This photograph of a magnolia was taken in Pittsburgh in 2013 and manipulated in Photoshop. I duplicated the silhouetted magnolia tree and scaled it down, then layered it so it appears there are two trees. The textural overlay is composed from a wood panel I painted gold and photographed. The image was further manipulated for color accuracy, contrast and vibrancy.
Golden Magnolia; 2013; Manipulated Digital Photography.
I love seeing art made by children…and I love finding inspiration where I least expect it. Like on a cement wall in a hidden courtyard.
There is something incredibly joyful, playful and wild in these exuberant chalk marks made by children. They appeared this week on a long cement wall outside the print studio at the Mesa Art Center. Cy Twombly’s work immediately came to mind and now my fingers are itching to draw something wild and big with total abandon. I think I might have to grab some chunky sidewalk chalk and let my inner child loose.
Mesa Wall Chalk Drawing 3085; 2014; Digital Photography by Janet Towbin
Mesa Wall Chalk Drawing 3079; 2014; Digital Photography by Janet Towbin
Mesa Wall Chalk Drawing 3070; 2014; Digital Photography by Janet Towbin
Mesa Wall Chalk Drawing 3059; 2014; Digital Photography by Janet Towbin
Mesa Wall Chalk Drawing 3089; 2014; Digital Photography by Janet Towbin
Mesa Wall Chalk Drawing 3057; 2014; Digital Photography by Janet Towbin
Mesa Wall Chalk Drawing 3050; 2014; Digital Photography by Janet Towbin
Every time I go to Mesa to work in the print studio I find something totally inspiring and/or exciting to photograph. I generally find things in the print studio (inks, paint splotches, palettes) or on the Mesa Art Center campus (astounding contemporary architecture and desert plants). I manage to take a gazillion photos every time I go there.
Yesterday was a banner day both photographically and inspirationally speaking. I found some Twombly-like children’s chalk drawings on a cement wall (I’ll post some images soon, I promise!) and a yarn store with an amazing button collection—but what truly made my day was a mural like none I have ever seen.
This mural in downtown Mesa is better than a lot of the ones I’ve seen in Philadelphia, home of more murals than any other city, I think. Painted on a large stucco building and surrounded by parking lots on two sides, it can be found smack dab in the middle of the business district at 220 W. Main Street. The mural literally made me stop in my tracks—I had to pick my jaw up off the ground while I simultaneously reached for my camera.
Melting Point was painted in 2012 by R.E Wall and Margaret Dewar. Their company is named Mural Mice which is based in Prescott, AZ. Melting Point is trompe l’oeil at it’s finest. The building appears to be melting, wobbling and oozing into a puddle as you look at it. The title has layers of meaning and refers not only to the way the building seems to be made of liquid goo, but also because it was painted in the hottest months of summer.
I can’t believe there hasn’t been more publicity in Phoenix about this mural. It is truly a masterpiece of mural art. Check out the Mural Mice website which has a lot of information about the Melting Point, wide angle shots of the building and other work they have done. I am now a HUGE fan of Mural Mice. In fact, I have a wall…
Melting Point; M.E. Wall and Margaret Dewar; 2012
Melting Point; M.E. Wall and Margaret Dewar; 2012
Melting Point; M.E. Wall and Margaret Dewar; 2012
My all-time favorite quote about drawing is from New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz. The quote below first appeared in a column he wrote in May, 2000 about the James Castle exhibit at The Drawing Room. Written almost 14 years ago when Saltz was art critic for the Village Voice, it still resonates with me today. By the way, if you are interested, the full article (called Home Alone) appears in a compendium of Saltz’s Village Voice art columns in the book Seeing Out Loud. I highly recommend it. (One of these days I’ll tell you about meeting Jerry Saltz and having him critique my work.)
“Drawing is one of the roots of art. It’s a way of seeing and thinking, a way of seeing yourself think. An intimate art about cosmic things, and a cosmic art about intimate things, it happens mostly–but not always–sensually, physically from the fingertips. The nerve endings of the hand listen to the musings of the imagination, which marvels at the movements of the hand. The artist’s face is often very near the drawing. In ways it’s very primitive, very primary, a kind of universal language. Drawing makes old thought new and new thought accessible. Without it—in whatever form it takes—there might be no art.”
Jerry Saltz; Village Voice, April 26-May 2, 2000
Meditations on a Black Stone (detail); Graphite on Paper; 22″ x 30″; 2013
More images from this series of drawings are now posted on my website in the Portfolio section.
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