"Still Twitching"

Obviously, as far as this blog is concerned, I have neglected the poor thing. But I will attempt to revive the experience as best I can. Like the egg, or the seed in winter, although it looks inert on the outside, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. When I looked at the date of my last post I had two thoughts..."I sure have neglected this.", and "I can't believe that much time has passed by so quickly." Both are accurate. I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things with the blog. A lot of interesting work has happened in the seemingly dead space between the last post and this one. I'll be sharing some of that journey as well as current endeavors.

The beginning offering is a piece entitled "Winter Scene". It's an offshoot of doing white calla lilies for almost nine months for a show called "Dreams in a Rorschach Garden" last year. One of the challenging aspects of painting the callas was interpreting the various white tones and whites influenced by reflected color and translucent back-lit elements. Shortly after the show in September, there was a call for artists for a show entitled "Winter White"and this idea immediately came to the fore. I decided to try something a bit complicated in both concept and execution and the result is a piece that surprised and intrigues me still. It was a selection in the International Society of Acrylic Painters 2012 International exhibit July 14 to August 12.

"Winter Scene", 40"x32", Acrylic on  muslin over wood panel.
www.WBEckertStudio.com

"Out of the Closet"

Self-portraits...an interesting proposition. It takes more than a bit of courage (or outright balls)to paint or draw oneself and then put it up for the perusal and assessment of the general public. I suppose that there are a lot of ways to look at the process. Is it a bit of ego, public soul searching and revelation, catharsis, masochism, or just artistic tightrope walking? I've done my modest share, but I decided to go all out and over the top with this one. At 72"x30", it's full sized. (The bone man is scrunched into a 5' 7" tile border, so he will need some chiropractic adjustment at some point.)

My opinion is that a self portrait is overtly about the artist and how he sees himself, but once hung on display becomes much more a mirror for the viewer. We tend to recognize bits of ourselves in it and our lives, and in the process may be either fascinated or repulsed by what we see. The best self-portraits that I have seen are endlessly fascinating. My own visual appreciation of them usually includes a large dose of self assessment and comparisons with the elements that I find an affinity to. Sort of like going to a party and checking out how cool or lame one's clothes are to the rest of the company. We hope that we are in the top 1%, but are often brought a bit closer to
reality in the process.

Well, we are a pretty comical species...so lofty, and often so childish.

For your perusal and contemplation..."More And Less Than I Appear". Acrylic on muslin over wood panel, 71 7/8" x 30"

"Light Lunch"

It's been quite a while since my last post. Why haven't I posted? Who knows? It's certainly not because I have nothing to say...that would be a rare event for sure. However, here is my latest painting, "Light Lunch". Done for an upcoming show/fundraiser titled "Just Sweet". Since I did a self-portrait with a batch of blindfolded crows included, paintings with crows as elements has become a bleed-off from all that research. Besides, they are fascinating creatures. I'll be posting some of the work done between "Four and Twenty" and "Light Lunch" in the near future Including the self-portrait, but this will help me get back into the swing of posting. 12"x24" Acrylic on canvas

Pandora & The Pie: "I'll Chance It!"

I've always been fascinated by the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence". When I was very young I was always puzzled about what it meant and completely baffled by the line that stated (nonsensically in my mind) "When the pie was opened the birds began to sing." Right! It seemed quite logical to me even at a tender age that having been "baked in a pie" in such a crush, 24 blackbirds would come storming out of the open pastry in a mad dash for the open skies and freedom....(More like Pandora's box!) "the birds began to sing"..."Dainty dish"...indeed! More like a whirlwind. And there's no reversing the course and getting them back in the pie either.

I got to musing about the effects of cutting open the pie of creativity and the irreversible results. Not always a whirlwind to be sure, but definitely it doesn't just sit there and sing to me...well, it might sing to me, but maybe from a trapeze, the high wire, or a trampoline at the very least. I make the first cut when I set out to create a painting or other work, and when it's completed, and I put it out there to be seen by all, that second cut opens the pie and whatever ensues is out of my hands...much like the blackbirds. The piece is scrutinized if I'm lucky (to be sure, being ignored is the most ignominious fate). Sometimes it will be appreciated and enjoyed, other times it is judged and relegated to some classification niche for mental "ease of handling". Sometimes it might be taken as an instigation and bring on a whirlwind of critiques and dissections that attempt to lessen its power. Hopefully it doesn't just sit there and sing its dainty song. But...that carries the weight of the unknown.

