Maud Lewis

I spent last weekend adventuring around Nova Scotia with my aunt Kara. When we were in Halifax the weather turned a little and it got very damp out, so we decided to wait it out in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.  This is when I discovered the work of Maud Lewis. Her hands were badly disfigured by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but that didn’t stop her from painting. 

 

She and her loving fish peddling husband, Everett lived in a smaller than small cottage in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia from 1938 until her death in 1970. She painted Christmas cards, shutters, plates, quilts, anything she could get her hands on. Everett would go door to door trying to sell the little paintings. 

 

Maud and Everett lived their lives in poverty, but Maud being a compulsive artist, Everett made sure she always had beaverboard and oil paints. You can see her devotion to him in her work; there are always two deer, two oxen, or a man and a woman. Her work is minimal, painted directly from the tube. I was struck by the character and whimsy of her work. I was an instant fan, and quite inspired.  

Absolutely love this one!!!

instinct vs. intellect

I have come to the opinion that a certain amount of forgetfulness comes from living in the moment.  I have a friend who can sometimes come across a bit of a flake.  She’s responsible, intelligent, thoughtful, and has a great sense of time, but it sometimes seems like her memory is on the fritz or she didn’t listen or something. That’s not the case. This woman has an amazing capacity to live in the moment. I can’t help but conclude that one has to do with the other. 

I, myself, usually have a remarkable ability to remember things.  I’m constantly analyzing, processing, speculating, accessing, and making cognizant observations. On the other hand, sometimes I’ll find a piece of writing or a sketch and I know that I did it, but have absolutely no memory of it whatsoever. This video piece, for instance... I was looking for a different video file and came across it. I do know that the footage is from Ireland last July and Rye Beach (NH) last year’s Labor Day. Taking the date of the file into consideration I assume this is what I cut together to test which editing software to get.  I honestly, have no memory of editing the piece together. I can tell I did though; it has some of my trademarks… looking down at my feet, light and shadow, and play with frame speed.

It’s not the greatest or most cohesive thing in the world, but I can see what I was trying to do. These little moments of forgetfulness are precious.  I get to see myself slightly, from the outside.

I’ve always thought I took an intellectual approach to art, but I feel inclined to alter this thesis. Intent appears to be the extent of acuminous labor in my process.  I could never discuss my method of how I get from onset to conclusion.  I have a notion of my technique; it’s a point of view thing. I however have no idea how to define my approach. The paint makes it onto the canvas in no particular manner (outside of with a brush).  This is a liberating understanding.  

Slicing the Blueberry

I know it shouldn't have been a surprise to realize; my process for assembling a finished video piece is akin to my process for painting. It's all rhythm and instinct. For these little lyrical pieces I've been contriving it all starts with finding the right song to accompany it. It's like mixing paints and building the pallet. Then I start piling images onto the timeline and finesse everything until it feels right.

Cozette and I went blueberry picking a couple days ago. I only captures 8 minutes of footage, which is not much, but I enjoyed playing around with it. I constructed a fistful of little pieces, each one very different from the next even though the same footage was used. I adore that about images; that they can change based on the atmosphere surrounding them. Each one also captured the energy and mood I had at the time, like any painting would.

I cut this first one on Saturday when I got home from picking the blueberries. I had gone to three yoga classes within a 24 hour period and had just spent and hour basking in the sun picking my own fruit while conversing with a dear friend. My energy was strong and a little nostalgic. This is the result....

This second one I did the following day, on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I had met a friend for crepes, walked home in again beautiful weather feeling the tiredness of my body from those three yoga classes. My energy was still very good, but much calmer. This is the result....

Mystic Bub

I went on a little adventure with my brother this weekend. I wanted to start the month off right in regards to creative productivity so I brought along my little Flip camera. I spent a few hours editing the footage together this afternoon and this is what happened.....

Outside of being an editing exercise it's a video postcard that my brother and I will look back to fondly some day. I really enjoy assembling these little video postcards and hope to be posting many more in the future...