Featured Artist, June 8 2009 - Artists2artists Social Network2024-03-29T12:25:05Zhttps://artdeadline.ning.com/forum/topics/featured-artist-june-8-2009?groupUrl=takeittothenextlevel&commentId=3077055%3AComment%3A14437&groupId=3077055%3AGroup%3A1778&feed=yes&xn_auth=nothanks junanne! glad you like…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-14:3077055:Comment:147022009-06-14T17:26:17.107ZJay Zerbehttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/JayZerbe
thanks junanne! glad you like the older work. i DO hope to sell that too someday. ;)<br />
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the chicago artist who is "taking me under his wing" also saw stuart davis in my work. and i have loved his work for 40 years, so i'm pleased! i think what is most like him is the interlocking planes/shapes. that's probably why you like the 2007 work - the interlocking shapes feel very comfortable in a simple, physical way.<br />
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yes the string thing was an installation. too bad i don't have photographs to add it…
thanks junanne! glad you like the older work. i DO hope to sell that too someday. ;)<br />
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the chicago artist who is "taking me under his wing" also saw stuart davis in my work. and i have loved his work for 40 years, so i'm pleased! i think what is most like him is the interlocking planes/shapes. that's probably why you like the 2007 work - the interlocking shapes feel very comfortable in a simple, physical way.<br />
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yes the string thing was an installation. too bad i don't have photographs to add it to my resume! who would have thought in 1956 that temporary art (here today, gone tomorrow) would be a valid form? certainly not me!<br />
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i laughed at your comment about faces. yes, our brains are hardwired to see faces in practically everything. my sister's daughter lives a few houses down from her, and when chery finishes a painting, she has her daughter come down to "find things in it". she usually finds clown faces!! then the job of making them disappear, and still have the construction you want!<br />
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you may want to try collage to develop your sense of abstraction. of course, you have to work with larger non-representation pieces. just try to "feel" when the next piece should go, and if the color adds to the piece. and they are so fast, and easy to rip up and recycle!<br />
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whatever i say, of course you can borrow. the way something is expressed can be very helpful in helping others (or yourself) to see something in the work. knowledge is to be shared freely.<br />
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yes, i definitely work on multiple pieces. in fact, at the moment, i am unhappy because i am waiting for a shipment of canvases, and only have 2 pieces to alternate between. i like to have 2 small ones (24x24"), 2 medium ones (36x36") and 2 large ones (36x48") active all the time. when i finish one, i start a new one of the same size. i probably switch (on average, since i switch more quickly on the small ones) about once every 3 hours. i used to switch to use up a color on the palette, but i have stopped doing that. since the color is more complex now, and more unique to each piece, i work linearly on one piece for a longer time. in addition, i either start on the small canvases, work on both, then move up to the medium, then to the large, or go in the reverse direction. since i scale my brushwork to the scale of the canvas, it hard for me to jump back and forth too quickly.<br />
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thanks again! stay tuned!<br />
j Thanks Jay for allowing us to…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-14:3077055:Comment:146902009-06-14T15:39:34.552ZJunanne Peckhttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/JunannePeck
Thanks Jay for allowing us to critique your body of work....Thanks for Older sisters also....I have one...Sounds like with all the strings you created in the basement it was an installation....and you certaintly should feel like you are a full time artist who is human....smile...<br />
I envy you that you have found a certain look that you carry through all of your work...I still bounce from one medium to another....I like the 2007 work a little better as you have some darks in to enhance the lighter…
Thanks Jay for allowing us to critique your body of work....Thanks for Older sisters also....I have one...Sounds like with all the strings you created in the basement it was an installation....and you certaintly should feel like you are a full time artist who is human....smile...<br />
I envy you that you have found a certain look that you carry through all of your work...I still bounce from one medium to another....I like the 2007 work a little better as you have some darks in to enhance the lighter tones....but all of your work has good value and balance. I'm excited you have been picked up by a gallery. I will send positive thoughts for you on the Nebraska and Georgia connection.<br />
Your style of abstract brings up an artist that I really like, Sturat Davis.I tried so many times to create abstracts similar to his work but have always had a hard time with abstract. I want to do it so much and always end up with faces somewhere...oh well, I think I'll try another one today....We seemed to have done the opposite as I paint large canvases and started printmaking 5 years ago and had to learn to work small...Isn't art wonderful and we are so fortunate to be artist. Thanks for introducing me to Lari Pittman's work. I like that you use your own created images in your collage work. Your description of viewing abstract as "getting lost in the construction of the piece" can I borrow that?<br />
You said you worked 18-24 hrs on a painting....do you work on more than one at a time or do you complete one before the other?I just love your comments...like the one on being critiqued...and since I am all about growing my work, I hear everything, but act on very little. I think this is great advice for artist or we would be doing sofa paintings...lol...<br />
I should wait to ask questions after I read your complete article..i see you do work on several pieces at a time...<br />
I completely understand not doing commission work...it's not for everyone and I commend those artist who do this...<br />
I enjoyed knowing more about you and your work. here are some detail views of…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-12:3077055:Comment:145812009-06-12T21:27:36.850ZJay Zerbehttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/JayZerbe
here are some detail views of headWater, as promised.
