

Rose 2008  Cincinnati Flower Show by Cole Scott                                                     Rose 2011 by Tanna

                                                                

One of my earliest followers, Tanna, has created a watercolor of my husband's photograph of a rose.  I thought it would be fun to post side by side for comparison's sake.  She did an excellent job recreating the shape and movement of the petals.  Visit her blog to see the steps required.

Many of my artist friends create from photographs and the process intrigues me no end.  When I was learning to draw, I would copy pictures in National Geographic.  It is how I learned to draw faces and hands as they captured my interest.  

California Artist Paul Cumes

I've been following an artist, Paul Cumes.  He lives in Santa Barbara, one of my favorite towns.  His work embodies the things people love about the California seacoast:  the beautiful light, the color, the ocean, the mountains.  Santa Barbara scenery is not his only subject matter, it's what attracted me to his work in the first place.

Paul's art speaks to me on many levels. First and foremost, it reminds me of home. I recognize the scenery.  He paints with passion.  He uses colors, brush strokes and composition boldly.  He's obviously influenced by Picasso, Matisse.    He has a distinct style; not an easy thing to achieve. And he's incredibly prolific for such a young guy. 

Paul has a blog and a web site.  Here are a few selections.

           Summerland Afternoon  

    

                                                                                              Broadway Sunset



El Capitan 
(famous surfing spot, camping area)

Pablo the Kitty

Freeway Underpass at Night 

                                                                 The Watering Jug

If you'd like to see Paul in action, painting, visit his web site and review his work. Each painting has a video showing his creation process, start to finish. 

Just relax...

There are so many things I could blog about today:   first game of the World Series begins tonight; it's only six days til the Mid-Term elections; President Obama guests on "The Daily Show" tonight;  I am in the process of installing a new kitchen...

Instead, I think I'll post a beautiful new painting by Laura Trevey.  She just posted to her web site and it grabbed me and made me feel good.  Fall colors have passed in New England but down in Virginia, I'm remembering they're probably still pretty this time of year.  So sit back, relax and take it all in.

Country Lane

by Laura Trevey