Commission in Progress

Commission in Progress 60"x48"

It feels like forever since my last post! On these hot Summer days
the last thing I want to do with my cool mornings is sit at my computer.
The rest of the day Kirby has the computer for work. I have been
painting some, working on the commission and a 4' square abstract.
I have a smaller piece going but I think my resistance to small has reached
an all time high and the painting keeps getting worse.

Yesterday we had the best of Summer drama weather. It was 80 degrees
out and I noticed black clouds coming from the west so I sat down
outside and watched and sure enough the lightening and thunder started.
After a while the wind started and then the dust storm and then the hail
came pouring down and then the rain poured as hard as it ever does here.
Too hard for the gutters to handle. Then it all stopped and it was 60 degrees.
Sunday night we had one of the best sunsets I have ever witnessed.
Nature as you see has been creating some sensational art.

Susan's Day at the Beach

"Susan's Day At the Beach", Oil and Wax on canvas, 40"x30"
Collection of Dr. Susan Allen

I have been on my Summer pace lately which is not creatively
very productive I am embarrassed to say. It is difficult to stay
in the studio on these warm sunny days, besides I am doing
quite a bit of thinking about where I want to go with these 2
large canvases staring at me. I do way too much of that. I also
have been transforming my other blog as I get ready to make
the next step in promoting my healing profession. Now that I
have given you all my excuses I have posted an older painting
that is oil and wax. The proportions are not right on the image
but I do not know how to fix that in Photoshop.

It is Cherry harvest time and the tractors are driving by with their
trailers filled with crates filled with cherries to deliver to the 'Cherry
House' where large trucks will pick them up and take them out in the
world. I love this time of year when there is so much activity and the
pickers are living in our small town.

WIP

I am trying something many artists do, and work on several paintings at once.
This is a challenge for me. When I was a kid I would attack Thanksgiving dinner
methodically and eat all of one thing before going to the next thing on my plate.
That about says it all. I like to finish something before starting something else.

So I am working on this 48x48 inch canvas alongside a 24x18 inch canvas and
my commission. I worked on this piece yesterday and am liking what is happening.
Now that makes things more difficult, as it makes what is happening on a very
unfinished painting precious and I am going to have to bust through that. The colors
are a little earthier than I usually do. I like that. There is a tempo, a movement that
I like. There, however, is a sureness and complexity that is missing so far. Any input
is welcome.

Stan Kurth- Art and Meaning

"Magma", Acrylic on Yupo, 24" X 18"
"Magma" won the David Gale Memorial Award (2nd Place) in the 35th Annual
Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Exhibition 2010 hosted by the
Utah Watercolor Society and the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West
Valley City, Utah.


"What meaning does doing art have for you?"

What a question! The answer is a bit elusive and for me has evolved over the
years, but the constant challenge of answering it in my mind is part of the
answer. I am rather introspective, so in line with that, I have this ongoing need
to understand why I am so compelled to make art. I have been painting, drawing
and looking at art for as long as I can remember. Often making art is frustrating,
but ultimately I find it rewarding. Art making is an inner calling; I was created in
the [spiritual] image of God and from that my purpose derives. If I don't do art,
I'm opposing the spirit within me and this creates a void. But I was born for this
purpose and I am driven by it and cannot deny it. I must make art. Thus far it
has been all about the process since I can never "sum it all up" in a single work,
or a multitude of works for that matter, and I don't have an end in sight. Does
any artist have an end in sight? All of us have heard at least one story of an artist,
weak and near death, yet still making art. My worst nightmare is becoming a
commercial success, painting daisies or doggies, or anything else repetitiously.
At my best I am in a trance; I am a medium spewing this abstract language of
marks and symbols from the deepest recesses of my soul, and maybe some from
the shallow recesses as well. All the art I have made from childhood to today has
taken me closer to a more profound answer to this question; I doubt it will ever
be fully answered. Art is my language and it has taken sixty years to impart the
communique in my work.

"The artist’s eye should always be turned in upon his inner life, and his ear should be
always alert for the voice of inward necessity. This is the only way of giving expression
to what the mystic vision commands." -
Kandinsky

Stan's website is: http://stankurth.com
His blog address is: http://watermediaworks.blogspot.com
His email: stan.kurth@gmail.com

Underpinnings

No this is not a finished painting!~
I was having a conversation with an artist, Phil Brown via email about art
and he stated "One thing I am discovering- being reckless with marks and
splashes at the beginning "reveals new directions you never thought existed".
This inspired me to share my process on my commissioned piece. What I
have painted thus far on this 5 foot by 4 foot canvas is simply paint to respond
to. This is how I start my paintings, just apply paint. I am thinking there will be
a lot of dark values in the final painting so I kept the underpinnings fairly light
and bright. This will allow for more value control and interesting scratching.
Otherwise I just applied paint to keep with my motto "break the illusion of
control!" I will continue with this philosophy through the entire painting process.

Looks a bit like a kid's birthday party at this point doesn't it? Now I will let it
dry for a bit, not all the way as I like the resistance that is created at a certain
point of tackiness.