Friday, July 4, 2008

A thought on Line

Line is a powerful visual tool. The coral-tinted edge of a rose petal becomes a line that cuts across the unopened bud carving the petals into abstract shapes. Two roads become lines cutting the landscape into ribbons of grass and trees. A few simple strokes of a paintbrush suggest polite intimacy between a man and a woman.

When my eyes open, the world of objects, lights and shadows entertains me and inspires the images that appear on canvas and paper. The red and yellow painting illustrated here is an underpainting for a collection of work, Between Here and There, that focuses on the five elements of art: line, shape, value, color and texture. Two dozen paintings explore various ways to present a road as a major design element in a work of art. The series will be exhibited in October at Monsoon Gallery in Bethlehem, PA as part of my solo show Unveiled - The Anatomy of a Painting. To view the progress of the paintings as glazes are applied, visit Before The Curtain Falls.

My hope is that after viewing the exhibit, Unveiled, curiosity will be sparked in the viewer, filters will be removed from the eye to brain communication and a sense of joy will be experienced as the simple, five elements of art are recognized in the daily experience of home, work and leisure.

One need not be an artist to enjoy the sun shining on a basket of laundry, a sink full of dishes, a pile of tires or a rusty pipe against an old brick building. The line of a well-draped fabric in the form of a dress swirling through the air as a woman dances can catch the breath of those who have never visited an art museum.

Line, shape, value, color and texture are everywhere for those with open eyes and a willingness to see the world as something other than the objects we identify with words.

Chris Carter

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