here are some detail views of headWater, as promised. thanks ryan! glad you enjoy t…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-12:3077055:Comment:145412009-06-12T20:04:59.107ZJay Zerbehttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/JayZerbe
thanks ryan! glad you enjoy the work, and the website. fortunately, i can code the website myself, so it lets me keep it current quite easily. to be able to photograph, and present your work (via website or print) are really useful skills.<br />
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re xb39f8a - the whole "lineage" series came about because i was started using line more (rather than more shapes than lines), and the pieces REALLY started to look like '50's abstractions. i was not totally pleased about that, but followed the work forward.…
thanks ryan! glad you enjoy the work, and the website. fortunately, i can code the website myself, so it lets me keep it current quite easily. to be able to photograph, and present your work (via website or print) are really useful skills.<br />
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re xb39f8a - the whole "lineage" series came about because i was started using line more (rather than more shapes than lines), and the pieces REALLY started to look like '50's abstractions. i was not totally pleased about that, but followed the work forward. i think the culmination of that line of thinking is xb6886a.<br />
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xb39f8a is an oddball piece. interesting that you picked that one - although people often pick it out - maybe BECAUSE it is so different. about that time, i had started using graphite sticks to layout the basic structure (on primed canvas), then added a layer of medium with a little color mixed in. i started adding components, and got to a point that i get too fairly often early on in a piece, where i say "if i were a famous artist, i would leave the piece right here". usually i push on from there (not enough work in the piece! needs more effort! [voices in my head]). and on RARE occasions, i stop and leave it there. if everything is so perfectly balanced (shape repetition/shape variation, interesting color progressions, decent composition) why go forward? i am quite obsessive about painting, so i don't feel these "simple pieces" say as much about me as the others. and since the piece is small (24x24"), i thought i could get away with it! :) not sure that was very enlightening. the comparison to Basquiat is interesting. simple shapes, simple palette, and quick execution. and lots of open space. my newest series (stains) is more open, so maybe i am working toward that. hard to tell! i just follow the ideas i see in the paint! thanks again! j Hi Jay,
First let me say than…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-12:3077055:Comment:145262009-06-12T15:26:58.343ZColeen Ryan-Riverahttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/RyanRivera
Hi Jay,<br />
First let me say thank you for such an in depth view into your creative world. OK here's my feedback. Looked at your web site . It's great . Working on my own as we speak. In fact you've given me some idea. I too would love to see your paintings in person . Think that they pack a punch. Movement , color are all the elements for good abstracts . I like the fact that the eyes keeps moving around the work. It creates an excitement. My first reaction when I looked at your work was WOW. How…
Hi Jay,<br />
First let me say thank you for such an in depth view into your creative world. OK here's my feedback. Looked at your web site . It's great . Working on my own as we speak. In fact you've given me some idea. I too would love to see your paintings in person . Think that they pack a punch. Movement , color are all the elements for good abstracts . I like the fact that the eyes keeps moving around the work. It creates an excitement. My first reaction when I looked at your work was WOW. How large are they ? I envison them to be very large. Makes sense that one of your favorite artist is Frank Stella. The collages make me what to hold and touch them. The colors are strong and very masculine.<br />
I am drawn to one particular painting titled Headwater. Drawn to the oranges and reds . Again it creates excitement . Another is xb39f8a (lineage) Very Basquiat. Different from the rest of the work. Can you talk a little bit about that piece? Thanks well, another day at the stud…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-12:3077055:Comment:145052009-06-12T11:28:00.917ZJay Zerbehttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/JayZerbe
well, another day at the studio, thinking about your comments and questions... putting the notes i wrote down while painting (always good to have paper and pencil to record your thoughts about your work while painting).<br />
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my shapes:<br />
- often based on the feel of letterforms<br />
- very pattern / repetition / rhythm / set theory in focus, using a limited vocabulary. the philosophical underpinnings of that are about language and systems of knowledge and how we communicate<br />
- i always try for simplified…
well, another day at the studio, thinking about your comments and questions... putting the notes i wrote down while painting (always good to have paper and pencil to record your thoughts about your work while painting).<br />
<br />
my shapes:<br />
- often based on the feel of letterforms<br />
- very pattern / repetition / rhythm / set theory in focus, using a limited vocabulary. the philosophical underpinnings of that are about language and systems of knowledge and how we communicate<br />
- i always try for simplified shapes (vs organic / ragged) to emphasize the cold / formal / structured aspect of the work<br />
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the work (general):<br />
- stylization, and the collage of stylized elements, is where my work will succeed (or fail). my shtick is that i collage style upon style to create what a first blush is a simple abstract that fragments into a constant puzzle. the uneasy unsolvable riddle that coincides with what i think existence / non-existence is. that restless searching is what the work is about, not the styled collage of paint. there is no resting place.<br />
- viewers either see past the styles to something more interesting, or (perhaps) dismiss my work as trash.<br />
- something that may also help is that i think of my work as "comic abstraction". in other words, a comic book / graphic rendering of an abstracted surface.<br />
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you may enjoy a new series i am working on - "stains" - because the surface is less processed / cellularized than in any series since "collage portraits". thanks tom - no, i really don…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-12:3077055:Comment:145012009-06-12T10:50:24.079ZJay Zerbehttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/JayZerbe
thanks tom - no, i really don't know how the work will evolve. my tendency is to carefully paint each area, vs using a big brushstroke to do the same thing... painting carefully causes the painting to freeze up and die, so i try to avoid that, but since internal pressure pushes in that direction, it is possible that the work will get less brushy.<br />
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regarding open areas... some of my newest work ("stains" series) has larger areas of not much going on, so maybe that will supply some "rest". my…
thanks tom - no, i really don't know how the work will evolve. my tendency is to carefully paint each area, vs using a big brushstroke to do the same thing... painting carefully causes the painting to freeze up and die, so i try to avoid that, but since internal pressure pushes in that direction, it is possible that the work will get less brushy.<br />
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regarding open areas... some of my newest work ("stains" series) has larger areas of not much going on, so maybe that will supply some "rest". my work has NEVER been restful. good or bad, i have always filled my work with lots of activity/"stuff". i think that has more to do with my nature than a truly artistic choice. i think we are sometimes pushed by our nature to paint in certain ways.<br />
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my sister, chery baird, teaches painting, and one of her exercises is to have the student block out sections of the painting with paper, then paint the rest of the canvas pure white. sort of the reverse of your process, but basically the same idea.<br />
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thanks for the feedback - i will think about what you have said.<br />
j Hi Jay:
Nice work. Any idea…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-11:3077055:Comment:144562009-06-11T18:07:14.622ZTom Davidhttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/TomDavid
Hi Jay:<br />
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Nice work. Any idea how your work will evolve? Your paintings are very active and, I suppose, need blank wall space for some visual relief. Have you every tried incorporating large empty areas (negative space) into your paintings? Long ago, in another life, I would block out areas of the painting surface with pieces of paper, paint over them as though they weren't there , and when finished painting, remove the paper to reveal negative areas in my paintings. The results were always a…
Hi Jay:<br />
<br />
Nice work. Any idea how your work will evolve? Your paintings are very active and, I suppose, need blank wall space for some visual relief. Have you every tried incorporating large empty areas (negative space) into your paintings? Long ago, in another life, I would block out areas of the painting surface with pieces of paper, paint over them as though they weren't there , and when finished painting, remove the paper to reveal negative areas in my paintings. The results were always a surprise. Some not so good, but some quite good. I really don't have any suggestions other than I think its' important for you to talk about your work<br />
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Regarding the comment about abstract work. Try enlarging a small section of a representational piece and what you have is an non-representational , perhaps abstract, image.<br />
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Ciao thanks barbara! well, sorry t…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-11:3077055:Comment:144462009-06-11T14:05:03.017ZJay Zerbehttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/JayZerbe
thanks barbara! well, sorry to say this, but what bothers you is what i find unique in my work - the inability of the eye to settle once you start perusing the piece. i agree that the color (and overall composition) hold the piece in stasis from a distance. but start looking at the painting, and you have entered the game - a game with no ending point. it is my way (probably more instinctive than not) of including the viewer in my process. some people find it unsettling (like you) and some…
thanks barbara! well, sorry to say this, but what bothers you is what i find unique in my work - the inability of the eye to settle once you start perusing the piece. i agree that the color (and overall composition) hold the piece in stasis from a distance. but start looking at the painting, and you have entered the game - a game with no ending point. it is my way (probably more instinctive than not) of including the viewer in my process. some people find it unsettling (like you) and some people enjoy that aspect. but i like that you perceive that! (just not ready to change it!)<br />
j sorry - "Lam reference". (can…tag:artdeadline.ning.com,2009-06-11:3077055:Comment:144442009-06-11T14:01:26.499ZJay Zerbehttps://artdeadline.ning.com/profile/JayZerbe
sorry - "Lam reference". (can't seem to edit this post (at least from a Mac).
sorry - "Lam reference". (can't seem to edit this post (at least from a Mac).