I'm pretty sure that if I knew the final result of my attempts at painting, I would soon give up the chase out of the boredom of predictability. Equally, if I knew how the piece would be taken, what doors would open or shut in my face, what soul travelers I would have the pleasure of meeting, or even what mental cubbyhole I might find myself in the "Art World" I'd probably get tired of the exercise pretty quick. So....pass the pie and the knife please...."I'll chance it!"

For dessert, "Four & Twenty Blackbirds (When the Pie Was Opened...)" (An original painting by WB Eckert, acrylic on canvas, 30"x 25", custom frame) Please direct all inquiries to WBEckertStudio@gmail.com .

Camouflaged

This new piece has been sitting around finished for a bit, but I didn't really know it...or would that be "I really was not ready to admit it"? In that sense it was right under my nose, camouflaged. It's a bit different than most of my other pieces in that it's not a running narrative type of image. Most of my work has a story to it (if they don't have one at the inception they certainly do by the time they are finished). This one doesn't...or at least it's not very obvious to me. This one is sort of an observation without comment if you will.

It's funny how I can look for something till I am totally discouraged and give up in exasperation only to notice that it's been right there in front of me all the time. (I'm very familiar with that one.) I think it's really the same with life and everything around me. It's all made of the same basic "stuff" and exists in the same "sea of ether", (the space that's between each and every bit of "Stuff" in existence), but somehow I manage quite efficiently to sort it all out and make sure that the limits of everything are carefully delineated in my mind. There are times when I stop to realize that there really are no limits to anything... my physical body, my life force, trees, animals, my keyboard, all overlap and spill into one another. It's just very convenient to look at everything as if it's all separate in some way. After all, if I can't have a determination as to where I stop and you begin...well, that might just change my whole outlook and way of acting! No wonder that my usual way of looking at things tends to get me into a lot of trouble, while simultaneously causing a great deal of trouble for those around me!

It is a tough nut to crack since I've all spent most of my life buying into the concept of individuality and separateness. At times and with a bit of effort, it is possible to see past the camouflage I've carefully constructed...if for no other reason than to occasionally scare the selfishness out of myself...and see the marvelous continuity and interplay that I am a part of and is in turn an integral part of myself.

So having finally admitted it done...I offer "A Carefully Camouflaged Whole". (An original painting by WB Eckert (Acrylic on canvas, 24"x 24" [...with a custom frame, not shown, that appropriately establishes it's limits]).

The Warp and the Weft

This is a pretty hectic time for me, even stressful. I've been doing quite a bit of painting, but there is all the attendant "grunt" work, and I, of course being who I am, resist that tooth and nail. So, actually getting down to it has been quite a task. A number of shows are coming up, so there are painting in the works and on the drawing pad, printing of photographic prints, framing, and the paperwork, artist statements to slog through and etc., etc. But, as I said I am painting, and this is a good thing.

The piece on this post is the latest finished piece and there are three on the line in various stages of progress. I usually have a title early on, but this one resisted the usual. Possibly because it's the first of a series that I have in mind and it's too early to tell. That being said, as I sat down to do up this post, a title quickly came to mind... "Warp and Weft".

I'm always amused at all the thoughts that fly through my head while I'm working on a piece. Some are high flown while others trudge along the surface. This one brought musings of Hemingway's idea of "grace under pressure", and the idea that to get through life is one thing, but to flow through it gracefully with all it's weavings and bobbings around obstacles and distractions is quite a goal to be sought after.

It seems that this is the warp and weft of life....the forward motion through all the events and issues that are part and parcel of the journey (99% of which we definitely have no say in) without it you can't have the whole cloth, or even any cloth. Honestly, I think that I'm a very late bloomer at this quest, but as they say, better late than never, and the discovery of something that's been in front of my nose for such a long time is humbling and exciting at the same time....So...forward and onward into the breach...or through the warp!

"Warp and Weft" the series, number 1 (Original acrylic on canvas 15 x 30")

The Early Bird?

Another study. This was a nice surprise. I was working on another piece and was pretty burnt out. I had been painting for most of the day and it was getting difficult to see the subtle color variations that I was looking for in the piece. I wasn't ready to quit painting for the day so I did a quick sketch, picked up a small 9x12" canvas and thought I would explore some color ideas for another painting that is coming up. It was a good call, the small piece worked a nice turn and surprised me. When I showed it to my wife, she agreed and suggested that if I had another canvas that size I should do more of the scene. This is the result.

