Gold, Silver, Copper?

As a artist who uses every medium in her repertoire, (palette), I have an affinity for metals. All of my raku work includes elements of metals to reveal a beautiful lustre or rainbow of colours. It's not different in my paintings... I am a crow constantly seeking shiny objects to beautify my environment. Hence, my love of copper. I was distraught when Canada discontinued the distribution of the penny. I object; here is my tribute. Enjoy the glamour, all shiny and bright; copper and varnishes to twinkle on your wall. Not bronze, not brass, just pure copper attraction. $1500, unframed, taxes and shipping extra. Comment or email for specifications and details.

And You See What?

This week I posted a photo of an untitled diptych. And there were a number of comments of the interpretation of the images. Of course, I did not paint any image which was perceptible. Actually, the difficulty in being an abstract painting is to ensure that no representational form sneaks into the work. I cannot fathom how or where some of these "seen" objects come from. Yesterday evening I watched a documentary on Schizophrenia; one of the most common symptoms is seeing imaginary things which are clearly not present in reality. You laugh. I am certainly not accusing my viewers of any mental disorder; on the contrary. Imagination is the trigger for association with an image. But it did make me wary. How to engage a viewer without attaching reality to my paintings. If you like what you think you are seeing, well, that's a good reason to hang the piece in your home. But if the image you have conjured isn't pleasant to your psyche, the painting is rejected. What a fine line I walk when I choose to lay down colour, form, composition, etc. So when people claim that they can easily replicate abstract work, I challenge them. Go ahead. You will appreciate my work so much more.

 

Marks, Water and Mystery

LIQUID LADDER- Watercolour on paper by Hannah Reim-Artist

There are times that inspiration for a painting is buried  deeply in the unconscious creative mind. I look at the sheet of paper before me. Nothing. I wait. And wait.

Then I release the images floating around and decide to free the beast. My hands have a life of their own and I throw down. Literally it is a battle royale  between the mind and the spirit. And voila. The brush moves itself in the most mysterious directions without any conscious  input. A construct of pure movement and a tango  between the hands and the brush. And the paper. And the paint. And water flowing, flying, splashing the walls. You are jealous, right? 

My ability to zone out intellectually is my gift to myself. And sometimes to you.

The resulting image is a mystery, a collision. And ultimately, the exact feeling I was looking for all along.

Watercolour-The Match between the Motive and the Medium

A Peaceful Resolution
Watercolour vs. Me

It's Clean. OK?

My real problem with most media I use is that I am not fond of mess. Obviously, that is not a good thing for an artist to declare.Every so often, I make a decision to use watercolour in the way I would use acrylic. But the end result is not what  I am pursuing. Watercolour has a mind of its own. And we are not of like minds. I want the colour to move. And it doesn't. Then I want it to be stable. And it's not. It wants to be painterly and lovely and pleasant and form trees and flowers and other fauna. Struggle. Scream, dab, wash, scream again.

No, it will not conform. What a miserable, stubborn... no wonder it's associated with kindergarden. I hate you. But, then. A mark that I actually like. One small, unsuspecting mark. In the full sheet of paper, one insignificant mark which makes me happy. The brush, the paper and the watercolour have come to an agreement to make me crazy and continue to paint. Ah ha! It's a plot. Then the gloves come off and the match continues. Usually I lose. But I am a stubborn s.o.b. too. So here we are. An impasse.

I fold the paper, maybe rip it to relieve some of the stress.

Well, at least the clean-up is easy.

hannahreimartistca: O nce

Acrylic on Canvas 24"x30" Framed $750.

• hannahreimartistca: O nce: "THIS PAINTING IS A SUM OF ALL ITS PARTS."         The Twin Towers in New York O nce stood."