Growth Demands Sacrifice

Developing a painting often eliminates some of its strength. When Heads Begin to Fall began with beautiful transparency that created a mysterious depth and a dreamlike quality. I wanted to leave it as it was. However, the goal was not to create a lovely painting. My objective was to learn to successfully nurture a painting past the initial stage where it begins to come to life. Just as a young child is full of energy and great potential, a painting holds promise for learning, new ideas and communication skills. A painting should be allowed to fulfill its potential as children should be nurtured to fulfill their potential. That demands taking the chance of losing some of the sparks one loves the most. For more discussion on the development of When Heads Begin to Roll, click on the link to my illustrated journal Before The Curtain Falls.

Images: Left - When Heads Begin to Roll (underpainting) 36" x 48" oil on kraft paper by Chris Carter
Right - When Heads Begin to Roll (finished painting) 36" x 48" oil on kraft paper by Chris Carter

Chas Cochran . Harpman Sings The Blues

Chas is one of my favorite musicians. He is a singer/songwriter whose roots are in Chicago. His voice soothes my soul while his harmonica playing awakens my creativity. What could be better than that?

We met at Porter's Pub in Easton, PA where Maria Woodford ran the open mic on Thursday nights. Chas, along with several of the other fantastic musicians I have met at Maria's Open Mic played at the opening of my solo exhibit Fluidity at Monsoon Gallery in Bethlehem, PA. It was definitely a night to remember, a celebration of the creative energy that flows between music and art.

Visit Chas's Web Site

Listen to The Other Side of Two

Image: Chas - Watercolor by Chris Carter. To view more watercolor sketches of musicians visit Gallery of Musicians.

Painting with Acrylic Paint

For over twenty years I had a hate relationship with acrylic paints. They dry too quickly, the colors used to be far too plastic looking for my taste and they didn't have the wonderful smell of oil paint and turpentine that I love so much.

When I found myself pressured to begin, complete and hang a painting in less than two days I resorted to acrylics in spite of my dislike for the medium. Following the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, I painted a series featuring two of the original New Orleans Jazz Bands, The Eagle Band and King Oliver's Band. The image above is The Eagle Band.

Working in acrylic I was forced to move quickly and boldly. For the first time, I enjoyed the quick drying medium. Shortly after completing the series, I forced myself to paint in acrylics, mixing my own dilutions and experimenting with the different mediums that are now available. Within a month's time I put the past dislike behind me and embraced acrylics. I am now able to use my watercolor techniques with acrylic on canvas. The paintings can be stretched and either not framed at all, or framed without glass. I often begin with watercolor splashes on the canvas, seal the watercolor and continue painting with acrylic. Acrylic also allows me to use charcoal for line work and delineation of forms. I can seal the layer of charcoal and continue with fresh glazes. The painting above, Dance for Dionysus was created in this way.

The Music of Maria Woodford

Click to Listen

Maria and her music has been a constant inspiration. Painting during her wedding was a most delightful experience.

Image: Maria and Brian dancing together on their wedding day.
Watercolor and Ink sketch by Chris Carter

Communication, expression or both?

Whether the result of our creative energy is a song, a poem or a painting, it is a vehicle to communicate a thought, an idea, an experience or an emotion. Is it important that the viewer, or audience, experiences the painting in the same way that the artist experienced it? Perhaps, if the artist's intention was to communicate a specific idea or emotion. When the content of the work evolves during the creative process, as it does in my paintings, the viewer is invited to experience the work in a personal manner that might differ greatly from the experience of the artist.
After many years of trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to share with the world through my paintings, I realized that my intent was simply to help the viewer open the door to her own thoughts, memories, feelings and creative energy. I do not wish to impose subject matter. The dilema is that most viewers need to be able to identify something, a shape, a form, a familiar object, in order to become engaged in the painting. It took a long time for me to understand and accept this and ultimately to find a way to balance subject matter and my own creative process. Once I was able to understand the rules of the game I was able to let go of my resistance to subject matter and allow it to be an element in my painting. It no longer matters whether it is a figure, a bowl of fruit or a forest of birch trees. The painting evolves in its own way; the subject is only the key that unlocks the creative energy.

Image: Adirondack Birch Trees No.1
Watercolor Painting by Chris Carter

Sketchbook Drawings: Allowing personal shapes and forms to express themselves

Puzzled by the diversity of my work, people often ask which medium and which genre is my favorite. If I had to chose one tool and one way to express my experience of life, I would chose a pencil and my sketchbook in which to draw orbs and organic shapes in space.

For many years my sketchbooks were filled with the struggle to draw realistically, the struggle to see the world as objects rather than shapes and patterns of light and dark. I rarely used my sketchbook to draw the orbs, ribbons and button-like shapes that automatically come from my pencil when I'm not thinking about drawing. As a child, I filled the pages of the telephone book with these delightful marks. I left these marks behind on napkins and placemats when I traveled. These shapes that move through space have been a part of my consciousness for as long as I can remember. Yet, I never honored these constant companions with a place on a page in a sketchbook or on a canvas. The first time I allowed them to become a painting was during the summer of 2003.

On December 31, 2005 I opened the cover of a new sketchbook, picked up a pencil and was immediately distracted. When I glanced at the marks my pencil had made, I saw the familiar orbs and saucer-like forms drawn faintly on the page. The time had come to embrace these shapes and to follow wherever they might lead. A journal drawing, allowing the drawing itself to inspire each mark, become a daily meditation. Surprisingly, the meditative practice led back to the figure and a serious study of the skeleton to allow the figures to emerge from the paper with movement in space without a model.

Watercolor Painting: Restless by Chris Carter

What is it that gives an image a life of its own? What is it that is felt when a person enters a room and the room feels different? Is there something beyond the words spoken, the tone of voice, the shape, the size and the color? What is it that is invisible yet seen vividly through the eyes of the soul? Can that invisible force be captured and expressed in paint, clay, music, poetry, dance or film? Or is the attempt to express that force of energy enough?

Image: Hera Grows Suspicious ... Again
Mixed Media Painting by Chris Carter