Thursday, August 24, 2006

Another Chance



Streamside, 2006, Oil on Panel, 12x16








Seems as if Blogger has fixed their little image loading issue, so I can post images again. It felt odd for the last few days to post without including a painting.

It seems as if I may have jinxed myself by discussing how excited I am about the new batch of work I started. I wasn't terribly pleased about what I accomplished with them yesterday, certainly there was no exhilaration after, but I still have another day to bring them up to par. Also, I haven't looked at them yet this morning and they might be better than I remembered yesterday. That happens sometimes. Anyway, I feel confident that I can wrestle most of the pieces into submission by the end of the day today.

I hope that I can, because this afternoon I have to drive 40 minutes both ways, to go to the stupid Wal-Mart and I need my wits about me to handle that. I try to not go there as much as possible but it is school supply time and it's just easier to get it all done in one shot. Wish me luck in getting out of there without spending all of the money I just earned from selling my work!

16 comments:

Steven LaRose said...

I haven't spent the time to read through your archives yet, I usually just look at your paintings. I look with painter's eyes, seeing the paint and almost squinting at the saturation of color. But with repeated exposure, this painting triggered something deeper. I had to quickly jump over to your web page in order to scroll through your paintings and see if my feeling was true. You tricked me. These are less about light and color than they are about Moving. And I'm not talking about the casual country stroll kind of moving, these paintings are glimpses out of a car window kind of moving. There is something bitter/sweet about that glimpse. These paintings are the moment lost right before turning a corner or coming over a rise. In fact, they feel like the retinal echo of a perfect moment that we didn't even realize we were having until the car speeds us past, into the next mundane present moment. I'm reminded of when I was learning to juggle and there was always this moment where the balls were moving and I was aware of all three at once, seeing everything, but not focused on anything, and I would think, "I'm doing it!" and then drop all the balls. These paintings feel like my memory of passing through that groove. They are that landscape that we all see while in that beautifull inward stare, and can only have a memory of, because once we become conscious of the moment, we snap out of the groove.
Thanks

Peter Yesis said...

Tacy -
Good luck on the Walmart safari!
I am glad your blog images are back. I had a similar problem with my blog but it cleared up and never came back.

I love the environment you create in your work. It is a very peaceful place to rest.

Tracy Helgeson said...

Steven, I am very flattered that you have put thought into my work and am pleased that you left this comment. I have often thought my work is about memory and I hear that fairly often. But incorporating movement into that is very interesting and now seems completely obvious! My whole life has been about movement, literally, as well as about me often not experiencing the present but instead remembering the past and looking and planning the future. I guess that it is not surprising that it shows in my work since I do tend to work by instinct and not so much conscious thought. Cecily is right, you have written very eloquently, may I incorporate some of this into a statement at some point-or would that be breaking some kind of art rule?

PS. I am happy to assure you though, that you wouldn't have to squint quite so much at the color. It's not quite so saturated in real life.

Peter, Thanks, I hate Walmart but sometimes it just must be done. Thanks for the comment about the environment. I like hearing peaceful these days.

Hi Cecily, Nice to see that you are out and about in blogland. See above; I was just about to hit him up for permission to lift part of his comment and in came your suggestion! And thanks for the reassurance. I actually WAS more pleased than I thought I would be this morning and I think I saved all of them from the sand down pile.

Anonymous said...

Hi Tracy

Glad you did not have to sand back those paintings after all. Isn't it odd how sometimes paintings look so much better than you remembered?

I find it happening a lot lately ... I wonder if it is high anxiety or something that makes us think what we are doing is not good enough!

The thought of buying in for the new school term takes me back ... I used to hate is so much! Its bad enough for one kid let alone several. Hope you surved Walmart wihout too much hassle.

amber said...

Sounds like your doing the same thing, I am all the money we earn goes right to clothing our kids
Your work is inspiring TracyHave fun shopping

Anonymous said...

Love your painting style ! :) Hope you didn't spend to much at Walmart, I know the feeling ! :)

Anonymous said...

yippee for us! - the images are back - not that we don't like to read your blog too ;)
i think sometimes we get so deep into the works that we need more than just 5 paces back to see it right - 5 paces and 24 hours is more like it!
steven - well said - i saw the unframed ones where the deckled-edge effect added to the sence of a glimpse... simply beautiful :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Tracy!
I love the warm soothings colours of this piece.
Hug!

Tracy Helgeson said...

Hi Lesly, I am pleased too that I managed to save the pieces. I HATE sanding the panels down. It does get pretty pricey to get supplies for everyone, I just put my handy little blinders on to that and save the receipt for deduction. I use crayons sometimes!

Hi Amber, Like our house, kids are money pits too! At least they say thanks though.

Hi Sheri, glad you like the work! Something about Walmart-everyone spends more than they plan to.

Thanks Stephanie and Angela! I am happy that you get good feelings from my paintings.

Juan José Bielsa. said...

Your paintings make me think, in some way, in the zen painting. Simplicity, only the essential. The zen employs colors in another way, perhaps, but still there is a great resemblance.
It is a very difficult quality to attain, this simplicity, with elegance and style, as you has accomplished; in many cases requires a whole life to do so.

Sorry for my English,

Juan Bielsa
www.poeticpainting.com

tlwest said...

hehe we were by our son's old high school and I was sitting there at the traffic light complaining about all the traffic before I realized that the school year had started and my son was on to college... here was all these new high school kids...dejavu

June Parrish Cookson said...

Hi Tracy,thanks so much for being the first person to post a comment to my blog. I was feeling pretty lonely out in blogworld. As I've told you before, you're a high-class artist and I always look forward to reading your blog which helps make my day a little brighter and feeling inspirational. And my hats off to the wonderful post written by Steven LaRose. Wonderful!

By the way, my links are getting there but having trouble aligning them nicely in the column. Very frustrating.

Bye for now. June Parrish Cookson

Tracy Helgeson said...

Hi Juan, thanks for dropping by and thanks so much for the kind words about my work! I will check out your website too.

Hi Terri, I bet it is strange to finally not have to do back to school. That's all quite a ways off for me:-)

Hi June, glad to be your first commenter. And am amazed that I could actually be of any technical help whatsoever. I think your links look lined up now, did you fix them? Don't worry, you'll get many more comments.

Steven LaRose said...

Cecily, Stephanie, June, and Tracy -
I blushed a little this morning while reading your comments, thanks.

Permission granted. (Can blogs act as footnotes?)

Takeyce said...

This is one of my faves! Love the colors.

Tracy Helgeson said...

Thanks, Takeyce. It is not so saturated in real life as it looks on the screen, on mine anyway.