I'm drawn to certain new images in my artwork. Lately, the moon (during the day), zen stone piles (I forget what they are called), stones and pebbles and houses built of stone and rock like the ones I saw in Italy and these, called il Trullo.
I wrote some more about this piece over on the Sketchbook Challenge.
I mentioned this at a recent artists meeting and one of the women suggested I look closer at those images. Why are they of interest? Hmmm... this feels risky to me. If I look to closely and begin to analyze the "why" I may put it in a box. It won't evolve organically because it may have been too hastily labelled. But, on the other hand, if I do some thinking and writing on it, perhaps my work will move forward in a larger way.
It is sometimes very good to question your process. To stop and, at least, think about how you do what you do and why you do it that way. I will just keep working at my usual pace and ideas will appear and then, I'll see. This will be in the back of my mind.
Are you an analyzer or more organic in your approach?
You can read some more about what I'm calling Intuitive Pathways or Intuitive Art Journaling over on the Sketchbook Challenge, here.
I love rock stacks. A friend does these in his garden, he said he learned about it while traveling in Asia. I looked it up online and have been fascinated ever since. Some artists devote themselves to this. They are cairns, here's a link for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairn
Posted by: Laura Lea | 06/15/2011 at 09:42 AM
I am definitely more organic in my work. I just go with what I'm feeling and then overanalyze later! I am very interested in why artists use certain images in their artwork. Any art therapists out there?
Posted by: Lisa {milkshake} | 06/15/2011 at 11:23 AM
in the UK we call the stone piles cairns - they signify a holy place...
and definitely an organic pathway - i start with an idea/plan but something else always appears on the page...
Posted by: Claire | 06/15/2011 at 12:57 PM
It is an interesting question. I like to let it go until answers begin to occur to me. What is best ... letting the viewer tell me what it is about for them
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/15/2011 at 01:07 PM
Yes, thank you for cairns. Isnt that funny the way something appears... the force is with us ;)
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/15/2011 at 01:09 PM
Thank you Laura Lea! Ive always been drawn to them as well. That balanced pile
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/15/2011 at 01:10 PM
Anonymous bunches of them appear periodically the beach in Cardiff, here in So Cal. I love cairns!
Posted by: jane lafazio | 06/15/2011 at 03:03 PM
Oh my, yes that it a benefit! I had been thinking of the zen stone piles like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/chantalk/sets/72157623768990587/comments/#comment72157626845663079
But the cairns are amazing
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/15/2011 at 03:54 PM
Very interesting painting. As for my approach - OVERLY ANALYTICAL so I will be signing up for that class you mentioned on the Sketchbook Challenge sight!
I like the black "grout" between the stones! It reminds me of the cement my Dad mixed to build his walls. hmm- what is grout really??
As for stone piles the Bible in the OT talks about setting up stones as reminders of what God has done in your life! I love that and have a stone (represents multiple things) on my desk for just that reason. Ok so at the moment it is lost in an abyss of papers, markers and paints-:)
Posted by: Susan | 06/15/2011 at 05:34 PM
Ah ha! An analyzer, and just what is overly analytical? When does it go over the top? Hmmm ...
! I love what you saw in that painting, Susan. This is the best for me ... to let others see things.
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/15/2011 at 06:01 PM
It goes over the top when you are afraid to glue something down, not put the paint on the paper, think if I switch brands of supplies it will look better and at work hit the submit button! It is like not seeing...I don't think like you do. I am not intuitive when it comes to my own work here or at work = actually on the Myers Briggs Personality test I did not get an I for intuitive - I got an S for sensory - see I just got overly analytical!
Posted by: Susan | 06/15/2011 at 06:18 PM
Amazing questions! You just helped so much! I have been stumped scrapbooking our London trip. I have most of the pictures just in 4x6 slots but wanted to make some special pages and I have been struggling with staying chronological or by place. Who said I had to do that? The regular photo album is that way fine but I can do anything I want on my pages!! See too structured! Thanks!
Posted by: Susan | 06/15/2011 at 06:27 PM
Ah yes ... I think we all have that issue, Susan. We dont even know what rules are in our heads until you suddenly say Wait a minute! Why does it have to be in order. I really believe despite, the Bristol-whatever test, that we ARE ALL intuitive. But it gets crusted over with self doubt. I will be writing more about this, in fact a post is in the works now and will come in the next few days.
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/15/2011 at 07:36 PM
I can't wait for more details on the next art journaling class! Are you still thinking about the Rescue Journal online, too?
Posted by: Mary Dean | 06/15/2011 at 08:06 PM
Mary Dean! How nice to see a comment from you. How are you and did you move? ... Im still doing a bit of mulling, probably will do Rescue Journals in the fall, though
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/15/2011 at 09:00 PM
I have taken a lot of pictures of rocks....rock walls, rocks in a shallow river, rock altars, and just single rocks. I have digitally changed a lot of them in Photoshop, pushing the color saturation. Now I will give some real thought to why I love rocks! I haven't painted rocks very often, but I think I will now!
Thank you for a thought-provoking post.
Posted by: Jacque Chinnery | 06/15/2011 at 09:24 PM
Hi Jacque, Thanks for your comment. I was just in MO visiting my daughter! Do you have pictures anywhere online of the rocks? If so, please share! I'd love to see them. I'm so happy this struck a chord with you.
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/15/2011 at 09:44 PM
Hi Diana. I just tried uploading several of my rock photos onto flickr. com, but for reasons I cannot figure out, it said none of them worked! I have other photos there, but I do not have a clue right now why those didn't go. My flickr account is under the name "jacquerose", so if you want to you can look at it. I think I saw one photo of a rock altar that I had digitally played with! In the meantime, I will see if I can get anything uploaded to flickr.
Posted by: Jacque Chinnery | 06/15/2011 at 10:21 PM
Diana, I still could not upload to flickr, but I uploaded a couple photos to picasa....you can try this link https://picasaweb.google.com/jacquechinnery/Jun152011?authkey=Gv1sRgCK6FuJKck_C-3wE#5618643342456916706
Posted by: Jacque Chinnery | 06/15/2011 at 10:53 PM
Oh wow, thank you Jacque! These are amazing. That one with the frog and butterfly is so funny. The color is really interesting.
Good-o. The links are here for folks to find!
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/16/2011 at 09:37 AM
I have built rock cairns in my yard. Hikers use them to mark their path. A lady here uses them to mark where the wild asparagus grows.:) The Inuit in the Artic call them Inuksuit and they are gorgeous sculptures.
http://www.arcticinuitart.com/culture/inuk.html
What amazes me is how so many diverse ancient groups all used carins to mark important things in their lives. We are all connected in some way.
Posted by: Jeannie | 06/16/2011 at 01:58 PM
Thank you for all of this information, Jeannie. I really believe we are all connected too. I have developed a little theory about it: the Dumpling Theory
Must post about that ... I will use all of this information as further proof!
Posted by: Diana Trout | 06/16/2011 at 02:09 PM