The struggle between the painting that resisted getting done and myself is over, and I have won (finally). So here it is. It took me long enough, especially for something that is only fourteen and a half inches by nine inches. I hope Dr. Client is not too frustrated. His quote, which is attributed to Henry Miller, is inscribed in the banner that goes across the top. It reads, "One's destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things." I have not been able to find the exact source in Miller's writing for the quote. The client wanted it lettered in a border around the image, but I found that to be unreadable so I compromised on this. In the lower corner is a short white pillar with figures on it of a dentist working on a person's teeth. This honors the client, who is a dentist. All right…. done. It's Miller Time!

I don't think it came out too bad, despite all the trouble it gave me. The astrolabe on the left side is kind of cool. The concept is borrowed shamelessly from Francois Schuiten, the Belgian artist I mentioned a couple of entries ago, who often puts astrolabes in his paintings. The surrealist part of this painting is that all the windows or doors open up into different worlds and times of day. That's how I tried to convey the sense of finding new places which were really states of mind. I just don't agree much with the quote, though. When I go to Missouri, I am not there for the subjective experience of having my thinking renewed. I am there because I want to see Missouri, the "Show-Me State."

Recently the matter has come up for me about what an artist's way of thinking could bring to scientific studies. (Oooo, isn't that pink nebula so pretty!) I am an artist trying to think like a scientist, which causes me to do spiral staircases because of their interesting geometry. I admit, this picture isn't SEXY. There are no scantily clad beautiful women in it. Not like Henry Miller's work at all. I'm sorry about that. If I could draw babes, I would, but I'm only good at buildings and the occasional spaceship. Can an artist learn to think like a scientist without giving up artistic quality? Judging from this, maybe not. Oh well, it's done now. Could I please get back to my math and science studies? I need to work on series and progressions.

Posted at 2:55 am | link