I suppose I can take a lesson from this for those times when I quit before I'm really ready to and think that I have nothing left. There is usually something left, but I'll never know unless I keep going that extra bit. Good advice to myself...maybe I'll remember to try it a bit more often.

"Morning Patrol" (Original painting by WB Eckert, acrylic on 2 canvases, 9x12" each.)

Study, Study, Study...

I nearly forgot how enjoyable and instructive it is to do quick studies...or maybe that's instructive...then enjoyable. I've gotten so busy with my larger paintings that I really neglected to make time to do these quick studies. Even though I might have "deadlines" for the larger, finished works, they still offer more latitude as far as time spent on a particular subject. For these small studies I generally only allow myself an hour to execute it from start to finish and on occasion an additional half hour.

The biggest difference for me is that I have to anesthetize my obsessiveness in how I execute the painting. Like drawing straight off with pen and ink, placement and all other decisions have to be made on the run, so to speak, and the clock is ticking. I often find that by depriving myself of the luxury of pondering a decision, I generally make the right (or at least suitable)placement of the pen or brush, stroke or color. The exercise tend to be an affirmation of the skills that I have developed but don't trust enough, sort of a tested in combat approach. I generally come away with both a more appreciative attitude towards my actual skills and a healthy dose of humility as to where I actually am versus where I feel I need to be. It's a very worthwhile exercise.

What I do find humorous about these exercises are my mental states during the process. They correspond to the states that I go through with larger finished paintings but the time span is greatly compressed. I first (in this case) put the live set-up together and light it...squeeze out the colors I've decided on the palette, choose my brush(s), mentally frame the setup on the canvas, and put the first brush marks on the canvas...and then look at the clock and panic, wondering what in the world I was thinking when I chose this particular subject matter and assuring myself that I will now be seriously reminded as to the foolishness of this endeavor. Then I go to work like a madman, alternately making decisions and decrying the reality that the minutes are ticking away at an unnatural rate and that there is not nearly enough time to complete the process, let alone do a decent job. Then the allotted time invariably ends and the piece is finished. Sometimes I'm amazed, sometime dismayed, but always satisfied with the exercise. If I'm dismayed I "vainly" plan out how it will go next time as I assess my folly. Of course, if I'm amazed, I "vainly" go look for some laurels to rest on. In either case, study and practice are the order of the day.

I'm pleased with the result of the most recent hour and a half study period..."Frog and Cruet with Pomegranate", 11x14" acrylic on canvas, (Donated to the Paso Robles Art Association for a fund raiser, and now in a private collection.) More work at www.WBEckertStudio.com . Send inquiries to WBEckertStudio@gmail.com

On the Dead of Winter...

There seems to be something about the middle of winter that brings on my meditative spirit. In all likelihood it has everything to do with the feel of barren vegetation and lack of growth that exhibits itself the strongest at this time of year. Skeletons of trees and steely skies certainly set the stage for my ruminations. A sort of virtual cabin fever is part of it too. Even if you're not one of the exuberant physical types, the feeling that you can't engage in all those imagined outdoors activities (even if you wouldn't normally anyway)makes them feel all the more inaccessible with the attendant feelings of loss. (It's all in the head of course.) But don't get me wrong. I like it. In fact, I like anything that gets me to thinking deeply.

I'm amazed at how often something can be observed as holding the seeds of it's opposite. The serenity of winter's barren landscapes buzzes with the energy of life just barely concealed... waiting for the proper catalyst to launch it into full bloom. Here in California, it seems that no matter how dry and barren everything looks at certain times of the year, all it takes is a bit of rain (or even a heavy mist spell) to turn the hills a delicate green. Of course that brings all the insects out to sample the wares and...right up the food chain. Winter snow eventually melts providing the moisture to set the whole chain of events in nature on its yearly cycle. All you have to do is let your mind roll over those thoughts for a while and all sorts of events in life/nature start to take on a completely different look.

