Water and Stone: Additional Thoughts

Water and Stone is a continuing Series for me. I am going to be publishing more of these works into my gallery as we move forward. I have found that this blog is an ongoing and evolutionary work that seems to give me no rest! But, isn't the way of art to constantly create and engage both the artist and the audience? I find that with this blog I am constantly challenging myself to develop it more so there is more to share with people and have it create more of a dialogue for when viewers come to visit. I have been pleased with its progress this summer. 

One of the things that fascinates me with this series is the idea of the simultaneous coexistence of opposites. Marion Epting, my professor in college and a very accomplished printmaker, pointed me in this direction about 20 years ago and I do not tire of the possibilities of exploring art through this perspective. If you think about it, water and stone are opposites. Water is flowing and moving constantly. It can separate and reunite in form, or take its own course. Stone is an immovable object that takes centuries, if not more, to wear down. We look at stone monuments, both natural and human-made, and often stand in awe of what we see. We are dwarfed by the Grand Canyon and Mt. Rushmore, as well as the cliffs that rise above the ocean. Yet when we look at water, we often think more about how peaceful and inviting it is for us. 

The image above is one of water flowing over a fountain in Jack London Square in Oakland, CA. Notice how it separates into droplets and sprinkles over the surface of the water that pools at the bottom. The versatility of the form of water is fascinating. I particularly like the contrast it has, in form and color, with the fountain that it is flowing over. 

While these photos were not necessarily taken these year during the year of the drought, it seems to force us to contemplate not only the beauty of water, but its importance in light of its scarcity in the time of drought here in California. For more photos of my Water and Stone Series, go to my gallery listed at the top with the other pages of this blog.

If you want to get any art, email me at brownartworks@gmail.com or leave me a message here and I will get back to you. For August 2014, if someone buys art, they can inquire about the possibilities of free matting for any piece bought this month.

Thanks for visiting and reading!

Jesse

New Art for Esther Brown

This is an example of Esther's new work. It will be added to her gallery soon. I am excited about all the new work that is being produced by all of us in the family. Our shows will be exciting to share with all our friends and people who come to see them. Official invitations will be going out soon for the shows, so please be sure to watch here for that. Although, I will be contacting many people personally in some form to make sure they are aware. :-) 

This particular piece is 7"x10", in color pens, and there is no title. Obviously it was completed in 2014 since it is just a new work for her. 

One of the fascinating things I find with these particular pens my mother has been using is how they can look so much like paint sometimes. We often talked about this concept in school, how drawing and painting often crossed over into the other. You can have a painterly style in drawing and also have paintings look like drawings. I think these are more defined by the actions of the artist than the materials. If you think about it, you can draw with any type of tool that makes a line. At the same time, you can paint an image on a variety of surfaces with any number of drawing tools if you use the right motion and technique. Where do they stop and begin? I do not think there are such clear-cut barriers between the disciplines as we might think. 

If anyone is interested in this piece, just leave me a message or email me at brownartworks@gmail.com - I can arrange for it to be prepared and shipped. We just sold one of her other new ones that was just posted to her gallery. We really appreciate all the support we have been receiving and we will make sure to do whatever we can to answer any questions or get you what you are interested in. 

As an additional note, I will be making hand-made frames soon. If anyone is interested in that, let me know. I already do matting for all of the work that is on paper. One of the reasons I do this is because it costs so much as an artist to get these done by other people. In my opinion, the entire industry of framing and matting really over charges us. It is easy to do this for a fraction of the cost of what is normally a "standard price." If you do want anything from me, in terms of art, I always ask if you are interested in having me frame it. If you live internationally, I only do matting normally because of the problems with shipping something so fragile as a frame overseas. We do have work going overseas, though. So, if you do live in another country, do not be afraid to ask us to get something just because you live outside the US. Email me and we will talk. 

Have a great day!!
#artforeveryone
#brownartworks