The project will be shown as a part of the show Theory & Practice, at Gallery Aferro in Newark, from April 19th through May 17th, 2008.
Pieces of Sky grew out of a desire to center and focus my artistic
practice by concentrating on one subject and doing an intense study of
it, as a predetermined structure can actually give one the freedom to
explore. I decided to do one painting of the sky a day, on a 4x6
canvas, for one year, and began on May 1st, 2007. The sky seems like
it's ever-changing. Yet we feel so familiar with it that it only acts
as the background, especially in an urban environment. By choosing the
sky as my subject, I wanted to reverse the relationships between
culture and nature, subject and background. The idea seemed simple, but
I have realized that many complexities have arisen from this project.
As the project has progressed, I have been thinking about ritual and tradition, and how creating a painting every day sets up a rhythm of working. Painting in this way encourages me to focus, create a stillness and just observe. I see patterns and similarities emerge from the paintings, but they are never the same. By perceiving the subtleties of color, shape and form in the sky, I am at the same time noticing that the length of the day, amount of daylight, and even pollution are part of an infinite number of factors that are affecting that moment. Even my location and position affect what I can observe.
At
the same time, the ritual of the project is independent of my location,
and it has become a way of measuring and grounding myself, whether I am
in my studio or traveling. The paintings are markers of an accumulation
of time and place. They form a record of my observations, but also my
state of mind. How closely was I able to observe and not let
distractions come in? This project has redefined my notion of
discipline, and how it should not be seen as a negative and rigid
force. Rather I wanted to approach it as a positive part of a practice,
and utilizing it to work through frustrations and doubts. I have just
begun to understand how the skills of observation, discipline and
painting are vitally intertwined, and create momentum for other ideas
to germinate.
Thank you so much to Wayne, without whose love and support this project would not have been possible. Also thanks to John Emerson, who threw in some Perl help to get the web site up and running. And of course thanks to Ray Price, who helped me build some shelves in my studio so that I could find some space to work!