Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Wayward Angel


I've got a love/hate (or at least like/dislike) relationship with my latest painting. Bennie named it "Wayward Angel," since I was at a loss. He said that's what popped into his head when I said, "What can I call it?" and I guess that describes my own feelings towards it. The sunniness of it appeals, but that predominant form just left of center feels weird to me. I kinda like it, but there's an awkwardness that embarrasses me. I remember a term of my mother's that seems to apply: "engagingly ugly." It's like when I was younger and had a crush on some guy who I knew was all wrong.

Bennie says it reminds him of a bison walking away. Why, I ask, did he not call it "Wayward Bison"?? My wayward one has been hanging in the gallery a couple of days and is getting something of a positive response. One woman said, "That one does it for me." She just didn't say exactly what it did and she didn't proffer a credit card either.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Windward Garden?" "Sun Bridge?" Remember, San, if you don't like it, you can change it. You're the artist.

p said...

hi sans, thanks for the comments on my blog. decided to visit the west and check you out :)

I love the name wayward bison...I looked at this and if I rotate it right in my mind (twist my head severely left) it looks like a landscape w/ primative architecture. Love love love the colors!

Lee said...

Well, I like it, San. Strawberries and Adirondacks in a summer garden on maybe the hottest day of the year is what I see. But I'm wondering if your colors echo your trip to the ranch.

Peace!

Oh, and the kids tend to ignore their nose unless they are passing the dumpster or hugging you.

Lee said...

San, I keep wanting to say extra stuff that I don't want to put on the blogs. I'm a person of long detailed statements and I try to shorten them online for public reading. Would you like to talk by email? If you say yes I'll drop you a line through the your gallery's email addy. :)

Peace, Hope & Joy!

Loved your poetry on Murat's page. Awesome, really rich imagery! I could easily see that one in print. For some reason it makes me think of some of Charles deLint's stuff although he does stories and not poems as far as I know. There just seems to be a tie in in style somehow. Do you read him? or Windling's stuff? They both do fantasy of spirits, some set in NM.
(Link to Windling's myspace page http://www.myspace.com/twindling)

Anonymous said...

A garden. Roses or strawberries, an architectural item, perhaps an arbor and a chair waiting someone to sit and enjoy a warm summer embrace.

San said...

b2,

I've decided to leave as-is for now, but I do reserve the right to alter it as I please. Heck, I can run a bicycle over it or throw it into the Rio Grande or divvy it up like a sheet cake. We'll see...for now, I'm strangely attached to it.

San said...

STA,

Thanks for going west. I do like your vision of primitive architecture. That's pretty cool. I am glad, however, that your twisting your head severely left is purely mental. I wouldn't want you--or anyone--to get whiplash from viewing my paintings. So glad you love the colors--thank you! Drop in again...

San said...

Lee, what lovely feelings your words conjure--thank you.

Thanks too for reading my experiment at Murat's. Since I was trying so hard to use his 5 assigned words, I felt it was pretty clunky, but I'm glad you found the imagery appealing.

Of course I would love for you to email me at the gallery. And I will check out the two writers you mentioned...

San said...

Chewy, what a sensual description! Thank you for dropping by. I am glad I discovered your blog too.

Anonymous said...

Everytime I look at it, it makes me think of 1. sun and 2. gardens. And since the "awkward" (your words, not mine) resembles a throne, I arrive at the Sun God's Secret Garden, Apollo's Secret Garden, in the Garden of the Gods, etc.

Daphne Enns said...

Hi San.

It looks like oxidized copper (the buffalo, I mean).

It's lovely and the composition is interesting but I don't think that it's problematic.

Celebration of Life said...

When I first saw it, it reminded me of your blog picture "Life with a View". It is a very pleasant picture to look at because of your color pallet. Perhaps it is a Life with a view at sunset?

Flannery said...

"Wayward Bison." I like that. It reminds me of a good Western (the title that is). Well done westerns are always pleasing.

Oh, but I do like this piece and I love the title. I love the shapes and the lonesomeness it evokes. It's not sad, but a little lonesome. Perhaps private is a better word. Whatever that blue being is, it seems to think it's alone. It's unaware of all the onlookers.

San said...

Anonymous, maybe I need to do a Garden of the Gods painting. Of course, it'll wind up being something else.

Daphne, thanks for taking a look. I always love that oxidized look, so I'm glad you see that.

Celebration and Flan, you've inspired a new post. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Lily's Throne--is it this painting? a title without a painting? Is it a series? Hmmmm.

San said...

Hmmmm is right.

Philip said...

I like it just as it is.

San said...

Philip, thanks for visiting!