Sunday, February 08, 2009

Splash, shudder, shimmer



10 comments:

  1. And for me ... "West Coast wet windscreen".

    And I tried viewing it upside-down (y'know, as you do ;), and the image has an unmistakeable orientation, so er - you plainly know what you're doing with thoses brushes of yours!

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  2. Us humans attribute meaning/significance according to our personal stories, do we not, obd?!

    I've just returned from a weekend sculpture event up in Wanaka and the big drawing I'd been working on last week (not this one) had detached itself from its board and flung itself onto the studio floor. I had to laugh. 'Hmmm,' I thought, 'that's interesting - perhaps the work I'm engaged with at the 'moment' no longer wants to be 2D?' (Which makes perfect sense, somehow - recent notebooks are littered with sketches for 3D, sculptural pieces... ). I have taken this as a sign and am looking forward to a leap into 3D.

    I left a comment or two on your blog this morning, by the way - a few entries back (Perception Correction) which is why I thought I'd mention it. C

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  3. Oooooh, what shocking grammar, Claire... "US' humans? Groan. Of course, it's supposed to read 'We humans... !' De-dah-de-dah-de-dah!

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  4. Perhaps you should learn yourself to talk English proper like what me do! ;)

    But yes, you're right - humans have a tendency to attribute meaning / significance in accordance with personal experience. daleks don't though, mainly because as experience accumulates, so do the contradictions - singular interpretations just become untenable.

    Your observations about the aspirations of 2D drawings made me think of those 3D images popular about one hundred years ago. The French had a special name for them, though my braincell seems to have mislaid it down the back of the sofa somewhere ... "trompe something-or-other" (?)

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  5. I could dive into that painting and be very happy Claire!! :) Beautiful.

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  6. Hi Kay - I'll be sending you an email soon... really enjoyed your Creative Holidays post! Loved hearing your quiet roar! X

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  7. Trompe l'oeil, obd!

    re; your comment on daleks, humans and contradictions... more and more, I think in terms of paradox rather than contradiction. For me, contradiction implies a degree of separation or negation, whereas paradox seems more accommodating in that it allows for creative tension between 'apparent' opposites. Contradictions imply the linear, I think: paradox, the circular.

    I agree that as experience accumulates, so our response to things changes. Things (whether they be ideologies, ideals, paradigms, our 'coat hangers' etc... ) become increasingly difficult to define as we go along, let alone pin down! You are tackling this all bravely! But ah, the joys - and challenges - of walking what is in many ways, a largely mysterious and unknowable labyrinth?

    Thanks for replying to my recent questions on your blog. I'm in a bit of a pre-travel flurry at the moment (am going to the States next week), but will respond in time. Take care - C

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  8. Ah yes, Trompe l'oeil! I'm not surprised now that I'd forgotten, it's a pretty odd word for an English-speaker to try and remember!

    Anyway, I just image-Googled it and found some facades of buildings that had been painted using a distorted l'oeil, very very bizarre, one example.

    Your comments about contradiction vs paradox seem to me to be spot on Claire, and I will incorporate your thoughts into a forthcoming essay about the masculine and feminine poles of Mind. So Thank Q! for that.

    Anyway, here's wishing you a safe and most enjoyable trip, Bon Voyage (a French phrase I do remember!)

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  9. OBD, that kind of tromp l'oeil would have you wondering what exactly was in that breakfast cereal you ate this morning.

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  10. Yes, I imagine that building might have startled a few tourists, and I wouldn't be surprised if it had caused a few prangs over the years too!

    And your mentioning of hallucinogenic breakfasts made me think of that psychoactive substance found in certain kinds of mouldy bread, and gee, wouldn't you know it - I've forgotten the special term for that too! I thought it was "St. Elmo's Fire", but apparently not.

    So in light of that, I feel it's now appropiate to mark this week in my calendar as the "The Great Mislaid Terminology Disaster of 2009".

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