Nobody Had Told Me There'd Be Days Like These / December 17, 2022 by Tim Lane

I think the sadness of the early departure of an amazing artist partially stems from the notion that they had so much more to tell us—and somehow, we needed to hear it. This is no doubt part of the sadness experienced with anyone’s passing. For me, John Lennon’s death was visceral. My mother woke me up for school early to tell me the news. I was in the 8th grade. Throughout the day some of classmates made fun of my sadness, imitating the sounds of gunshots when they passed me in the halls.

Here is my Top Ten John Lennon playlist.

#JohnLennon

In Which the Artist Reveals the Difficulties of Cobalt Blue Hue & the Risks of Finishing Sprays / December 12, 2022 by Tim Lane

First, let me say that it is hard to shoot cobalt blue hue. It looks different in every light. This can be said for any color, but I have found that cobalt blue hue is especially tough. It is hard to capture a satisfying, representational photo. What I have begun doing is capturing photos with both indoor and outdoor lighting. When it comes to most of my paintings, the photos taken in overcast outdoor light are almost always more true to color than anything else. But with cobalt blue hue, the reverse is true. However, both of the photos below are very representational of the environments in which they were taken. I worked hard for that.

Second, I will let you in on a secret. When I completed Through a Rose, I was happy and satisfied with the results. I was also concerned because I had used a lot of colored pencil. After some nervous thought, I decided to finish the piece off with a matte medium spray. I had reservations about this—you just cannot be sure if the finish is going to really deepen the color of the painting in a vibrant way, or just flat out darken the painting. As it turned out, this time the technique really darkened the rose and astronaut. I was upset. I began to research whether I could work on top of the particular finish I was using. Then I let the painting set for days and tried to convince myself that it was fine. I was worried that I would make it worse if I went back in. Last night, I decided to chance it. The result has been wonderful. The vibrant colors of the rose and astronaut have been restored. The image pops the way I intended. I am relieved and overjoyed about this.

My Grandmother Was Passing #quantamstories (Double-Universe Topology) 2018 2.39.46 AM.jpg.JPG

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Through a Rose, 2022, 24"x24"

$250.00

Rose As Portal: A New Painting / December 10, 2022 by Tim Lane

I did something with this painting that I rarely do. I did studies to determine which route I wanted to take. I got to a point where the foundation and drawing were in, and then I made photocopies and worked on different ways of rendering the image. Three versions in all. Ultimately I decided on what is below. It was the third version. Then I went back to the watercolor and finished the painting.

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2022: Astronauts Angels Engines Roses Portals

A series of colorful, painterly, expressionistic paintings focused on depictions of space, astronauts, portals, angels, roses, generators, time, ideas of quantum physics, first contact and singularities.

Playlists / December 4, 2022 by Tim Lane

Give someone you love a playlist! And if you don’t have time to make one, check out one of mine, like, and share :)

Your Silent Face: The Playlist

This playlist is a companion to my 80s coming-of-age novel, Your Silent Face. Stuart Page is a protagonist obsessed with 80s New Wave and Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Divison. All of the tunes and bands in the playlist get a mention in the novel. The novel is available on Amazon.

Get The Balance Ri-i-ght plus Red Skies at Night

2022 Visual Arts Wrap / November 27, 2022 by Tim Lane

Here is a list of artists with work which I have spent the most time studying/looking at online (or through personal correspondence) in 2022. I invite you to check them out. Painting, drawing, collage, textiles, photography, ceramics, terrariums included.

Marion Fink, Scott Listfield, Francis Bacon, Erik Sall, Tina Berning, Nick Grindrod, R.andf.mo, Kevin Cummins, Richard Whadcock, Amélie Bertrand, christine.cyq, Suzy Potaznik, Diazeeart, Travis Bruce Black, Molly Black, Ana Holguin, Wade MacDonald, Ben Duke, Andrew Rieder, Teresa Petersen, Iris Lamour, Je Oráiste, Karla Forrest-Hewitt.

Exhibitions that wowed me:

Being Human: Contemporary Art from the Rubell Museum

May 14-August 28 at the Flint Institute of Art

101 Artists from the Fred Danziger Collection and Ojichaagwan Vessels

September 23-October 29 at Buckham Gallery, Flint

*Special thanks for feedback and art consultation: Travis Black, Molly Black, Kellie Pickard and Marsha Bristor.

Image: View of Travis Bruce Black’s studio with samples of his amazing work.

Photo by Kevin Cummins from his book, JOY DIVISION: JUVENES.

Marion Fink, Night Sky Dreamer, 2022. Visit marionfink.com.

Wade F. MacDonald, Dueling Vases Mk. 2, 2022.

Auto Response from Image of AutoWorld / November 26, 2022 by Tim Lane

I received this postcard in the mail today from former schoolmate and author, Gordan Young, who lives in San Francisco. Gordie grew up in one of the Flint Civic Park neighborhoods. He wrote a memoir—Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City. Recommended! I have a signed copy. This postcard was printed in 1988 by the Greater Flint Arts Council. The photographer: Kenneth A. Hannon. The image is an iconic, loaded one for any Flint or former Flint resident who is over forty-five years old, and there are no doubt younger well-informed Flintstones who would recognize it. As I turned the postcard over in my hands, I winced and chuckled, chuckled and winced. In true young East Side fashion, I never paid to get into that place, but I did climb on top of it with my buddy, Rob, and, what else, we drank some beers. Great shot, Kenneth; great shot to the gut, Gordie! But we’re still standing, aren’t we.

Go buy Gordie’s book!

Through a Rose, a New Painting / November 26, 2022 by Tim Lane

It has been a while, but I have been working out a slightly new idea. A new image, anyway. And I have been looking at artwork. I really like some of Scott Listfield’s work in terms of the vibe and themes he is tapping into. I really like @diazeeart’s vision, as well. While Listfield’s is dystopian and Hopper-esque, Diazee’s is futuristic, organic and imaginary. I have also been dwelling on Francis Bacon, and stills from 2001: a Space Odyssey , which is one of my favorite films. Finally, while I was working on this piece, I was listening to Jóhan Jóhannsson’s release, Orphée, from 2016.

Through a Rose, 2022, 24"x24"

$250.00

These Are Some of My Favorite Things / November 18, 2022 by Tim Lane

I think every artist has favorites of their own work? Here are some of mine from over the years, starting from old to new. I look back at some of my earliest work and realize that there were some pieces that still excite my brain. Next post, some of my fav images I have seen this year from other artists.

#contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #art