Daily Archives: April 1, 2012

Mondrian, Nicholson, In Parallel

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culturalibi

Mondrian, Nicholson, In Parallel – The Courtauld Gallery, 16 Feb – 20 May 2012

Having a book of Mondrian paintings is almost entirely pointless. This is something I realised only after having seen this exhibition which, though small, was incredibly enlightening in terms of his style and the context in which his beliefs developed.

There are a few things to understand about Mondrian when discussing his work. Rarely is abstraction comprehensible at first sight, a cerebral method of working it has to be stood in front of and contemplated before its true power begins to come across. Undoubtedly interested in the Cubist way of working, looking at his earlier works it is clear to see that Mondrian had always been interested in a much more abstract method of depiction. His interest in theosophy – a religious philosophy and metaphysical study relating to an ultimate truth, and his desire to get to…

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Golden Curtain

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Dara's Blog

Is Golden Curtain a vertical or a horizontal painting?  I originally published it on the “Paintings” page as a horizontal, 41 x 55,” but this morning it suddenly demanded to be vertical.  What do you think?

The composition of an abstract painting, or any painting for that matter, should work in all directions, although the subject matter of say, a still life, makes sense only one way.  I remember my dad turning his paintings around to check their compositional strength and sometimes changing the orientation altogether.  This is a practice worth continuing, but sometimes I… forget.  So now I’m wondering if this painting should be signed in two directions.

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Transformation: Inside the Rainbow Chrysalis

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Blue Phoenix Monastic, Blogging from Mountainside Poustinia


Among the most important pieces in my new collection, this painting documents a significant portion of my personal journey.  Like the caterpillar that must completely let go of all aspects of self in order to undergo the molecular liquification which precedes becoming a butterfly, I too had to embrace the messy process of transformation.  This painting contains layer upon layer of my own process, including bronze and copper spackling, candy coated pouring medium, and rainbow paint splattering.   It quietly held space for me in the corner of my art studio, depicting a visual representation of exactly where I was in my process.  Then one day, after I found forgiveness in my heart for a person that I had long struggled to forgive, I pulled the painting off the wall and it was time to finish.  Cream, gold, blue, magenta and iridescent pearl covered the canvas and I realized that I…

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