Below are photos, sketches and paintings that I prepared for our zoom class called The Value of Design taught by Michael Orwick offered through the Oregon Society of Artists.
Note: First week of morning class beginning 6 January, 2020, a day in American History never to be forgotten.
This first week is focused on design, primarily using photography, thumb sketches and Notans. Below are four perspectives on future paintings that I propose to work on for this course using these techniques.
Perspective 1: “The Bridge”
Biking on the Steel Bridge of Portland looking winter north up the Willamette River, soft pink and blue pastels interrupted by soft grey circular shape of the bridge. Heavy machinery, bridges and equipment come with the natural territory of major rivers around here. I am wondering how many buildings, ships and types of equipment to include, and what their purpose might be. Reflective colors bounce across the water leaving impressions of shifting currents as light streams past. The shadows and reflections on the water are deep from the big boats and buildings.
Perspective II: “Unity”
Children play a game in Mumbai, India, on a busy street. Their feet touch, defining their play area. The sidewalk patterns mimic the shape of children’s feet and legs, demonstrating land ownership and unity.
Street pattern mimics the design created by the boys’ touching feet, emphasizing their coalition.
Perspective III “Outward”
Hills present through the trees, with their soft, undulating blues. Dark evergreens make calligraphy painted with a big black brush, light piercing through the big H defining intimacy of location. It is a hiker’s perspective.
Perspective IV “Upwards”
This photo taken in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2003 during a UN mission, census planning.
Settlements build up the hills as families relocate out of the rubble from heavily war-torn areas below. Homes in old area made from locally produced brick, mud and cement, walls remembering a more traditional construction. Homes above, cemented on to the hills, many without electricity or septic systems. Some sudden bursts of color on home exteriors, blue pastels.
There is a woman in traditional blue burkah, children walking alongside her, others communing on the street encircled by trees and mud puddles on major dirt road.
Hill homes simulate rock rubble, seeming like natural landscape, but not quite. Homes and land are a soft, brown, natural tone, a common overlay of communities, past and present.
My favorite notan of this perspective:
Other Thoughts on Perspectives for this Class
There are a couple other photos of our island home providing ideas for possible paintings and here they are, along with the Notans thus far completed using ink and brush on paper.
End of first week of class.
marysgardens 