So I Lied.

Supposedly, I was taking a hiatus from this blog for exactly one year. 

Then, I looked on the analytics of this blog this morning just out of curiousity- I haven't checked them since February -  and good grief, I'm letting people down!  I'm happy that so many people have checked out this blog lately, but know that because there is nothing new here, they leave quickly.

Originally, I was going to take a year just to do my thing...perhaps, not.  Besides that, I always have a difficult time being quiet for long periods of time.  So for all intensive purposes, let the writing begin again!  I am renewed enough to give it a go anyway! 

So recently I've been reading a book about Egon Shiele by Frank Whitford.

I can't say that I'm extremely far into it, but I've learned Schiele was heavily influenced by Gustav Klimt.  It doesn't take an art historian to tell you that, because they do have this similarity of line and composition.  When I was in college, I always confused them with each other.  I had no idea though that Klimt actually helped Schiele get started and into shows.  I had no idea that they knew one another that well.

Before all of you arty-smarty peeps make fun of me, I truly never studied Schiele in college.  He was not covered.  Granted, yes, I should have conducted my own research, but I was researching in a different direction back then.  I kind of ignored him along with Klimt.  It hasn't been until the past year that his work has really appealed to me, and I feel foolish for overlooking him for this long. 

His lines, his lines, how I love the lines he makes!  He makes everything look so fragile, wounded, and raw.  He makes it look like they are all just so vulnerable, and needing some compassion.  All of this just from the line.  Crazy how he captures it all like that without a ridiculous amount of detail.

I don't know if he was a jerk or not yet, but I'm betting not.  We'll see.
One thing is for sure though, I love his hair!  Kind of crazy scientist look, which is always fun!

What artists do you really get into, or like to read about?  I would love to hear who you look to for inspiration, or for stories!

Ode to Egon Schiele

Egon Schiele...here's an artist I have often ignored, and I'm not sure why. His work just didn't catch my attention while I was in college. I am now beginning to understand the brilliance of what he accomplished in his work.

He didn't overwork the surface. He worked with thin washes of color. He knew just where to put certain splotches of color to describe what he saw. He didn't over blend, and allowed the viewer to do this with his/her eyes. As some artists gain experience, they seem to know what is necessary in terms of line and color and do not rely on the extra "stuff". It's more mental work than physically applying the paint and lines. I admire his ability to make risky decisions within the image and keeping his surface so raw. He knows just where to put lines, and how thick or thin they should be. Schiele's work is sensual. It's vivid and subtle all at once. His figures are vulnerable because of how he shows the fragility of their flesh.

On a completely different note- I didn't make it into the show that I submitted to because they didn't recieve my email in the first place! All of that waiting and checking my email was in vein! ha! I called them, and that's how it was all figured out. Technology is brilliant, but sometimes it really doesn't come through when it should for people. HOWEVER- I am excited to submit my work to them for their next show, and the owner is extremely nice. So all is how it should be, and I'm excited to look ahead.