January 19, 2011

I'm exploring line. What it is and what it means within my work. I've made lines since I was a kid and couldn't color within them very well - I always went outside the line! I've been drawn to line and am compelled to create it. There is something about the cascading line that excites me. Lines divide, separate, contain; they express, define, organize, describe; it is the line itself that creates the focal point and energy within the work. Line can be beautiful, expressive, agitating, even aggressive. It can creat stability or rhythm. Line is used to define the object when drawn or painted. It can be created from one point to another or created when placing planes next to each other. They are implied or actual and create tension within the work. Jean August Dominique Ingres was a master at line when drawing people and objects; his drawings and line are marvelous. Vincent van Gogh's lines were authoritative and strong. Jackson Pollock was a master with the abstract line. His paintings are celebrations of line. Barnett Newman's work explored line (his zips), planes and color. But these abstract paintings were expressions of the self, myth, and possibly forms of Jewish mysticism (in Newman's case).
I believe that the line expresses a part of my psyche for my spirit follows and connects with every mark I make. Although hard to describe, my soul actually yearns to bond with the line. I get excited about mark-making, about the line. There is something about a weighted line that speaks to my spirit. My lines are reflective of life, of energy. With the vertical line there is an amalgamation between the heaven and earth; more in a spiritual than literal sense. The horizontal is the grounding force within it. Much like a horizon line, but metaphorical. My works are not landscapes but echoes of the soul - the desire to connect and imbibe within the spiritual, the Divine. I've said that the work reflects my spiritual walk - my trust in G-d. This is very true for within each painting is the act and trust that occurs to create it. The lines, color, and texture are the expression and exclamation of that process. But it is the line that activates the work, creates the action within it.
While my work has texture and color, they are sometimes secondary to the line; they accentuate it, bring it out to the forefront, highlight it and help establish it within the picture plane. The line can be subtle or right in your face. The background of the work may be peaceful or soothing but the line pulls out the energy of the piece. But whatever imagery I use, the line helps to reveal it or is the subject matter itself.
So right now, that is what is important to me in my work. I'm still exploring this idea of line and I'm sure more revelations will come to me as I work through this and process it. So until next time... take care, enjoy, and G-d bless!