How Primitive am I?

  As an artist...I love some of the primitive works I've seen.

Nope, not my work! These pieces are from the Jomon period in Japan, which covered from 14000 to 300 b.c e.. I've always been attracted to this primitive style.

These were not able to hold much water, since their clay is still somewhat porous. But they have exquisite details. I blogged about them earlier (HERE) if you wish to see more of them.

This little vase (by me) is formed much the same way, and pit fired, probably in a similar way. It is one of my favorites.

Before bisque firing...this shows how applied thin elements dry faster, and will also heat up faster when firing, so are more likely to break off. Look again at the Jomon decorative additions.

The finished piece, with a couple of glaze tones added and fired to cone 6.

I like hand building, here a tower has a little dragon on the top. This  was once of the last styles that I made before quitting pottery. Between my health and COVID, the work space was too small and dusty for me to continue.

So in answer to the question in my title...I'm a little bit "primitive" and a little bit rock and roll. (That's from an old song, which I think had "country" instead of primitive, very close in meaning to me.)

Robert Tynes' art

Enjoyed an art show which has now been dismantled...so I feel it's ok to share some of the phots I took of Robert Tynes' art. You can google him and see more of it as well.

You can see my recent post about attending the show at the University of North Carolina Asheville a few weeks ago with my friends HERE.

However, I'm going to include the whole post again, because, after all, it's about art and an artist!

 A friend, a fellow UU, and an altogether genial person, Robert Tynes has taught art at U of NC Asheville for many years. They offer a retrospective of his work until Sept 8 in the Owens Hall gallery. A couple of friends and I went to see it last week!

We were pleasantly surprised to meet Robert himself as we came into the gallery!

I'm sorry, I tried to get a pic of the titles, but they seem to have been shuffled in the camera. Or maybe I was...

"Trompe l'oeil" is the technique of painting things so realistically that you think you can reach out and touch the real object rather than a painted one. It is also sometimes spelled "Trump L'Oeil" as a tongue in cheek play on Trump's name.

Helen was very pleased to learn this was the description of a painting in her home, by another acquaintance of mine who does Trompe l'oeil, Brad Stroman. I think he moved to Santa Fe from Black Mountain and may have returned to the Asheville area again...will ask around. Another good painter.

It was a most enjoyable visit, though the parking situation on campus was stressful. And that was before students and faculty returned from summer break!

"Robert Tynes has been painting professionally for over 30 years. He has held over 25 solo shows and been included in over 150 group exhibitions. Tynes is currently Professor of Art at the University of North Carolina, Asheville where he has been for the past 24 years." Per his web site...but he retired a few years ago due to health.

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Additionally, with the COVID resurgence, I've not been attending my little church in the woods, but strangely enough, have been dreaming of former members. So I do hope this finds Robert in good health. 

More about the Red House

 I was asked to be the docent at the Red House gallery again a few weeks ago. We had a lot of visitors, and made quite a few sales.

So between visitors, I thought I'd take a few more photos for those of you who probably won't ever be able to visit Black Mountain NC.

The Red House Gallery and Studios

I remember when I first started coming to the Red House, how difficult it was for me to walk up these stairs. Now I don't even get out of breath! Whoopee!

Looking toward the Monte Vista Hotel...and the garden room and patio where sometimes guests at Milton's Dining Room will enjoy an outdoor venue.

The iron stairs provide fire escape from the upper rooms in the Monte Vista Hotel.

The front door, and a display of the current show.

All of the works in this show were inspired by a feather...

The guest book isn't signed by everyone, but some people do like to make comments.

Here's the desk for a docent (actually known as a sitter, not trying to educate people)

The back entrance...upstairs are artists' studios and a classroom. There is a classroom downstairs and 2 studios as well as the gallery itself.

Last of the Eschers

 

And then we said goodbye to the Columbia Museum of Art. I am happy to have shared our Escher experience with you, and to have my memories stored here in Blogger, where I hope they will be safe for me to look at in years to come.

2 Eschers

 

Escher a Day

 

I will try to find out the title of this work.

Couldn't find it...but it is similar to "Rind" a ribbon portrait of his wife.

2 Eschers

 

2 Eschers a Day