It's all too true that life doesn't revolve around me, but as the observer of all the things around me, it's sometimes difficult to step outside of that mindset. My environment and surroundings certainly affect me profoundly and take on the characters of "good" or "bad" depending on how they affect me, but in reality, they are not there for me. They, no less than me, have a life of their own. In that respect, biting winter cold, typhoon winds, earth rattling upheavals, and tsunamis are neither "good" nor "bad"...just very inconvenient for the lives and plans of us temporary residents. Like a guest at someone's house, I need to learn the to adapt myself to my host's life environment...it seems to be just good manners.

So, what did I tell you...the dead of winter brings on all sorts of mental journeys. And on that note... "Winter Meditation" (Acrylic on wood panel 8"x 8". This work is available, so if you are interested, please feel free to view more information at http://WBEckertStudio.1000Markets.com or inquire at WBEckertStudio@gmail.com)

Delusions of Grandeur

I am quite often amazed (in retrospect of course) at how often I think that I've got it all figured out. One would think that observing how often I've come to this conclusion in my life that I'd have learned my lesson...but NO! I wonder why that is? I'm sure that part of it is situational amnesia...that once deluded that I've "figured it out" I am so relieved that there is an answer that I forget about the short duration or the spotty history of "the answer".

Umberto Eco's thought on the matter, "I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth." causes me the knee jerk reaction of nodding my head with the suspicion that he may be onto something there. In any case no matter, next month I may find the answer to it all...again.

For now, some visual meditation. "The Grand Delusion" Acrylic on two 8"x 8" cradled wood panels. This work is currently on exhibit but is available, so if you are interested, please feel free to view more information at http://WBEckertStudio.1000Markets.com or inquire at WBEckertStudio@gmail.com)

The Rhythm Method

I seem to be getting getting a rhythm to my work discipline...a very good thing. It hasn't been easy, but I'm making surprising progress and it feels great. The whole process puts me in mind of all the rhythms around me that make things work...the seasons (California excepted of course), patterns of the day, cycles of plant growth everywhere, the comings and goings of all the myriad types of birds that frequent all the thickets around the house, and of course the murmurs and rants of the sea.

I truly enjoy watching the flight of pelicans up and down the beach, they have their own rhythms. They are regal and confident in their flight. They never seem to be in a hurry and appear for all purposes, "unflappable" as they coast along. They have a near perfect aplomb and are perfectly attuned to the sea...readily apparent when watching them coast along the breaking wave crests. In fact, their attitude signals the feeling that they might have invented flight and are quite assured in that respect. My kind of bird.

Celebrating the heartbeats of mother nature and the perfectly pitched attitude of the pelican ...

"Pulse" Acrylic on canvas, 36"x18". This work is available, so if you are interested, please feel free to view more information at http://WBEckertStudio.1000markets.com or inquire at WBEckertStudio@gmail.com)

Progress

Looking back while I'm moving forward is sometimes an encouraging endeavor and often a surprise as to what I discover. Time can often change my perspective about things that I once thought were cast in stone. I never throw anything away, which makes me a sitting duck at spring cleaning time...and no, you don't want to ask me about storage and inventory unless you want to see my eyes roll back in my head and my tongue loll around in my open mouth...not a pretty sight I assure you. I was looking for a canvas this size to start a painting on and i found this one with a fully realized drawing on it that I had planned to paint probably 18 years or so ago...so, I thought that i'd try to see what I could make out of it...a task made more intriguing since I hadn't done a proper dolphin painting in nearly as many years. So, this is what happened...

"Blue Progression" Acrylic on canvas, 48x24". This work is available, so if you are interested, please feel free to view more information at http://WBEckertStudio.1000markets.com or inquire at WBEckertStudio@gmail.com)

What's with the birds, man?

Ah, the birds. I like them...pick a meaning for them...beautiful, nervous, quick, elegant (and clumsy of you ever watch a pelican touch down)... wonderful shapes and colors. They set my mind to wandering when i see them...flying alone, in squadrons, in gangs diving into a rosemary thicket, tiny finches, turkey buzzards, regal and aloof hawks and boisterous and raucous scrub jays...a bird for every purpose and idea and emotion under the sun. Sometimes they are speeding shapes in the corner of my eye and sometimes huge flocks above the waves feasting on schools of "unfathoming" fishes. So, I'm doing birds in all kinds of situations...in whatever venue that seems fitting.

