Just a while ago I had been thinking about this painting, about 18″ by 26″ on paper, from back in 2007. It’s called Time Flows and it’s a bit of an anomaly for me, with all the stonework and waterfall. A one time only thing that pops back into my thoughts now and again.
But it is its texture rather than the subject that always sticks out for me– thickly layered and very rough with deep pits that go all the way to the paper below. It was coarser in many ways than my normal surface but it worked perfectly for this particular piece. The pits captured pigment in an interesting way, more interesting than if I had tried to paint it with a brush.
It came back to mind this morning in the aftermath of last night’s flooding that took place just a few miles north of the studio. Small streams and falls turned into raging cascades, washing out and covering many roads. Thankfully, no injuries.
Seeing the videos of the local water in motion made me think of it connected to a song from Jimi Hendrix titled May This Be Love. I always think of the song as being titled Waterfalls. Like the painting, it is definitely more placid than the swollen streams from last night.
Redtree Times 
So you’re getting rain, too. We had 5″ on Saturday, and now are watching that little critter in the Gulf. They say 5″ more is coming. We’ll see. I’m glad your area’s injury-free.
Your painting’s interesting. I suppose it’s the texture you mention, but the waterfall reminds me of collages we did in grade school art class, where we’d paint portions of our scene, but then add other elements. I saw that flowing water, and remembered glueing some sort of sparkly blue gravel (maybe aquarium stone?) on to the paper to represent water.
Only two weeks ago, I saw an old photo of a Hopi potter using the “coil” method of shaping a pot, just like we did in grade school. I certainly hope tht kids still are offered those experiences. They truly do stay with us, and begin setting the stage for deeper appreciation of art.
That’s a lot of rain. Hope you ride it out okay.
You’re right about early art experiences setting the stage for a deeper appreciation of art. There have also been a lot of studies lately showing that art education greatly enhances and expands the thought process and creativity for those going into other fields, as well. It’s a shame that so many school systems have continually reduced the role that art and music play in their curricula.
On Mon, Jun 15, 2015 at 8:08 AM, Redtree Times wrote:
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I found this recently on a post from A.Word.A.Day:
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object be what it may, — light, shade, and perspective will always make it beautiful. -John Constable, painter (11 Jun 1776-1837)
I have read this quote from Constable before. It’s a great reminder of the purpose of the artist–to add a quality of one’s own to their subject. Thanks so much for sharing, Gary.
On Tue, Jun 16, 2015 at 12:50 AM, Redtree Times wrote:
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