Lisa Pressman - "Searching the Narrative-New Encaustic Works" at Jack Meier Gallery, Houston

Time, Memory, Abstract Narrative
Continuing the conversation about time and ritual, New Jersey artist Lisa Pressman, whose works are on view at Jack Meier Gallery this month here in Houston, speaks about her work as
"reflect(ions) on the passage of time and the internal events that change and shape us."

Shift in Time, 24x18 inches, Mixed Media Encaustic

She says that "The paintings reveal how, over time, memories are given broader scope and are incorporated into an ongoing abstract narrative. "

Lisa Pressman: Page 3, Mixed Media Encaustic, 11x14 inches

Nature-based and light-infused as are the paintings of Diane McGregor, Pressman's paintings tell a different story, one about memory and significant moments of our past that somehow leave a mark in our lives, embedded there but not always remembered.

The process of living an abstract narrative? Yes. I like that.

Above and Below, Mixed Media Encaustic

Pressman works in various media including Mixed Media Encaustic, Oil and Acrylic. Most of the paintings in this exhibition are Mixed Media Encaustic.

Jack Meier Gallery is located at 2310 Bissonnett in Houston. Lisa's work is on view there through March 7th.

Time/Ritual/Collections Interactive Blog - Diane McGregor

Collections/Rituals - Time
Artist Diane McGregor recently responded to this Interactive Blog invitation with a very eloquent description of her studio routine and painting process. She describes her recent body of paintings as "reductive abstractions that reference nature and the landscape." Read what she wrote below:

"Your invitation to your interactive blog posts inspired me to think of my own rituals as I create one of my oil paintings. My paintings are reductive abstractions that reference Nature and the landscape."

Diane McGregor: Conferring With the Moon, Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches, 2009

"In the morning before I start work at the easel, I light a candle and write in my journal, including affirmations. I usually spend a lot of time beforehand looking at the painting that I am about to work on, figuring out where the painting is taking me. I will often read poetry at this time as well, finding inspiration in the words and imagery of Neruda, Rumi, Mary Oliver, and others.

My glass palette is always spotlessly clean before I begin to paint. I pour out 2 cans of oderless mineral spirits for washing the brushes. Then I squeeze out the colors from the paint tubes. I select my color palette for the painting ahead of time, and I usually stick to that palette for the entire painting.

My technique is repetitive and process oriented. Vertical and horizontal brushstrokes, applied in many layers, form a grid structure and slowly build up the abstract composition as the brushstrokes accumulate and transform the canvas. The application of the paint is methodical yet allows for chance and unplanned discoveries. Time is an element of the process, as each brushstroke represents a moment, a gesture, a connection.

As I paint, I usually always listen to the music of Hildegard of Bingen (or anything by Anonymous 4), which in itself is ritualistic and repetitive, with soaring harmonies and meditative melodies. The music mirrors the painting process in its repetition and meditative qualities. In fact, I often listen to the same piece of music over and over while working on a particular piece. The repetition of the music adds a subliminal lyric element to the imagery.

When I am finished for the day, usually around sunset, I scrape off my glass palette and clean my brushes. I have a ritual for washing my brushes too. It's kind of odd and obsessive, actually. I wash each brush exactly 3 times. I then lay them out to dry, and I always let them dry at least 24 hours. I do this every time, I don't know why. "

She continues by sharing an interesting blog called Daily Routines, one worth checking out.

"It includes descriptions of all sorts of rituals and habits of writers, artists, composers, etc. Like many artists and writers, at the end of my day I enjoy a glass of wine as I reflect upon the day's work and consider the next day's direction."

You can see more of Diane's work on her blog and a peek at her very tidy studio on Pam Farrell's Interactive Studio Blog Project.

Hand and Foot

Two Lost Soles. We walked past these shoes every day from our parked car as we headed over to the Encaustic conference last June in Beverly, MA. The last day there, I took these photos.

This photo by Randall Louis Hamilton

Recently I came across an announcement about an art installation at Berry College Moon Galleries titled The Hand and Foot Show a collaborative effort by artists Randall Louis Hamilton (The One Shoe Diaries) and Linda Bill Shirley (FOUND GLOVES.) Both artists are from Pensacola. Made me think of the lost soles we walked across every morning heading to the first meeting of the day at the Encaustic conference last summer in Beverly, MA.
Taking to the road after hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola and demolished his house, Randall began to notice random shoes along side the road. With an artist's eye and sensibility, he began to photograph these finds creating a collection just for fun.

Some of Linda's gloves. Picture from the The Hand and Foot Show official web site.

Linda Bill Shirley says " I probably picked up my first glove sometime in the late 1980s. As an artist, for many years 'found objects' had intrigued me and I often incorporated them into my artwork. However, I continued to see random discarded gloves..."

What I like about this project, The Hand and Foot Show, isn't so much the display even though that must be very interesting. (I didn't see it.) It is the simple idea of just finding something interesting and saving it, keeping it, collecting, marking it---a souvenir, a memory marker. An unintentional witness. Evidence. The collection expands and becomes more than than a sum of its parts. It is another thing altogether.

Click here to see the CNN interview video.