And here is "A Morning Flight" Acrylic on canvas, 15"x30". This painting is available, so if you are interested, please feel free to view more information at http://WBEckertStudio.1000markets.com or contact me at WBEckertStudio@gmail.com

I Told You So

Well, i did say that i was sneaking up on a showing and i did. i really dislike the phrase, "I told you so!", it usually follows some personal catastrophe that one is supposed to feel could have been averted if only the "expert" warning had been heeded...Anyway, this time it's all good. I'm showing some of my new work at a local coffee shop, seven pieces that i haven't shown before, and i was afforded an entire wall for them! Life is good. The only thing better than having a wall to hang my paintings on, is a wall to paint one on. One really great upshot of getting these items out there is that i'm tremendously inspired to get more of my backlogged ideas down on canvas and paper. This is a VERY good thing!

So, i'll be posting some of the new work, and i'll do that starting with "Interwoven"...this one meanders like my thoughts, but it's all tied together. the birds theme is very far from being exhausted...so for my first offering...(all of the following until i say "uncle" are available, so if you are interested, please feel free to view more information at http://WBEckertStudio.1000markets.com or inquire at WBEckertStudio@gmail.com).

"Interwoven" acrylic on canvas "36"x24"

Sneaking Up

Well, it has been a while. i can actually claim that i have been working, if not posting. i decided a while back the i would hold off on the posting till i had a number of pieces to post and i have (not in small amount helped by the fact that i am just a procrastinating genius of sorts). i'm slowly sneaking up on my goal.

i decided to post this one since it's already up elsewhere. i've been doing birds lately while pondering other things...these are pretty idealistic birds but they seem to fit where my head is residing these days. This is my latest. i did it as a birthday present for my wife...it had the desired effect...complete surprise and delight. i like it when that happens.

"whisperflight" acrylic on canvas, 15"x30", Private Collection)

Balancing Act

more peppers...

although these seem to be leaning right, they are most definitely liberal peppers! this turned into a bit of a balancing act of sorts. although i feel that the peppers lean a bit towards the abyss outside the picture frame, they seem to have achieved a precarious balance. when i was posing my spicy subjects, despite my better compositional judgment, all the positions that looked balanced seemed rather dull, so i went with this one...at the time that i finished it, i didn't think that i liked it, but viewing it the next morning proved it a hasty call.

teetering for your perusal...."Peppers On Glass" original acrylic on canvas

Things That Bump

so it's raining outside and dreary, but it doesn't bother me, in fact i wish it were raining much harder... it does put me in the mind of bright color though, probably the need to balance it all out. sameness seems to demand contrast, even of the violent sort, while raucous turmoil and intense and unrelenting contrast beckons some sort of soothing consistency...sometimes things that bump in the night are needed and even welcome, even in the day.

i'm not sure where this came from, i can see roots in "starry night", but it did offer a refreshing contrast to the rainy day outside...in stark contrast to my obsessively worked out pieces this one was free and easy...all the incredible life and movement that is going on in the night (and all around us any at time for that matter) that we are scarcely aware of...

"Night Movements" original digital print.

Spicy

i like peppers, i like how they taste, i like how they make other things taste, i like how they look. i prefer the twisty ones the most. i've noticed that many stores seem to prefer peppers that look like storybook peppers...uniform and uniformly "pepper-like". i think that i prefer the "Mapplethorpepper"...suggestive and sensually twisted...visually spicy!

what i did with three of them one afternoon...
"3 peppers" original painting, acrylic on canvas 8"x10" study on stretched cotton canvas ($125)

Where Does It Come From?

Inspiration...great stuff...but where does it come from? does everyone get it? why do some people seem to get large doses of it, while others seem to languish? why does it seem to dry up sometimes?

whatever it is, i think it's a good thing.sometimes i muse that it's a slippery item to claim as one's own. maybe we can claim that we had the good sense to act on it, but it hardly seems that we generate it at whim (which would be the only way that we could lay claim to owning it). Another thought to shake around in those quiet times.

i always wanted to try this...i'm not sure if i would want this kind of muse around all the time...rumor has it that they have large and omnivorous appetites.

"The Source" photography, various 3d applications, and Photoshop

Fated?

What is Fate, is anything "fated", do we make out own Fate, are we helpless before fate, in fate we trust? if there is such a thing, from what does it emanate?...some things to ponder over a reassuring glass of something stronger than ginger ale.

One of my latest paintings "fortuna ex machina"...41.5x33", acrylic on canvas.