Blue Clamp, egg tempera on calfskin parchment, 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.A bright greenish blue in the midst of a sea of red; volumetric lines straight or curved; diagonals of light. The blue, actually mixed as a tint of phthalo green, startles in its insistent intensity, and is itself centered with red. I think/hope the richness of the dark reds are a balance in shadow to the light carried in the blue. Like with my last painting, Black Hoses, the issue of a title came to mind, with a brief thought of Blue Center, but no, I like the hard "p" of clamp; it repeats in sound the physical feeling of holding, pressing, clamping down.
This seems like a new palette for you Altoon. That pthalo green added to the blue is something that works together to create an insistency that is consistent with a clamp--and how about that "p" at the end of the word? The color, the form, and the title of this piece all work together to convey the sensation of 'holding together'.
ReplyDeletethanks so much, Hannah.
ReplyDeleteI find the blue of the "clamp" to be wonderful. Especially how it focuses the eye and gives me a place to rest. It is funny though because the color is so vibrant that resting doesn't really occur. I like that. I love industrial names like clamp and pincer. Mechanical and yet you get what they do right away. I also love the size of these works. The small format makes them unexpected and very intimate!!
ReplyDeletethank you, Mary, for your comment. You are right about the bounce of that blue; it's a very intense color so doesn't really want to sit still. I have enjoyed working small and having that very intimate relationship with the painting, which the viewer is also invited to share. It's also a "pay attention" invitation.
ReplyDeletethe blue clamp is also an eye looking out - perhaps there's a video camera behind it, perhaps this is a work of covert surveillance... nothing quiet and calm about this one!
ReplyDeleterappel, I'm happy you see nothing quiet here. As for the "eye", that blue form sure has an animated nature, like some of the bolts in other of my paintings.
ReplyDeleteThe clamp divides space for us: everything centered in a circle, four directions. Outside that, it's less predictable. I also love the contrast between floating blue and depth of reds. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSusan, thanks for the comment. I also liked the four directions aspect of the clamp, its order, which as you write, becomes unruly outside of it.
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