Wrapping up two weeks of vacation, varnishing and thinking about wabi-sabi...

I spent some time last week visiting art galleries in the Eastern Townships area... looking at other artists' works and doing some benchmarking. I still feel that something is missing in my art and 2010 may very well be the year to integrate all the knowledge that I have accumulated thus far... and go for broke!

There was ample time over the last few weeks to reflect upon my art and to define the shape of things to come. I've got close to 30 paintings to varnish (a necessity for me to protect any bare canvas showing up in the majority of my paintings!) so I guess I will think some more!

The wabi-sabi principles of Japanese aesthetic, the art of imperfection came to mind. It is the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. How can some of these principles applying to my future art? Let me try (William Preston, sumi-e painter, was an inspiration):

• The essence of the subject is expressed as opposed to its specific details
• Things are implied or left unsaid thus creating a visual poem
• There is ambiguity
• Simplicity is sought after in composition (no clutter)
  
• The work is left incomplete (bare canvas, underpainting or process may be showing)
• Paint is always applied with spontaneity allowing an instant expression of one's emotional state at that moment; with multiple layers and periods of reflection between them, the final canvas becomes a record of the artist's emotional states over time (beyond the moment)
  
• Rendition is imprecise, the largest tool is used for the job, there is risk taking
  
• The painting tool surfs over the paint, not fully controlling it, allowing it to express itself!
  
• The surface is rough and shows every paint marks (or signs of a struggle in my case!)
  

In a nutshell, I'm looking to add more character and spontaneity to my art. Time will tell if I can meet that objective.