Currently      Gallery      Original Prints      Books      Bio      Contact      Home



December / January



Although my holiday greetings are a little late this year (having returned from Mexico in the middle of the Christmas rush) I'm just in time to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! – which is the main thing, perhaps, as good wishes for the new year are not just for the holidays, they're good for the entire year:
I hope that 2012 (in addition to being a 'happy year') will also be HEALTHY, CREATIVE and FULFILLING!

Given the content of this latest update, I must add a special note:
To the twenty people who purchased one of the pieces from my first edition of etchings (more on this in the next update), and to those of you who ordered my 2012 calendars, A BIG Thank You!

Realizing this twenty-three year dream would have been so much more challenging without your involvement and encouragment, and I look forward to seeing you all in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy the photo journal, and video ,
posted below (follow the links)



Orizaba Revisited
November's story about the town of Orizaba was, as you'll have gathered, a preamble to this latest update. In February 2010, Pico de Orizaba, remained elusive for almost the entire duration of my trip. When she finally did show herself, a veil of cloud remained, seductively draped across her summit; nevertheless (or, perhaps, because of this), I resolved to return. It took a year and a half to sort out the details and get in shape, but early this month, at long last, I stood breathless at the edge of Orizaba's caldera.  >>>   Photo Album









Last month I posted Painting Today, another essay in the series that began with Art in a Wal-Mart World and Is This Art? A fourth piece will be included in the next update, however, since last month's update of the "Currently" page did not contain a direct link, I'm posting the most recent piece again, here. In response to a couple of questions (after the last mailing), the image swatch at the beginning of that essay is not a Jackson Pollock, it is a detail from a painting created in late 2004, an almost abstract treatment of a forest scene. A larger image was not included in the November update, but one has since been added (at the end of that page). Painting Today begins below, and continues on the essay page. please follow the 'Continue Reading' link below.





2011 UPDATES
Selected links

  Orizaba revisitedPhoto gallery and story
November
September
July
June
May
April
  Pico de Orizaba - Painting Today Story, photographs and essay
To the Moon: GRAIL/ Delta II launchPictures and video
Art in a Wal-Mart World - Is This Art? Essays
Trickster Gallery Stories and photographs
The speed of Gods: Endeavour's final missionPhoto Gallery
My own collection
Stories and photographs

   






Painting Today
Since the essay posted with my September update appeared in Surfacing Magazine, I've had a number of comments - mostly, not surprisingly, from painters. At a recent studio tour (at which I was a viewer, not a participant), I was greeted with, "I saw your article. Surely, painting isn't dead?"

Now, I didn't actually use those words. Even Philip Ball, whom I quoted, only suggested a bias that makes it difficult for painters to achieve good marks in school – and, by extension, recognition in the world of high art.

As it happens, the phrase "painting is dead" can be attributed to Alexander Rodchenko, Russian propagandist and Constructivist artist – while in the pay of Joseph Stalin, I might add. It is interesting that the art establishment of the 'free' west, though not so bluntly, has largely regarded painting as, if not dead, redundant. "Outmoded," as Ball put it.

Naturally, every painter in Canada hopes to have a piece of theirs acquired by the National Gallery or the AGO. Just being a painter did not (and does not) automatically preclude this, although, if one is a representational painter or, heaven forbid, a realist, the chances of this happening where quite remote. There have always been exceptions to the rule of course, as installations tend to leave wall space free and performances (unless canvases on the wall are replaced with television screens) provide nothing at all to see when the performance is not actually in progress. In the contemporary world, anything that hinted at tradition would, almost certainly, have been passed over. Happily, in 2008, this trend began to reverse. >>>  Continue Reading




THE JOURNEY AND THE PAINTER'S MUSE
For orders, more details, and a list of works to be included, please see:  Information – Inquires

The Journey and the painter's Muse has, over the past few months, evolved into a much larger
project, further details will be available soon.   Thank you for your continuing interest.


MAILING LIST REQUEST


 
 
© W. David Ward All rights reserved


















eXTReMe Tracker